
Photo by: A.J. Olnes
Men's Tennis Falls To Northern Illinois During Season Opener, 7-0
2/5/2021 9:24:00 PM | Men's Tennis
OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton men's tennis team fell to Northern Illinois, 7-0, on Friday evening during the Bluejays' season opener at the Hanscom Indoor Tennis Center.
Creighton moved its early season record to 0-1, while the NIU improved to 4-0.
The Bluejays and Huskies opened the evening with competitive doubles matches at all three positions. Matthew Lanahan and Jose Oscar Diaz combined for a 6-4 win at the No. 2 position to give Creighton an early edge, but Northern Illinois pulled out close victories at the other two spots for the opening point. Stratton Brown and Joe Hoff battled to a tiebreaker before falling 7-4 in the deciding game, while NIU claimed the No. 3 doubles match, 7-5.
Northern Illinois secured five singles matches in straight-sets.
Bluejay freshman Shin Inoue dropped his opening set at the No. 4 position but bounced back for a tiebreaker victory in the second frame and forced the lone three-set match. With other matches completed, the third set ended with a 10-point tiebreaker that ended with a 10-3 decision in favor of NIU.
"Tonight's match is going to have to get out of our system fast," head coach Tom Lilly said. "We can use the excuse that it was our first match since March, but that is just a lousy excuse. We know we are better than this and will put in a good week of practice to turn things around next week. This will sting for a weekend though. Credit NIU for stepping up and earning the match."
Creighton will resume competition with a road trip to Chicago next weekend. The Bluejays are scheduled to face Chicago State (Feb. 12), DePaul (Feb. 13) and UIC (Feb. 14).
Northern Illinois 7, Creighton 0
2/5/2021 at Omaha, NE (Hanscom Tennis Center)
Creighton moved its early season record to 0-1, while the NIU improved to 4-0.
The Bluejays and Huskies opened the evening with competitive doubles matches at all three positions. Matthew Lanahan and Jose Oscar Diaz combined for a 6-4 win at the No. 2 position to give Creighton an early edge, but Northern Illinois pulled out close victories at the other two spots for the opening point. Stratton Brown and Joe Hoff battled to a tiebreaker before falling 7-4 in the deciding game, while NIU claimed the No. 3 doubles match, 7-5.
Northern Illinois secured five singles matches in straight-sets.
Bluejay freshman Shin Inoue dropped his opening set at the No. 4 position but bounced back for a tiebreaker victory in the second frame and forced the lone three-set match. With other matches completed, the third set ended with a 10-point tiebreaker that ended with a 10-3 decision in favor of NIU.
"Tonight's match is going to have to get out of our system fast," head coach Tom Lilly said. "We can use the excuse that it was our first match since March, but that is just a lousy excuse. We know we are better than this and will put in a good week of practice to turn things around next week. This will sting for a weekend though. Credit NIU for stepping up and earning the match."
Creighton will resume competition with a road trip to Chicago next weekend. The Bluejays are scheduled to face Chicago State (Feb. 12), DePaul (Feb. 13) and UIC (Feb. 14).
Northern Illinois 7, Creighton 0
2/5/2021 at Omaha, NE (Hanscom Tennis Center)
Singles competition |
1. Bor Schweiger Muzar (NIU) def. Stratton Brown (CU) 6-3, 6-2 |
2. Kristopher Ortega (NIU) def. Matthew Lanahan (CU) 6-4, 6-2 |
3. Mikko Malinen (NIU) def. Armando Gandini (CU) 6-2, 6-0 |
4. Victor Spolidorio (NIU) def. Shin Inoue (CU) 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 1-0 (10-3) |
5. Oliver Valentinsson (NIU) def. Mac Mease (CU) 6-2, 6-3 |
6. Mikael Vollbach (NIU) def. Joe Hoff (CU) 6-4, 6-3 |
Doubles competition |
1. Victor Spolidorio/Mikko Malinen (NIU) def. Stratton Brown/Joe Hoff (CU) 7-6 (7-4) |
2. Matthew Lanahan/Jose Oscar Diaz (CU) def. Bor Schweiger Muzar/Mikael Vollbach (NIU) 6-4 |
3. Oliver Valentinsson/Luke VanDonslear (NIU) def. Shin Inoue/Mac Mease (CU) 7-5 |
Match Notes |
Northern Illinois 4-0 |
Creighton 0-1 |
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,5,1,6,2,4) |
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1,3
Order of Finish:
3,5,1,6,2,4
Players Mentioned
Creighton Men's Tennis Final Point and Celebration vs. Xavier, 4/19/25
Saturday, April 19
Creighton Men's Tennis Postgame vs. North Dakota, 3/30/25
Sunday, March 30
Creighton Women's Tennis Postgame vs. North Dakota, 3/29/25
Sunday, March 30
Crieghton Men's Tennis Postmatch vs. Butler, 2/16/25
Sunday, February 16