Men’s tennis set to seize 1st place

Redshirt junior Dor Amir returns a serve against Toledo April 12. Men’s tennis is a win away from securing sole ownership of the regular season MAC Championship.

By Darwin Minnis

Men’s tennis is taking on its final opponent of the season, Buffalo (11-5, 1-1 MAC), at 1 p.m. Friday at NIU.

The Huskies (17-5, 3-0 MAC) already own at least a share of the MAC regular season championship, but there are a few ways everything can play out.

If the Huskies win they are the sole regular season champions.

If the Huskies lose, it allows Toledo and Buffalo to claim a share of the title. Toledo would have to win its final game of the season this weekend against Western Michigan for its share, and Buffalo would have to win its final two matches this weekend against NIU on Friday and Ball State on Sunday.

NIU is coming into this weekend having won its previous six matches, including last week’s 4-3 win against Toledo. The Huskies are a perfect 13-0 at home this season.

Head coach Patrick Fisher wants the team to come out strong against Buffalo.

“They are going to be our toughest opponent,” Fisher said. “They’re probably the best team in the league. We’re going to have to play much better than we did last week. We’re going to have to play our best.”

Buffalo won its previous two matches, 4-3, after dropping its first conference game of the season to Toledo at the end of March.

In the No. 1 singles, NIU will go against Buffalo’s Damien David, who is coming off an impressive week in which he earned the MAC Singles Player of the Week Award. David had a slow beginning to the season, starting 1-5 in the No. 1, but has since turned it around.

In doubles, the Huskies’ No. 83 doubles team of Dor Amir and Axel Lagerlof will take on the Bulls’ David and Akhil Mehta. David and Mehta are 7-8 in the No. 1 on the season.

This will be the NIU’s final regular season match before starting the MAC Tournament next weekend.