Men’s Tennis Championship
(2) Cleveland State 4, (1) Green Bay 3
For the last three years, Green Bay and Cleveland State have found themselves competing for a berth in the NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament. And while each of the matches had its share of drama, nothing compared to Sunday’s Horizon League Tournament championship, in which both teams had opportunities to win. In the end, though, second-seeded Cleveland State captured its fifth conference title in the last six years with a dramatic 4-3 victory over No. 1 Green Bay.
Both doubles and singles matches saw swings in momentum; after the teams split No. 1 and No. 2 doubles with identical 8-4 wins, all eyes turned to the No. 3 match. Green Bay opened a 5-3 lead, but the duo of Jorg van der Vloet and Joe VanMeter rallied to capture an 8-6 win, giving the Vikings a pivotal early point.
The same had happened when the teams squared off in the regular season, Cleveland State winning the doubles point before Green Bay rallied to take five of six singles matches. However, the Vikings showed their mettle, taking the first set in four singles matches to put the undefeated Phoenix against the wall.
Still, Green Bay would strike back, as Leopold Gomez Islinger rolled, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 5 to knot the match at 1-1.
As the second sets progressed, it appeared as if Craig Cox would force a third set at No. 3, but Ali Shabib rallied from a 4-1 second set deficit to win in a tie-break; Shabib’s 6-3, 7-6(4) victory gave Cleveland State a brief 2-1 lead.
Almost immediately after, Rowan Isaaks tied the match with a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 6. However, Jorg van der Vloet scored a key win for Cleveland State, pushing them within a point of the championship by handing Michael Tenzer a 6-4, 6-2 loss at No. 1. The defeat was Tenzer’s first in Horizon League competition this season.
Up 3-2, Niklas Jonsson earned a match point in the second set at No. 4, only to see Howard Scott save the point and rally from 5-4 to capture a stunning 7-5 win, forcing a decisive third set.
While Jonsson and Scott headed to the third, Erik Finkenbrink wrapped his 7-5, 6-2 win at No. 2, sending all the attention to court No. 5, where Scott and Jonsson were trading hay-makers.
At 2-2, Jonsson broke Scott, only to see Scott come right back to tie the match at 3-3 in the third. With service and momentum, Scott appeared to be closing in on a dramatic comeback, but Jonsson would break him once more, opening a 4-3 advantage.
Jonsson held his service, and when he broke Scott once more, Cleveland State had its fifth title in the last six years.
The Vikings will find out their NCAA Tournament destination on Tuesday, April 30, at 5 p.m. ET. The tournament selection show will be carried live on NCAA.com.
(2) Cleveland State 4, (1) Green Bay 3
Doubles:
No. 1 - Ali Shabib/Niklas Jonsson (CSU) def. Erik Finkenbrink/Craig Cox (GB), 8-4
No. 2 - Howard Scott/Michael Tebon (GB) def. Matt Kuelker/Nolan Marks (CSU), 8-4
No. 3 - Jorg van der Vloet/Joe VanMeter (CSU) def. Michael Tenzer/Joey Leto (GB), 8-6
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles:
No. 1 - van der Vloet (CSU) def. Tenzer (GB), 6-4, 6-2
No. 2 - Finkenbrink (GB) def. Kuelker (CSU), 7-5, 6-2
No. 3 - Shabib (CSU) def. Cox (GB), 6-3, 7-6(4)
No. 4 - Jonsson (CSU) def. Scott (GB), 6-2, 5-7, 6-3
No. 5 - Leopold Gomez Islinger (GB) def. Nolan Marks (CSU), 6-2, 6-1
No. 6 - Rowan Isaaks (GB) def. VanMeter (CSU), 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish: 5, 3, 6, 1, 2, 4
