Contact: Alex Mielcarz, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, ajmielcarz@noctrl.edu
ORLANDO, Fla. (March 10, 2026) – The Cardinals earned their first sweep of the season Tuesday, winning the nightcap of a split doubleheader with No. 35 Skidmore College and Transylvania University. The North Central men's tennis program fell in the morning matchup with Skidmore 5-2, but rebounded resoundingly in the evening, trampling Transylvania 7-0.

Match 1 vs. No. 35 Skidmore College

The Cardinals started the day against a ranked foe: No. 35 Skidmore College. North Central (4-6) fell in the contest 5-2, but found itself in tight match after tight match throughout.
Henry Ros and Andres Valverde Gonzalez claimed their first victory at the top of the doubles lineup after moving up from the number two slot for the first time yesterday. The pair won the match 6-4, improving to 8-3 on the season. Skidmore (3-3) swept the second and third matchups to claim the point. Philipp Wottgen and Rafael Lessa fell 6-3, while Matt Crossland and David Vilarroig Martinez lost 6-4.

Ros competed in a tight matchup in singles, battling Kyle Lundberg to a third set. He lost the first set 6-3, but bounced back in the second,  winning 7-6 in the set and 7-3 in the tiebreaker. The teams agreed to play a full set in any needed third set, so Ros and Lundberg put their conditioning to the test by playing nine more games to settle the match. Lundberg came out on top, winning the third set 6-3.

Lessa also found his way into a three-set contest. He won the opening frame 6-0 but lost the second by the same score. In the third set, Skidmore's Ege Topbas fended off Lessa's efforts, winning 6-4.

Ignacio Hernandez Ruiz also took part in a three-setter. He dropped the first set 6-4 but came back to win the second 6-3. In the decisive third set, Hernandez Ruiz and his opponent played 13 games plus a tiebreaker, as Radin Sadeghi of Skidmore claimed the victory 7-6 with a 7-3 win in the tiebreaker.

Valverde Gonzalez got the first point for the Cardinals, winning his match 6-0, 6-1. Vilarroig Martinez added the second with a sweep of his own, winning 6-2, 6-2.

Match 2 vs. Transylvania University

Coach Joey Leto rolled out a new-look lineup in the second match, getting a few new faces into the rotation for the Cardinals. The roster took its opportunity in stride, clinching the first sweep under coach Leto and the first sweep of the season for the program.

Wottgen and Lessa teamed back up in the top spot of the doubles card and took home a 7-5 win. Jack Briggs paired up with Crossland for the fourth time this season, helping the pair to their third win as a duo. They dominated their way to a 6-0 win, as did Hernandez Ruiz and Rafael Miquel Isern in the third spot.

The last three spots of the lineup did not lose a single game for North Central (5-6). Briggs won 6-0. 6-0 in the fourth spot, Miquel Isern, in the fifth spot, claimed a 6-0, 6-0 win and Brandon Paasch, playing in the sixth spot, did the same, sweeping his opponent 6-0, 6-0. Paasch claimed his first victory in a dual contest this year and improved his overall record to 3-1 after going 2-1 in tournaments earlier this season.

Ros, taking a crack at the top singles match, took home a 6-4, 6-1 victory. Valverde Gonzalez, getting bumped up to the number two slot, won the first set of his contest 6-3, and was up 3-0 in the second set before his opponent retired, giving him the win.

Vilarroig Martinez finished the 7-0 sweep with a 6-3, 6-1 victory.

North Central won every set of tennis against Transylvania, the first time they have done so in a match this season. Prior to the rule change pertaining to doubles scoring, this would have been a 9-0 victory for the Cardinals.

North Central finishes its Florida schedule tomorrow, taking on No. 3 Case Western Reserve University. However, the contest will not count towards either school's duals record, but the results of the singles and doubles matches will count towards the records of the student-athletes.