AURORA, Ill. – The Western Michigan men's tennis team clinched its 11th Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament Championship with a 4-0 win over Ball State Saturday afternoon at Vaughn Athletic Center.
"I am very proud of our team and especially happy for our seniors," Head coach Dave Morin said. "They get to end their careers with a MAC Tournament Title. We've had a target on our back since the beginning of the season. We got together and realized how special this team could be."
The Broncos, who also won the MAC Regular Season Championship, improved to 20-5 overall as they earned an automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Both WMU doubles and singles wasted no time grabbing the momentum of the match, as the Broncos rattled off two straight doubles wins and three straight singles wins in straight sets. The duo of seniors Ruben Greiner/Stephen Payne got the team rolling with a quick 6-1 win at No. 1 and the team of senior Jimmy Beckwith/sophomore Jefta Kecic clinched the point with a 6-3 win at No. 3.
In singles, junior Daniel Loebel won in straight sets for the first singles win of the day to put WMU up 2-0. It was the second straight day he finished first in singles. He defeated Conner Anderson 6-1, 6-3 at No. 5. Sophomore Maik Steiner defeated Andrew Stutz 6-2, 6-4 at No. 2 almost immediately after Steiner's match finished, Greiner finished off Patrick Downs at No. 4 with a 6-2, 6-3 win to clinch the match and send the Broncos to the NCAA Tournament.
"They played so great today and they really played very loose as a team," Morin said. "Doubles set the tone and we just got rolling. It was obvious these guys were hungry for a second title and we are super excited about winning the league and now we want to accept the next challenge and advanve in the NCAA Tournament."
The Broncos will have to wait for a few days to see what happens next, as the NCAA Selection Show is scheduled for Tuesday, May 3 at 5:30 p.m. Follow the Bronco on Twitter @WMUMensTennis for all updates about the team!
Tournament Awards:
Jefta Kecic, MAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Jefta Kecic, All-MAC Tournament Team
Daniel Loebel, All-MAC Tournament Team
Singles competition
1. Jefta Kecic (WMU) vs. Lucas Andersen (BALL) 7-6, 1-0, unfinished
2. Maik Steiner (WMU) def. Andrew Stutz (BALL) 6-2, 6-4
3. Matt Hamilton (WMU) vs. Nemanja Guzina (BALL) 6-7, 1-2, unfinished
4. Ruben Greiner (WMU) def. Patrick Downs (BALL) 6-2, 6-3
5. Daniel Loebel (WMU) def. Conner Andersen (BALL) 6-1, 6-3
6. Andrew Cahn (WMU) vs. Marko Guzina (BALL) 3-6, 2-5, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Ruben Greiner/Stephen Payne (WMU) def. Andrew Stutz/Conner Andersen (BALL) 6-1
2. Matt Hamilton/Maik Steiner (WMU) vs. Patrick Downs/Lucas Andersen (BALL) 5-1, unfinished
3. Jefta Kecic/Jimmy Beckwith (WMU) def. Marko Guzina/Matt Helm (BALL) 6-3
Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (5,2,4)
