Jan. 24, 2009

Results

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern posted a 7-0 victory over the Western Illinois Leathernecks Sunday evening at Combe Tennis Center to improve to 4-0 on the season. In their second dual of the day, the Wildcats swept all six singles matches and won two of three doubles matches.

Alex Sanborn (Houston, Texas/Kinkaid) and Josh Graves (Milwaukee, Wis./Nicolet) got the ball rolling at No. 3 doubles, breezing through an 8-0 victory over Western's Mandela Shepard and Mike Schild. Peter Rispoli (Naples, Fla./St. Stephen's (Texas)) and Alexander Thams (Stockhom, Sweden/Enskilda Gymnasiet) clinched the doubles point for the 'Cats with an 8-3 victory at No. 2 over the Leathernecks' Zach Frisch and Andy Jones.

The 'Cats dropped their lone match of the night at No. 1 doubles as Tobias Reitz (Reinbeck, Germany/Sachsenwaldschule Reinbeck) and Marc Dwyer (Peachtree City, Ga./University of Nebraska - Independent Study H.S.) fell to Neil Lesinski and Sean Ragee-Nelson, 8-2.

Philip Kafka (Dallas, Texas/Greenhill) was first off the courts in singles, posting a speedy 6-1, 6-0 victory over Leatherneck Jim Capalbo at No. 6. Rispoli quickly followed with an identical score at No. 5 over Rodrigo Alzeredo, sealing the match with an inside-out forehand winner to put the 'Cats up 3-0 in the dual.

Sanborn won it for the 'Cats with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Ragee-Nelson at No. 3 singles. Thams followed with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Western's Francisco Ortiz at No. 4. They lead the team with 4-0 records in singles so far this season.

At No. 2, Reitz avenged his doubles loss to Lesinski with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory. The German won the first set with a service winner, broke during the first game of the second with a down-the-line backhand winner and never looked back.

The last match on the courts was No. 1 singles between Dwyer and Frisch. A tightly-contested first set was won by Dwyer thanks to an opportune break to go up 5-4 before serving it out. In the second set, the Wildcat took control and ended the match emphatically with an overhead winner to set up match point and then an ace down the T to end it, 6-4, 6-2.

The Wildcats return to action at Combe Tennis Center Sunday at noon to face the Illinois-Chicago Flames.