April 29, 2007

Indianapolis, Ind.- For the third consecutive season the UIC men's tennis team will tangle for the Horizon League Men's Tennis Championship after wins over Youngstown State and Cleveland State allowed the Flames to advance to Sunday's league final.

UIC rebounded from a doubles-point loss to dismantle the Penguins in the singles slate and claim a 4-2 victory in the first round. In the semifinals the Flames captured the doubles point and wrangled three singles victories for a 4-2 win over the Vikings and a berth in the title match.

The Flames will face defending champion Butler on Sunday at the North Central Courts in Indianapolis beginning at 9:15 a.m. Central.

Freshman Bastian Harbo and junior Eric Fey won both of their singles matches during the day to pace the UIC attack.

In Saturday's opening contest the Flames and Penguins engaged in three tight doubles bouts that required extra play to decide a winning duo in each match. Youngstown State picked up a 9-7 win at the top spot and a 9-8(5) victory at the second slot to overcome UIC's 9-7 decision at No. 3 doubles and put the Flames in an early one-point hole.

But UIC dug out of that hole quickly, with Horizon League Newcomer of the Year Sebastian Lystad, Harbo, Fey and Sweeney winning their singles matches to clinch the match.

The semifinal pitted second-seeded Cleveland State and the third-seeded Flames. UIC went ahead early this time, picking up both of the finished matches in paired play to take some momentum into the singles side.

Harbo gutted out a three-set victory over Brad Groleski, and straight-set wins from Fey and Andy Lockhart were all the Flames needed to advance.

FIRST ROUND:
UIC 4, Youngstown State 2

SINGLES
1. Sebastian Lystad (UIC) def. Scott Kathary (YSU) 7-5, 1-6, 7-5
2. Bastian Harbo (UIC) def. Tom Barth (YSU) 6-4, 6-3
3. Brian Meek def. Adriano Liccardo (UIC) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
4. Eric Fey (UIC) def. Diego Cerzosimo (YSU) 6-3, 6-4
5. Sam Sweeney (UIC) def. Ryan Trapp (YSU) 6-2, 6-3
6. Tim O'Brien (UIC) vs. Maurice Rucker (YSU) DNF

DOUBLES
1. Kathary/Barth (YSU) def. Lystad/Lockhart (UIC) 9-7
2. Trapp/Trapp (YSU) def. Liccardo/Harbo (UIC) 9-8(5)
3. Sweeney/Fey (UIC) def. Meek/Cerzosimo (YSU)9-7

SEMIFINALS:
UIC 4, Cleveland State 2

SINGLES
1. Phil Orno (CSU) def. Sebastian Lystad (UIC) 6-3, 6-2
2. Bastian Harbo (UIC) def. Brad Groleski (CSU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
3. Ryan Hamning (CSU) vs. Adriano Liccardo (UIC) DNF
4. Eric Fey (UIC) def. Dan Singer (CSU) 6-1, 6-3
5. Rob West (CSU) def. Sam Sweeney (UIC) 6-1, 6-1
6. Andy Lockhart (UIC) def. Steven Wipprecht (CSU) 6-2, 6-2

DOUBLES
1. Lystad/Lockhart (UIC) def. Orno/Hamning (CSU) 8-5
2. Liccardo/Harbo (UIC) def. West/Wipprecht (CSU) 8-6
3. Groleski/Singer (CSU) vs. Sweeney/Fey (UIC) DNF