DAYTON, Ohio -- Eastern Illinois men's tennis picked up a hard-fought 4-3 road win over Dayton on Sunday (Feb. 16) afternoon, as the Panthers improve to 3-2 on the early-season.

After sweeping for the all-important doubles point, EIU added three consecutive singles wins for the early 4-0 advantage before holding on for the eventual 4-3 victory.

"This was a great step in the right direction," said EIU assistant director of tennis and men's coach Eric Stark. "We had some adversity this week, but the team really came together today.

"I thought doubles was excellent," Stark continued. "We keep getting better and better at playing big points. Dave and Moritz played a similar match last week against Ball State and just couldn't get over the hump, but this week they dominated the big points."

Following fine Panther doubles, newcomer Grant Thompson got things going as he picked up his first singles win off a 6-5, 6-1 win at the No. 4 spot. He was immediately followed by straight set victories from sophomores Moritz Kandtz and Ryan Henderson at respective No. 1 and No. 2 play, as both have now won consecutive singles wins on the season.

"Individually I think Grant (Thompson) had an excellent day," said Stark. "He set the tone from the first minute and had a great afternoon in both doubles and singles. I couldn't be more happy for him and the way he played."

Eastern returns to the court this coming Saturday (Feb. 22) as the Panthers travel to Southern Illinois for a 1 p.m. matchup at the Sports Blast indoor facility in Carbondale.

"I think if we have this kind of consistency moving forward, we will be right there at the end of every match the rest of the year," added Stark.

EIU Men at UD Men
Feb. 16, 2014 at Dayton, Ohio.
(Five Seasons Tennis Club)

Eastern Illinois 4, Dayton 3

Singles
1. Moritz Kandt (EIU) def. Aidan Koross (UD) - 6-0, 6-5
2. Ryan Henderson (EIU) def. Bernardo Sanson (UD) - 6-1, 6-2
3. Andrew Hanley (UD) def. Rui Silva (EIU) - 6-4, 6-5
4. Grant Thompson (EIU) def. Josh Malyon (UD) - 6-5, 6-1
5. Andy Druffel (UD) def. Kevin Bauman (EIU) - 6-4, 6-5
6. Kyle MacDonald (UD) def. Vova Zverkovsky (EIU) - 6-4, 6-3

Doubles
1. Bauman/Thompson (EIU) def. Koross/Sanson (UD) - 6-5 (3)
2. Henderson/Silva (EIU) def. Hanley/Malyon (UD) - 6-3
3. Kandt/David Constantinescu (EIU) def. Druffel/Colin Bernier (UD) - 6-5 (4)

Match Notes:
Eastern Illinois 3-2
Dayton 1-6

Order of finish: Doubles (2,3*,1) ... Singles (4,1,2*,6,3,5)

... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID