Box Score
 
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (1/18/2015) -- It was another close match for the University of Detroit Mercy men's tennis team as the Titans came up on the short side of a 4-3 outcome to Toledo on Sunday evening in the home opener at the Franklin Athletic Club.
 
It was the second match of the season that UDM (0-3) has lost 4-3.
 
"Of course you want to be on the other side of this, but all these 4-3 matches are only going to make us stronger," said head coach Grant Asher. "It will help us get tougher as we go on into the Horizon League."
 
The Titans could have easily flipped the score around as they took one doubles match, while dropping the other two by the score of 7-5. At No. 3 doubles, sophomores Chance Conley and Kacper Stelmaszak was the lone winning tandem cruising past Stephen Miller and Mark Singnil, 6-2.
 
At top doubles, sophomore Patryk Koscielski and freshman Nathan Ponton fell, while at No. 2, junior Rafael Orantes and sophomore Ismail Kadyrov just could not pull ahead.
 
"We are getting better at doubles and getting closer to that doubles point, which is something we have been working hard at," added Coach Asher.
 
Detroit saw the back end of its' singles unit claim three wins, starting with Ponton, who won his third-straight match of the duel campaign ousting Garrett Cona, 6-1, 7-5, at No. 4.
 
Conley was victorious at No. 5 defeating Roberto Meza, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, and Kadyrov surged past Stephen Miller, 6-3, 7-6 (5), at No. 6.
 
"Toledo is a good team and we had our chances," said Coach Asher. "Nathan is a big strong kid who played great this week and we will look for him to move up. We also wanted the back end of our singles to produce more and we got that today and we will need more of it going forward."
 
Two other singles matches could have gone UDM's way as Orantes dropped a 7-5, 6-3 decision at No. 3 and Stelmaszak lost a 6-3, 7-5 bout at the second spot.
 
The Titans will have nearly two weeks off before their next opponent as Detroit travels to Michigan State on Jan. 31.