DETROIT (4/15/16) – The University of Detroit Mercy men's and women's tennis teams host UIC and Valparaiso this weekend in Horizon League action. The Titans will face the Flames on Saturday, April 16 and the Crusaders on Sunday, April 17.
The matches will be held outdoors from the Titan Tennis Courts, with the men starting at 10 a.m. each day and the women following at 1 p.m.
The weekend will mark the end of the regular season for the men's team. Meanwhile, the women will have one match remaining against Oakland on April 23.
THE MEN
RECORDS
Detroit 3-14, 0-4 HL
UIC 9-8, 1-1 HL
Valparaiso 16-5, 2-0 HL
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Detroit is 3-14 on the season with a number of fierce opponents already in the books. In conference play, the Titans are 0-4 with a 9-15 mark in singles and are 4-7 in doubles.
Patryk Koscielski leads the team with a 3-1 mark from the top line in singles, while
Nathan Ponton has the same record from the second position. The duo is 2-2 in doubles through conference play. Freshman
Adam Zychowicz rounds out the top performers with a 2-2 mark from the fourth and fifth spots.
LAST TIME OUT
The Titans fell in a heartbreaker at NKU, 4-3 last weekend in Kentucky. Detroit has suffered one point losses in each of the last three conference matches.
SCOUTING THE FLAMES
UIC is 9-8 overall and have alternated wins and losses in each of the last four since winning four straight. The Flames are 1-1 in Horizon League play, with a win over NKU and loss to Green Bay.
Carl Hedstrom has six wins from the first position, while Marcelo Dib and Max Cederkall have eight wins apiece from the fourth through sixth spots. Mitch Granger and Christopher Cole lead the team with five wins from the top line of doubles, followed by Hedstrom and Nate Campanile with a 5-1 mark from the second spot.
SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
Valparaiso faces a strong challenge for Detroit, with the Crusaders entering the weekend at 16-5 overall and 2-0 in HL play. Valpo has won six in a row and 11 of their last 12 matches.
Jeffrey Schorsch leads the team with an impressive 14-2 mark from the top singles line. Chad Kissell has 10 wins from the third position, followed by Charlie Earnhardt with nine wins from No. 4. The Crusaders are 9-3 in HL singles play thus far, while boasting a perfect 5-0 record in doubles.
THE WOMEN
RECORDS
Detroit 4-8, 3-3 HL
UIC 11-5, 5-0 HL
Valparaiso 2-14, 1-4 HL
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Detroit is 4-8 on the season and an even 3-3 in conference play. The Titans opened the league slate with a pair of road wins in Wisconsin, but fell in a pair of tight matches at home and split on the road last week.
In conference play,
Anna Davydova is 2-4 from the top line of singles and
Irina Slizovskaya is 4-0 from the No. 3 singles position. The duo has played all four matches of doubles together and is 5-0 from the top spot.
Viktoria Laskutova is 2-2 from the fifth singles spot, while freshman
Iris Thioux is 6-0 from Nos. 4 and 6.
LAST TIME OUT
The Titans split last weekend, falling in a dramatic 4-3 affair to Wright State and bouncing back with a 4-1 win at NKU.
SCOUTING THE FLAMES
UIC is 11-5 overall and a perfect 5-0 in Horizon League action. The Flames have won five in a row and are 24-6 in singles and 10-1 in doubles in conference play.
Jackie Altansarnai, Ann-Sophie Hahn, Rachel Le Comber and Bianca Zuzu are each 4-1 in conference singles. Meanwhile, Oana Manole is 5-0 in singles. Manole and Le Comber are 4-0 from the top doubles line.
SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
Valparaiso is 2-14 on the season and 1-4 in conference play, with its lone victory on the road at Green Bay. The Crusaders are 5-25 in HL singles and 2-13 in doubles.
Kathleen Hebble leads the team with three wins from the top line, followed by Paige Heuer with a pair of wins from the second spot and Meg Modesto with three from the fourth. Hebble and Heuer lead the team with seven wins from the top doubles line.
ON TAP
Following this weekend's action, the women's team wraps up its regular season April 23 against Oakland. The match against the Golden Grizzlies will also be senior day for the Titans.
