UIC jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but Green Bay won the final five points of the match to take a 5-2 victory at Hinsdale Racquet Club Saturday afternoon.  It was the ninth straight win for Green Bay (7-8, 4-1 HL) over the Flames, who dropped to 5-11 and 0-6 in conference play.  The Flames, who had been scheduled to make their season on-campus debut at Flames Outdoor Tennis Courts, had to move the match to the indoor facility due to high winds on an otherwise beautiful Chicago afternoon.

The day got off to a promising start for UIC when they collected the doubles point for the second straight match.  Marcelo Dib and Carl Hedstrom continued their strong play in the #1 slot with a 6-3 win.  Alvaro de la Fuente and Niko Wasilewicz faltered at #2, 6-4, but Johan Hedstrom and Christian San Andres won the decisive set on the #3 court, 6-2.  Dib and Hedstrom improved to an impressive 6-2 in doubles action, all in the #1 flight.

"We got another good doubles win with a solid effort from all three teams," coach Hans Neufeld said.  "Marcelo and Carl are really playing well together."

The Flames built on their lead early in the singles competition.  San Andres dispatched Miles McDowall in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, at #4.  It was San Andres' sixth win in his last seven outings, his tenth overall, and fourth in Horizon League action – all team highs.

Neufeld, who had slotted San Andres in the #5 flight for most of the season before elevating him to #4 for last weekend's matches, noted the freshman's solid play.  "Christian continues to grind down his opponents," he said.  "He has played himself up a notch in the lineup."

The Phoenix stormed right back in the next two matches to finish.  Ivan Radomiriovic took down de la Fuente at #6, 6-2, 6-3; and Matej Kostadinov likewise had a straight sets win at #2, 7-6, 6-4 over Wasilewicz.  Green Bay took its first lead of the match with its third straight singles win, a 7-5, 7-5 effort by Florian Kraenzler at #1 over Carl Hedstrom.

With the match hanging in the balance, the Flames took each of the final two singles contests to a third set.  But Green Bay stood tall and claimed wins in both.  In the clinching match at #5, Johan Hedstrom narrowly lost the first set to Charlie Ridout, but had an easier time in winning the second.  The third set came down to a tiebreaker.  Ultimately, Ridout made a few key shots to earn a 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 win.

Dib emerged victorious in his first set at #3, but could not put Joshua Schramm away.  Schramm rallied for a 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 win to break Dib's two match winning streak.

"As with many of our matches, we had chances in third sets to get points and extend the team competition," Neufeld commented.  "Though we still haven't gotten over the hump, our guys are bringing good energy to the courts.  Our young core is learning a lot from their experiences and will continue to improve."

The Flames will continue their homestand Monday with a non-conference match against Chicago State beginning at noon.