UIC's men's tennis team (3-6) will host Niagara (1-5) in the Flames' first home match of the season.  The indoor match will take place at XS Tennis Thursday afternoon at 1:00 pm.

The Flames will look to right the ship after losing three consecutive matches to drop below .500, albeit against highly ranked competition.  On Sunday, the Flames fell to Utah 7-0 despite advancing to third set tiebreakers in the last two singles matches involving Marcelo Dib and Kailash Panchapakesan.

Dib, primarily playing at #3, has three singles wins this season.  Christian San Andres has a team high four singles victories, spread throughout the third, fourth, and fifth slots in the singles lineup.  Niko Wasilewicz, the team's #2 singles player, is tied with Dib with three wins on the campaign.

San Andres and Wasilewicz have combined to post four doubles wins.  Head coach Hans Neufeld paired Wasilewicz with Alvaro de la Fuente against Utah, and the pair rallied from a 4-1 deficit to take a 6-5, 30-0 lead and were about to serve for the set when the doubles match was called after Utah won the first two sets and clinched the point.

As a team, the Flames have been an all-or-nothing squad in their dual matches to date.  In their three wins, UIC has dropped a mere two matches and boasts a 19-2 points advantage.  But in their six losses, the team has garnered a lone match win while giving up 38 points.

This will be the first meeting between UIC and Niagara.  "It will be interesting to see how we match up with a first time opponent," Neufeld said, noting that six of the Flames' first eight opponents are regulars on the schedule over the last several or more years.  "We're looking forward to opening our home court season and hopefully we can do so with a win."

Niagara stands at 1-5 this spring.  Their record includes losses to three Horizon League squads (Youngstown State, Cleveland State, and Wright State).  Last Thursday, Niagara was edged by Wright State 4-3.  The Purple Eagles lost the doubles point, but rallied to even the match 3-3 after winning three of the first five singles matches.  In the decisive match at #5 singles, Wright State pulled out a 6-2, 6-4 victory to claim the team win.  Francis Nadeau, Josh Wilson, and Brent Boleslav each claimed a singles win for Niagara.

This will be the lone competition at XS Tennis for the Flames this spring.  Their next home match, scheduled for Saturday March 18, will be contested at Hinsdale Racquet Club, before the team plays four consecutive matches at home on the Flames Outdoor Tennis Courts in April.