For the NIU men’s tennis team, revenge is definitely sweet.

The Huskies went into Thursday’s first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament looking for payback against Toledo, who had bumped them from last year’s tourney, and got it in a 4-0 win.

“We came out and destroyed them today,” said Jon Perlman. “Last season, to lose two matches is embarrassing. They didn’t beat us — they destroyed us. We wanted to come out and send a message that they are nothing.”

NIU jumped all over the Rockets in the doubles portion of the match, winning at the No. 2 and 3 slots. The team of Tim Freesen and Juan Pablo Barriga triumphed at the No. 2 slot 8-6, while the No. 3 duo of Perlman and Brent Sitarski won by the same results.

The momentum carried over into singles action, as the Huskies pulled off wins at the No. 2, 5 and 6 singles slots. They held leads in the No. 1 and 3 slots, but because the Huskies won the mandated four points, play was suspended.

“The whole team played well today,” Barriga said. “It was a great match. More than that, we are playing well — it shows how much progress we have made.”

The Huskies now face Ball State in the second round. The Cardinals hold the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and the school is coach Steve Rodecap’s alma mater.

“We were joking earlier about that with coach,” Perlman said. “We are not going to go out there just to win this one for him. We are going to go out and win this for us. If we win this match, getting the win for coach will just be icing on the cake. It is just extra motivation.

“Hopefully, the win today will send a message to Ball State that we can’t be taken lightly. We are going to show them how good we are.”