Cleveland State men’s tennis sets sail for yet another season – The Cauldron
The Cleveland State University men’s tennis team started off their season in January in some rough waters. The team was unable to pull out with a win until Feb. 21. After a month of hard losses against tough competition, the matchups including Ball State, Penn State, and Dartmouth, the team began sailing into a wave of victories. On Feb. 21, the team finally overcame their challenging losing streak.
The win came over Duquesne University with a phenomenal score of 7-0. The winning streak that followed no one saw coming. The team overcame their early losses and quickly sailed through the competition. Following their 7-0 win over Duquesne, the Vikings tallied wins over Buffalo, Lawrence Tech, University of Toledo, and Holy Cross.
Sophomore Austin Staiger goes for the ball. Photo courtesy of Vikings Athletics
The Vikings had big wins over Lawrence Tech and Holy Cross, defeating Lawrence Tech 7-0 and Holy Cross 6-1. In the matchups against both Buffalo and Lawrence Tech on Feb. 26, four players were able to accomplish going 2-0 in singles. Sophomore JuandeDios Abboud, senior Hugo Chatras, and sophomores Mikael Erler and Maxime Mareschal-Hay were the victorious Vikings.
On the same day, both junior Kade Mindry and sophomore Austin Staiger accomplished wins of their own. The matches against Buffalo and Lawrence Tech were part of a six-match homestand at The Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion. As the team continued to sail through their winning streak, they managed to pick up wins against Toledo and Holy Cross at yet another homestand tournament. The Vikings were neck-and-neck with Toledo throughout the matches as a score from the Vikings was followed by a score from Toledo each time.
Sophomore Maxime Mareschal-Hay prepares to hit the ball back. Photo courtesy of Vikings Athletics
Erler was able to secure the win for the team in his singles match, the final of the day against their Toledo opponents. Following their matches against Toledo, the Vikings sailed through their victory over Holy Cross, tallying the doubles point and earning five singles points as well.
On course each year is the Vikings Spring Training Trip. The team headed to Boca Raton, Florida to face Florida Atlantic and UTSA. The team set sail once again on the afternoon of Mar. 16 against Florida Atlantic. Unfortunately, the Vikings were met with rough seas and fell to their opponents with a score of 0-5. As the team closed out their training trip in Florida, the team had a second matchup against UTSA. The Vikings were met with tricky competition yet again and fell to UTSA 2-6. Despite the sudden shift in the Viking’s gameplay, there is still plenty of time left within the season for them to begin a victory sail later on in the course of their season.