NAPERVILLE — League men’s tennis play has begun in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), as teams continued to balance conference matches with non-conference competition during spring break trips and the final portion of the regular season. 
 
North Central and Millikin each opened conference play with 1-0 records to move into the early lead in the standings. Other programs continued to face non-conference opponents in South Carolina, Florida and elsewhere, while the overall conference picture began to take shape.
 
Cardinal Rules: North Central Sets the Pace
North Central opened the week with a 5-2 win over Judson last Friday at the Naperville Tennis Club. The Cardinals dropped the doubles point, though Matt Crossland and David Vilarroig Martinez earned an 8-6 tiebreak win at No. 3 doubles. North Central responded by winning five of six singles matches. Philipp Wottgen posted a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 1 singles, while Vilarroig Martinez secured the deciding point with a 6-4, 5-7, 10-6 win at No. 6.
 
The Cardinals followed with a 5-2 victory over Carthage in their conference opener last Saturday. Henry Ros and Andres Valverde Gonzalez claimed a 7-5 win at No. 1 doubles, while Crossland and Vilarroig Martinez added a 6-4 result at No. 3 to help North Central take the doubles point. In singles play, Ros won 6-2, 6-4 at No. 2, Rafael Lessa earned a 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-4 decision at No. 4, and Ignacio Hernandez Ruiz posted a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 5. Vilarroig Martinez completed a 4-0 weekend with a 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 win at No. 6. The win was North Central’s first conference victory under interim head coach Joey Leto.
 
Big Blue’s Gateway to Success: Millikin Sweeps St. Louis
Millikin picked up two road wins in St. Louis on Wednesday. The Big Blue opened the day with a 4-3 victory over Missouri Baptist to move to 10-3 overall. Millikin secured the doubles point with wins from Matthew Kordesh and Thomas Tartari at No. 2 and Eduardo Vargas and Nils Fischer at No. 3. In singles play, Vargas won 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 at No. 3, Tartari added a 6-3, 7-5 result at No. 4 and Jorge Aura won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 5.
 
Later in the day, Millikin recorded a 7-0 sweep of Webster. Vargas and Fischer posted a 6-0 win at No. 3 doubles, while Gillian Nahum won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 singles. Kordesh earned a 6-0, 6-1 result, Fischer won 6-0, 6-0, Tartari added a 6-3, 6-1 victory and Aura completed the sweep with a 6-1, 6-3 win. Millikin enters the next stretch of play with a 10-3 overall record and a 1-0 conference mark.
 
Hard Work in Hilton Head: Augustana’s Spring Break Grind
Augustana played five matches in three days during its spring break trip to Hilton Head, S.C. The Vikings opened the trip by splitting two matches on Monday. Augustana fell 4-3 to Carleton despite taking the doubles point behind wins from Santiago Diaz and Saman Rezaeyan at No. 1 and Grant Meyer and Santiago Lazo at No. 2. In singles play, Jorge Marcelo Escribano won at No. 3 and Lazo added a three-set win at No. 4. Augustana later responded with a 7-0 shutout of Lawrence, including a 6-0, 6-0 win from Arthur Mendes at No. 6 singles.
 
The schedule continued on Tuesday with a 6-1 loss to DePauw and a 7-0 loss to Oberlin. Diaz picked up Augustana’s lone point against DePauw by retirement. Against Oberlin, Aingeru Garcia Acebo and Marcelo Escribano won at No. 1 doubles. The trip concluded Wednesday with a 4-3 loss to Wisconsin-Whitewater. Diaz and Rezaeyan won at No. 2 doubles, while Marcelo Escribano and Garcia Acebo each recorded singles victories. Augustana finished the trip with a 1-4 record and moved to 4-7 overall.
 
Firebird Flicker: Carthage Searches for Rhythm
Carthage opened conference play with a 5-2 loss to North Central last Saturday. Francisco Silveira earned a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 1 singles over Wottgen, while Finnian Morris won a three-set match at No. 3 by a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) score. In doubles play, Luca Okino and Victor Pimenta posted a 6-1 win. Carthage moved to 12-3 overall and 0-1 in conference action.
 
Elmhurst also opened conference play with a loss, falling 7-0 to Millikin. The Bluejays moved to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the CCIW.
 
The Baseline Ledger: Conference Standings and Statistical Leaders
Millikin and North Central are tied for first place in the conference standings at 1-0. Millikin carried a 10-3 overall record, while North Central stood at 7-6. 
 
Carthage followed at 0-1 in conference play with a 12-3 overall mark, and Elmhurst was 0-1 in the league and 0-2 overall. Illinois Wesleyan had not yet opened conference play and stood at 8-4 overall. Carroll was 4-9, Augustana was 4-7 and Wheaton was 2-5.
 
Carthage’s 12-3 overall record remained the top overall mark in the conference entering the next set of matches.
 
Reading the Radar: The Horizon of Competition
The upcoming schedule includes several non-conference and conference contests across the league. Carthage is scheduled to face UC Santa Cruz on Friday evening in Lake Bluff, Ill., before meeting Lawrence on Sunday in Racine, Wis. Elmhurst will travel to Dubuque on Saturday and host Carroll next Tuesday. Wheaton is set to play at Lake Forest on Saturday, while Carroll will also face Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Sunday.
 
North Central will meet UC Santa Cruz on Saturday in Lisle, Ill., before traveling to Decatur for a conference match against Millikin on Sunday. Millikin will also host St. Olaf next Tuesday. Illinois Wesleyan is scheduled to host Illinois College next Wednesday in Bloomington.