DeKALB — The men’s tennis team finished the regular season in a second-place tie with Buffalo University and will face the Bulls again at the Mid-American Conference Championships.

The Huskies lost to the Bulls in their final regular season match, each finishing with a 5-2 MAC record.

Losing to the Bulls puts the Huskies at the No. 3 seed, allowing Buffalo to leapfrog the Huskies to the No. 2 seed in the tournament.

The Huskies’ last three trips to the conference tournament have all been spoiled by Buffalo knocking NIU out of the tournament in the first round.

“It’s gonna be tough,” Head Coach Patrick Fisher said. “Hopefully it will be a different result.”

NIU will have a chance at redemption as the two teams will face off in the semi-finals 2 p.m. Friday in Buffalo.

The Huskies did not get the doubles point against the Bulls in doubles play Friday, as NIU has struggled with doubles down the stretch of the season. The last doubles point the Huskies earned was March 16, the first conference game NIU played, which was followed by six consecutive doubles point losses to end the season.

Fisher said he is still confident in his team despite the recent struggles at doubles.

“I feel amazing,” Fisher said. “We’re 1-6 in conference doubles, but we’ve made some changes that I feel good about.”

The Bulls have lost just one doubles point in conference play against Western Michigan University, which finished as the top-seeded team of the tournament.

NIU will battle a Buffalo team that has won five of its last six games and wore out the Huskies Friday as it won five of six singles matches and all but one singles match going three sets.

The Huskies started the season 7-2, looking like they might earn Fisher his fourth MAC regular season championship in seven years. After the 7-2 start, NIU slowed down to finish the rest of the season with a 8-5 record.

With a formula of excellent senior play and the play of standout freshman Kristopher Ortega, the Huskies look to capture their first postseason win in five years.

The Huskie seniors hold a collective record of 45-27, with Louis-Philippe Hamel, Tom Hjertonnson and Georg Lundkvist all earning double digit wins.

Ortega, who transferred from the University of Illinois over the summer, has climbed his way up the line up from the No. 4 spot to the No. 1 position in singles. Ortega is tied for the team lead with 13 wins, with seven wins coming at the No. 1.

The MAC Championship opens 10 a.m. Friday in Buffalo as the No. 1 seed Western Michigan University takes on the No. 4 seed Ball State University.

The Huskies have a rematch against Buffalo 2 p.m. Friday in Buffalo, New York.