Box Score
 
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (4/9/2015) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's tennis team didn't back down from a tough challenge on Thursday as the Titans dropped a non-conference match to the Northern Illinois Huskies at the Franklin Athletic Club. 

Prior to the match, Detroit honored its lone senior in Jay Joshi. 

A four-year letter winner and a three-time member of the Detroit Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Joshi will go down as one of the best doubles players in school history. He has amassed 51 total wins, including 37 in doubles play, which is fifth all-time in school history. As a freshman, he was part of 18 doubles wins, which is tied for second in the UDM record books. 

"Jay has been an exceptional student-athlete," said head coach Grant Asher. "He has excelled in the classroom and has done great things on the tennis court for us. He is one of the best doubles players I have coached at UDM."

A model student-athlete majoring in computer science, Joshi is also a member of the Horizon League Fall and Spring Academic Honor Roll and helped the team earn an ITA All-Academic Team Award in 2012 and 2013.

"He exudes sportsmanship all the time, and he has been a pleasure to coach and that is what I told him after the match," said Coach Asher. 

The Titans (5-12, 1-3 HL) gave Northern Illinois (16-5, 2-1 MAC) a great run in singles and doubles before dropping the match, 4-0.

"NIU is always a good battle with us, and they are competing for a MAC Championship," said Coach Asher. "We knew that they were going to be tough coming in."

In doubles, sophomore Patryk Koscielski and freshman Nathan Ponton were ahead at No. 2, 5-4, before the match was called, while at the top spot, Joshi and sophomore Ismail Kadyrov were edged, 7-5.

In singles, NIU won at No. 1, 5 and 6 to take the match. Koscielski took the first set against his counterpart at No. 2, 7-6 (4) before the match was called off. Junior Rafael Orantes was also rallying at No. 3 down 6-7 when that match went unsettled.

Joshi did his best in getting upended at No. 5, 6-4, 6-2, while sophomore Chance Conley was downed, 7-5, 6-2, at No. 6.

Detroit will now head back into conference play with two road matches this week as the red, white and blue travel to Valparaiso tomorrow and UIC on Saturday.