DePaul University

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Playing three ranked teams in two days proved that the DePaul men's tennis team was up for any challenge.  Although the Blue Demons fell to No. 61 Harvard, 4-1 and No. 62 BYU, 6-0, on Saturday, the young DePaul team competed for every point and really came together as team.

In DePaul's first dual on Saturday, the Blue Demons fell to BYU 6-0; however the match score was not reflective of several highly contested matches that highlighted the morning session.

Bartosz Jozwiak and Ben Hartman were the first to finish in doubles play as the pair topped Thomas Shubert and Cassidy Mears 8-3. BYU battled and tied doubles competitions at one match apiece when Gerorgy Batrakov and Cassidy Mears got past Matija Palinic and Vanja Grgec 8-3 at No. 3.

With the doubles point on the line, Douglas Perrin and Alasdair Graetz clashed with BYU's Even Urbina and Spenser Smith for every point.  Down a break, Perrin and Graetz broke Urbina and Smith to force a tiebreak.  The Blue Demon duo fought-off two match points before dropping the second set 9-8 (8).

In singles play against BYU, Perrin again provided the crowd at the Murr Center an exciting match in the No. 6 position.  Smith took the first set 6-4, but Perrin did not go away and battled through exciting volleys and pushed Smith to his brink.  Perrin ultimately fell in the second set 7-6 (5).

Playing at No. 5 Mathias Hambach also pushed BYU's Roman Warias as the two went point-for-point.  Waris eventually won, 7-5, 6-6 (5).

Against tournament host Harvard, the Crimson won the doubles point on Friday evening before the two teams completed singles play today.

Down 1-0, DePaul (3-4) looked to Palinic at No. 2 for leadership.  Palinic, who leads the Blue Demons with 14 wins this season, took down Harvard's Aba Omodele-Lucien 6-4, 6-3. 

With the dual knotted a one point a piece; Harvard got wins from No. 5 and No. 4 before Michael Hayes clinched the dual with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win over Perrin.

The Blue Demons return to Chicago next weekend and host Illinois State and Green Bay on Feb. 6 at the Lakeshore Athletic Club.  Action begins at 2 p.m. on the corner of Fullerton and Lakewood.

No. 62 BYU def. DePaul, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 Jozwiak/Hartman def. Shubert/Mears, 8-3
No. 2 Urbina/Smith def. Perrin/Graetz, 9-8(8)
No. 3 Batrakov/Hwang def. Palinic/Grgec, 8-3
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2

Singles
No. 1 Shubert def. Palinic, 6-1, 6-2
No. 2 Jozwiak vs. Urbina, 6-4, 5-5 (DNF)       
No. 3 Mears def. Hartman, 6-4, 6-3
No. 4 Bartrakov def. Graetz, 6-4, 6-2
No. 5 Warias def. Hambach, 7-5, 7-6 (3)
No. 6 Smith def. Perrin, 6-4, 7-6 (5)
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 3, 5, 6

No. 61 Harvard def. DePaul, 4-1
Doubles
No. 1 Omodele-Lucien/Schultz def. Hartman/Jozwiak, 8-5       
No. 2 Felton/Nguyen def.  Graetz/Perrin, 8-5
No. 3 Chijoff-Evans/Tchan vs. Grgec/Palinic 6-3 (DNF)
Order of Finish: 2, 1

Singles
No. 1 Jozwiak  vs. Chijoff-Evans, 6-2, 3-3 (DNF)
No. 2 Palinic def. Omodele-Lucien, 6-4, 6-3
No. 3 Tchan vs. Hartman, 6-4, 4-6 (DNF)
No. 4 Felton def. Graetz, 6-3, 6-4       
No. 5 Nguyen def. Grgec, 6-1, 6-4
No. 6 Hayes def. Hambach, 7-6 (4), 6-3
Order of Finish: 2, 5, 4, 6