KOHLER, Wis. – The No. 2 seed MSOE men's tennis team faced off with No. 1 seed Illinois Tech for the fourth straight NACC Championship match, as the preseason favorite Scarlet Hawks took down the Raiders in a back-and-forth battle to capture the conference title.
RESULT
No. 2 MSOE RAIDERS – 3
No. 1 Illinois Tech – 4
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After the Scarlet Hawks took the #2 doubles bout to open the afternoon, the Raiders would take the #1 doubles match as Randy Funez and Carlos Lopez won 6-3. With the pressure for the first point on the #3 doubles teams, the Red and White's team of Augusto Eiji Yamazaki and Pedro Rezende Mendes would rise to the occasion, delivering a 6-2 win for MSOE to take a 1-0 lead.
- In singles play, Illinois Tech would take the first three singles bouts for a 3-1 lead over MSOE, putting the Raiders on the brink of elimination. Carlos Calabuig-Patino would step up for the Red and White in the #4 singles match, toppling his opponent in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, kick starting a potential comeback for MSOE.
- As the final two bouts would go to a third set, Yamazaki would tie things up at 3-3 after wining his match 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to give the Red and White a fighting chance. The #5 singles match would back-and-forth for both teams but would ultimately fall the Scarlet Hawks way, as the Raiders fell to their rival in a heartbreaker.
WHO'S ON DECK
The Raiders have wrapped for the season with a 9-12 record, going 5-1 in conference play. The Red and White will resume play in the fall in the builds for ITA Regionals in September.
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