Sophomore Dan Pivonka went 3-1 at the top of the singles and doubles lineups as the Forester men's tennis team defeated the University of Northwestern 7-2 but fell 8-1 to host University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Saturday.
Pivonka and junior Ellis Lora-Arceo gave the Foresters a 2-1 lead over Northwestern when they edged out the Eagles top double team 9-8 (7-3). Lake Forest freshmen Karl Fehn and Joe Bove had posted an 8-4 victory at #2 but Northwestern won at #3.
Fehn extended the Foresters' lead with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph at #4 singles but the Eagles came out on top at #3. Pivonka finished off a 6-4, 6-2 triumph at #1 and Lora Arceo outlasted his opponent 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10-2) at #2 to clinch the match for Lake Forest. Bove added a 6-3, 6-2 win at #6 and sophomore Nick Rehm closed out the contest with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 victory at #5.
The loss dropped Northwestern's record on the season to 2-3.
Eau Claire, the 16th-ranked team in the Central Region, swept Lake Forest in the doubles competition and led 6-0 after finishing off victories at (in order) #6, #3, and #4 singles.
Pivonka earned the Foresters' only team point of the match when he knocked off the Blugolds' top player 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-8). Lora-Arceo's match at #2 was also decided by a third set super tiebreaker but he fell 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-3). Eau Claire added a win at #5 singles to finish off the contest and improve to 5-1 on the season.
Lake Forest is now 2-3 on the year and will travel to Jackson, Wisconsin, next Friday to take on host Concordia University Wisconsin at 6:00 p.m. at the Pleasant Valley Tennis Club.
