Norlin earns four wins at ITA Regional

By Lucas Didier, Sports Reporter

October 24, 2023

Then-junior Mikael Vollbach stands ready to receive a serve during men’s tennis’ match against the University of Illinois Chicago on Feb. 22. Vollbach and senior Cheng En Tsai won two doubles matches before falling in the Round of 16 at the ITA Regional this weekend. (Courtesy of NIU Athletics)

DeKALB – NIU sophomore Christopher Norlin took the spotlight in a solid showing from NIU men’s tennis at the ITA Midwest Regional Championships this past weekend in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Norlin won all three of his qualifying matches to earn a place in the main tournament for men’s singles. He was joined in the main tournament by seniors Mikael Vollbach and Cheng En Tsai, who both pre-qualified for the tournament, as well as sophomore Iker Gaztambide Arrastia.

Only Norlin left the main tournament with a win, before falling in a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Ohio State fifth year Robert Cash.

Also competing in singles from NIU was freshman Saul Berdullas, freshman Sam Klein, sophomore Luke Welker and senior Armin Koschtojan. Klein won his first match, but none of the four made it past day one.

Vollbach and Tsai produced success in the men’s doubles tournament. The pair of seniors won their first two matches before losing 8-4 in the Round of 16 to University of Wisconsin freshman Oliver Olsson and graduate student Gabriel Huber.

The teams of Norlin and Gaztambide Arrastia, Klein and Welker, and Koschtojan and Berdullas also competed in men’s doubles. All three pairs fell in the opening round.

In total, NIU produced a 8-8 record in men’s singles and a 2-4 record in men’s doubles.

NIU men’s tennis prepares for its final event of the fall season – the MAC Indoor Championships. The event will be held from Nov. 3 to Nov. 5 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.