Box Score

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (4/24/2015) -- Sophomores Patryk Koscielski and Kacper Stelmaszak posted big wins in singles, but the Titans just could not capture two more points as the University of Detroit Mercy men's tennis season came to an end on Friday in the first round of the Horizon League Championship.

At the Schwartz Tennis Center on the campus of Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana, the sixth-seeded Titans fell to third-seeded Cleveland State, 4-2.

Detroit (5-16) dropped two tough 6-4 decisions in doubles to begin the day as senior Jay Joshi and sophomore Ismail Kadyrov were upended at No. 1, while junior Rafael Orantes and sophomore Chance Conley fell at No. 3.

In between those two battles, Koscielski and freshman Nathan Ponton were tied at 5-5 when the match was called.

Singles then started and just like the regular season meeting between the two schools back in March, Detroit got off to a fast start winning the first set in four of the six matches.

Koscielski – who was selected Second Team All-HL on Thursday – began UDM's comeback attempt with a 7-5, 6-4 victory at No. 1 over CSU's and HL Second Team member Joe VanMeter. It was the second time this season that he defeated the Vikings' No. 1 netter as he finished the year with a career-high 13 wins.

Stelmaszak garnered the other win at No. 4 as he recorded a, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, triumph over Ali Shabib. The win helped close the team score to 3-2 at the time and also exacted some revenge for Stelmaszak, who lost his first meeting with Shabib, 6-2, 7-5. The win was the 10th in singles for Stelmaszak as he ended the campaign tied for second on the squad in victories.

Joshi looked like he was going to give Detroit a third point winning the first set, but he lost in three, 7-5, 3-6, 1-6, to Colton Buffington at No. 6, while Kadyrov also won the first set but was then edged at No. 5 by Mirko Radosevic, 6-4, 2-6, 2-6.

At No. 2, Ponton – who was also tabbed Second Team All-HL - was on the verge of tallying his 11th victory in come-from-behind fashion, but the match went unfinished as he was up on fellow second teamer Jorg van der Vloet, 5-7, 6-4, 4-1. 

The Titans season comes to an end, but Detroit is set to return seven of its eight letter winners from the squad, losing only the lone senior in Joshi. He ends his career with 14 singles tallies and 37 doubles victories, the fifth most doubles wins in school history.