NIU men’s tennis had a successful weekend at the ITA Midwest Regional in Columbus, Oh.

Four Huskies participated in the tournament that featured talent from the Midwest, and won seven of their 12 matches between the qualifying and main draw.

Axel Lagerlof, the 2011 MAC Newcomer of the Year, advanced to the round 32 in the singles bracket before falling to University of Illinois’ Stephen Hoh 6-4, 6-4.

“We have seen a huge improvement [in our players] since last season,” said NIU head coach Patrick Fisher. “I believe Axel is 11-3 in the fall and as a team we’ve made huge stride. A lot of that is due to how hard our guys are working. They’re starting to see some tangible results from all the hard work they’ve been putting in.

Junior Maksym Bartiuk also made it to the main draw, but lost in his bid to enter the round of 32 to Notre Dame’s Sam Keeton in a see-sawing battle, 7-6, 6-3.

Despite Bartiuk’s loss, Fisher believes his player was the best on the court.

“Maksym was serving to go up 3-0 against the number 14 seed in the tournament but couldn’t close it,” Fisher said. “But at the end of the match, I think everyone who was there would have said that the best player didn’t win, which was Maksym. He was in control the entire match and just lost focus and concentration. If he continues to play more matches at this level, which we’ve done all fall, he’s going to beat guys like that, just like he’s done in his career already.”

Both Max Phillips and Roman Turtygin also competed in the qualifying draw but came up short.

In doubles, Bartiuk and Turtygin had a successful showing, entering the round of 32 before falling to the no. 12 seed from Ohio State, Kevin Metka and Steven Williams. Despite a tough match, the duo lost 8-1.

Although the Huskies could not enter the top 16, the weekend proved to be a shining moment for the program.

“Last year we only had one guy that made it into the main draw,” Fisher said.