DeKALB – NIU men’s tennis senior Mikael Vollbach strung early success in the Pre-Qualifying draw of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s All-American Championships this past weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Vollbach was one of four Huskies to compete at the tournament, along with sophomores Iker Gaztambide Arrastia, Christopher Norlin and senior Cheng En Tsai. Vollbach competed for two days from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1 while his teammates were promptly eliminated in the singles round of 256 on Sept. 30.

Vollbach began his tournament run with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Texas A&M University redshirt freshman Grant Lothringer. The Huskie veteran followed up his tournament debut with a come-from-behind win over University of California, Los Angeles sophomore Azuma Visaya. Vollbach dropped the opening set 3-6 before taking each of the ensuing two sets by scores of 6-3.

Baylor University junior Marko Miladinović nixed Vollbach’s winning run in the draw’s third round. The 2022 All-MAC Second Team selection lost in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.

Gaztambide Arrastia and Norlin each won the opening sets of their respective first round matches before falling in three sets. The former fell to Texas A&M freshman Brayden Michna, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, while the latter was upended by Virginia Tech junior Alberto Orso, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1

En Tsai was also beaten in three sets during his matchup with University of Arkansas senior Foster Rogers. Both players split the first two sets before Rogers walked away with the final game, winning 6-4, 2-6, 6-2

NIU will look ahead to the next event on its fall schedule, the ITA Regional Championships hosted by the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Huskies will compete in the Midwest region of the tournament, which will last from Oct. 19 to Oct. 23.