Contact: Alex Mielcarz, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, ajmielcarz@noctrl.edu
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (March 28, 2026) – The North Central men's tennis program extended its winning streak to four consecutive duals on Saturday, defeating the University of California, Santa Cruz 6-1. The Cardinals went 5-1 in singles play and claimed the doubles point 2-1.
Henry Ros and Andres Valverde Gonzalez won their second consecutive match at the top of the doubles lineup card, defeating their opponents 6-2. Philipp Wottgen and Rafael Lessa dropped their match 6-3, but the reigning College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Player of the Week, David Vilarroig Martinez, and his partner Matt Crossland clinched the doubles point for North Central (8-6), winning 6-3 in their match.
Wottgen got back on track in the one spot in singles, coasting to a 6-2, 6-1 victory, while Ros claimed his third consecutive singles win, this one in straight sets 6-0, 6-2.
Valverde Gonzalez kept up the momentum in the third spot for the Cardinals, squeaking out a tight first set 6-4 before dominating his way to a 6-0 win in the second, while Ignacio Hernandez Ruiz got a big win in the fifth spot, winning 6-3, 6-4.
Two singles matches went the distance. Vilarroig Martinez and his opponent went three sets, ultimately losing 5-7, 6-2, 0-1. Lessa also found himself in a three-set struggle, but was able to come out victorious.
Lessa dropped the first set 6-1, but rebounded nicely, losing just three games over the next two sets to win the match 1-6, 6-1, 6-2.
North Central is back to conference action tomorrow, taking on Millikin in Decatur tomorrow at noon.
