A complete team effort helped No. 25 Northwest Missouri State hold off No. 41 Southern Indiana, 5-3 Thursday in men’s tennis action.

The Bearcats improved to 7-1 on the season as Southern Indiana fell to 5-4. The match kicks off a stretch of six matches in six days for Northwest as they start their spring break road trip.

Northwest picked up wins at No. 1 doubles as Sergio De Vilchez and Lluis Altimires fought for a 9-8 victory. At No. 3 doubles, Dylan Bernatzky and Alvaro Riveros claimed an 8-2 win giving the Bearcats a 2-1 lead.

Heading into singles action Sergio De Vilchez claimed his sixth straight win at No. 1 singles with a 6-1, 6-3 victory. De Vilchez is now a combined 13-3 as a freshman counting dual matches and tournament play.

Also impressive was Jason Harris at No. 6 singles who stayed perfect in duals at 8-0 with a, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Rodrigo Flores.

The two losses for the Bearcats came at No. 2 singles and No. 4 singles. Rafael Bugiga dropped a tough 6-1, 6-1 decision as Alvaro Riveros fell 1-6, 7-6, 7-6, for his first loss of the season.

The Bearcats return to action Friday as they head south to face Harding in Springfield, Mo. at the Cooper Indoor Tennis Complex.

— NwMSU Sports Information —