Wildcats Win Big Ten Battle At Iowa, 5-2

3/23/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis

March 23, 2012

Results

Site: Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex)
Score: No. 53 Northwestern 5, Iowa 2
Records: NU (8-6, 1-1 Big Ten), Iowa (1-12, 0-2 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Sunday, March 25 -- at No. 59 Nebraska (Nebraska Varsity Courts), Noon

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Following a two-week break for winter quarter exams, Northwestern showed no signs of rust as it went on the road and collected its first Big Ten win of the campaign Friday afternoon with a 5-2 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City, Iowa.

"It's always so tough to win on the road, especially in Big Ten play," said Northwestern head coach Arvid Swan. "We had a little bit of a break the last few weeks because of exams, but I thought the guys came back focused and were energized from the start this afternoon. I'm happy that we earned our first Big Ten win of the year."

Northwestern got off to a strong start by securing the doubles point Friday for the first time in five matches. The Wildcat tandem of Tobias Reitz and Sidarth Balaji teamed up to earn their fifth win of the season when they knocked off Will Vasos and Chase Tomlins soundly, 8-2.

NU's Josh Graves and Spencer Wolf partnered together for the first time since Feb. 12 to not only win, but to clinch the doubles point for the 'Cats. Graves and Wolf rallied from behind to defeat Iowa's No. 1 team of Garret Dunn and Michael Swank, 8-6.

Raleigh Smith and Alex Pasareanu played together for the 14th straight time and their strong chemistry helped the underclassmen edge Jonas Dierckx and Tom Mroziewicz of the Hawkeyes, 9-8, to complete Northwestern's sweep of the doubles affairs.

The success continued for the 'Cats when singles play began. NU claimed first-set victories in five of the six singles showcases. Wolf, playing on the second line, led the way with a 6-0 whitewashing of Dierckx, while Chris Jackman bested Connor Gilmore, 6-1 in the first set of the match at No. 6.

Wolf was the first Wildcat to completely polish off his opponent when he doubled-up Dierckx in the second set, 6-3. The win was the 10th of the season in dual singles matches for the junior and more importantly, it gave Northwestern a 2-0 lead on the scoreboard.

Matt Hagan was the only Hawkeye to win his first set when he toppled Graves, 6-4. Hagan earned the first team point of the afternoon for the black and gold at the top spot when he won the second set by a score of 6-3.

The Wildcats notched another point and built the lead back to two shortly thereafter when Sidarth Balaji claimed victory at No. 4 in straight sets. Balaji beat Vasos 7-5 and 6-4; it was the fourth singles win of the season for the NU junior and his second in his last three contests.

Smith clinched the match for Northwestern with his win at No. 3 singles over Dunn, 6-3, 7-5. For Smith, it was his team-high 11th win in singles play this season against just three losses. It was Smith's fifth win at the No. 3 position. He is also 5-1 at No. 4 in 2012.

Jackman's match was the first of the day that needed a third set to be decided. After cruising in the first frame, the junior fell to Gilmore in the second by a mark of 6-2. With the team's victory already in hand, Jackman was able to play loose and claim the third set by the same score as the first, 6-1.

After Northwestern's Pasareanu won his opening frame against Mroziewicz, 6-4, the Hawkeye exacted revenge in the second set by a score of 6-2. In the decisive third, Mroziewicz maintained the pressure and defeated Pasareanu, 6-4, to earn Iowa's second and final point of the afternoon.

The win was the third away from home for the 'Cats this season and the first since a 6-1 success over Middle Tennessee State on Feb. 10.

The Wildcats will conclude their brief road trip on Sunday, March 25 with a match against No. 59 Nebraska at noon. The contest will be the first ever match between Northwestern and the Cornhuskers.

Doubles:
1. Josh Graves/Spencer Wolf (NU) def. Garret Dunn/Michael Swank (Iowa) - 8-6
2. Raleigh Smith/Alex Pasareanu (NU) def. Jonas Dierckx/Tom Mroziewicz (Iowa) - 9-8
3. Tobias Reitz/Sidarth Balaji (NU) def. Will Vasos/Chase Tomlins (Iowa) - 8-2
Order of finish: 3, 1*, 2

Singles:
1. Matt Hagan (Iowa) def. Josh Graves (NU) - 6-4, 6-3
2. Spencer Wolf (NU) def. Jonas Dierckx (Iowa) - 6-0, 6-3
3. Raleigh Smith (NU) def. Garret Dunn (Iowa) - 6-3, 7-5
4. Sidarth Balaji (NU) def. Will Vasos (Iowa) - 7-5, 6-4
5. Tom Mroziewicz (Iowa) def. Alex Pasareanu (NU) - 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
6. Chris Jackman (NU) def. Connor Gilmore (Iowa) - 6-1, 2-6, 6-1
Order of finish: 2, 1, 4, 3*, 6, 5

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