NAPERVILLE — The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men’s tennis season continued last week with conference matches and non-conference competition across the league. 
 
North Central moved into sole possession of first place after posting two wins over the weekend, while Carroll opened conference play with a road sweep. The closing days of March also included a weekly award selection, additional non-conference results and the start of a clearer picture in the conference standings.
 
North Central Secures Early Conference Position
North Central currently leads the conference standings with a 9-6 overall record and a 2-0 mark in CCIW play. The Cardinals extended their winning streak to five matches with a pair of victories last weekend. 
 
On Saturday, North Central hosted UC Santa Cruz and earned a 6-1 win by taking five of six singles matches. The Cardinals followed that result with a 7-0 sweep of Millikin on Sunday in Decatur, which marked the program’s first outdoor spring match played outside of Florida. In the dual against Millikin, North Central won all nine contests across singles and doubles without dropping a matchup. The Cardinals have now moved to 3-1 in outdoor matches this season.
 
Seeing Red: Ros Sweeps Up Weekly Honors
The conference office announced Tuesday that North Central junior Henry Ros was named the CCIW Men’s Tennis Student-Athlete of the Week. The West Chicago, Ill. native went 4-0 in singles and doubles during the Cardinals’ two-win weekend. 
 
Teaming with Andres Valverde Gonzalez at No. 1 doubles, Ros recorded a 6-2 victory against California, Santa Cruz and a 6-4 win against Millikin. At No. 2 singles, he dropped just six total games across two matches, winning by scores of 6-0, 6-2 and 6-1, 6-3. The results extended his singles winning streak to four matches. 
 
Ros became the latest North Central player to receive the honor this spring, joining David Vilarroig Martinez on March 24 and Andres Valverde Gonzalez on March 3.
 
Pio-neering a Path: Carroll Starts League Play in Style
Carroll improved to 6-9 overall and 1-0 in conference play after closing the month with two wins. On Sunday, the Pioneers defeated Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 5-2, in a non-conference match in Neenah, Wis. After falling behind in doubles, Carroll responded by winning five of six singles matches. Andrew LaBelle posted a 6-0, 6-2 victory at No. 1 singles, while Ulrik Gellein added a straight-set win at No. 2. 
 
Earlier in the week, Carroll began its CCIW schedule with a 7-0 sweep of Elmhurst. The Pioneers lost only two sets across the full lineup in that match. Andrew LaBelle and Ryan LaBelle earned a 6-0 win at No. 1 doubles, while Andrew LaBelle, Felix Persson, and Layton Carls each recorded 6-0, 6-0 victories in singles play.
 
Blue Skies and Gray Clouds: Millikin’s Mixed Bag
Millikin stands at 12-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play following split results in its most recent matches. After its loss to North Central on Sunday, the Big Blue responded with a 5-2 home victory over St. Olaf last Tuesday at the Fairview Park Tennis Complex. Millikin secured the doubles point with wins from Gillian Nahum and Jorge Aura at No. 1 doubles and Matthew Kordesh and Thomas Tartari at No. 3 doubles. In singles play, Nahum, Kordesh, Aura, and Nils Fischer each earned points in the team victory. 
 
Carthage also posted a non-conference win during the week, defeating UC Santa Cruz, 6-1, last Friday in Lake Bluff. The Firebirds improved to 13-3 overall after sweeping doubles and receiving singles victories from Cyriac Cayuela, Victor Pimenta, Linus Bangert, Francisco Silveira and Diego Silva.
 
Return to the Court: Wheaton Battles in Lake Bluff
Wheaton returned to action last Saturday for its first match in more than two weeks, traveling to Lake Forest for a non-conference contest. The Thunder moved to 2-6 on the season following a 7-0 loss. 
 
At No. 4 singles, sophomore David Hill pushed his match to a deciding ten-point tiebreak after dropping the opening set, 7-5, and winning the second, 6-0, before the opponent secured the tiebreak. 
 
By the Numbers: Tracking the CCIW Race
As of Thursday, North Central holds the top spot in the conference standings at 2-0, followed by Carroll at 1-0 and Millikin at 1-1. Carthage is 0-1 in league play, while Illinois Wesleyan, Augustana, and Wheaton have not yet opened their conference schedules. Elmhurst sits at 0-2. 
 
Overall records through Thursday are North Central 9-6, Carroll 6-9, Millikin 12-4, Carthage 13-3, Illinois Wesleyan 8-4, Augustana 4-7, Wheaton 2-6 and Elmhurst 0-3.
 
Mark Your Calendars: The Road Ahead
The upcoming week includes several conference matchups as more teams begin league play. North Central will host Carroll at 11:30 a.m. and Elmhurst at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
 
Carthage will open at Augustana on Friday at 1 p.m., while Illinois Wesleyan is scheduled to host North Central on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. 
 
Wheaton will host Concordia Chicago next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Millikin’s next conference match is scheduled for next Friday, April 10, at 4 p.m. at Carthage.