DES MOINES, Iowa – The University of North Dakota men’s tennis team picked up a big, 5-2, win over Drake on Sunday morning from the Roger Knapp Tennis Center in Des Moines, Iowa. 

The win is the first in program history over Drake and extends the winning streak to six overall. The Fighting Hawks also improve to 1-0 on the season in Summit League action for the fifth time in seven years. 

“Any time you do something for the first time ever, it’s pretty special and meaningful,” said UND head coach Tom Boysen. “To get our program’s first win over Drake and do it on the road in its facility is a big step for this team. Drake has a rich history in men’s tennis, so I’m proud of our guys for getting this down today.” 

NoDak jumped out to an early lead, grabbing the doubles point following a pair of wins on the No. 1 and 2 courts. The top duo of Leandro Zgraggen and Ange-Kevin Koua notched a 6-4 triumph while the middle pairing of Ethan Terry and Leo Galliano helped secure the 1-0 advantage with a 6-2 victory. 

“We had to switch up two of our regular doubles pairings today, and I thought we came out with great energy, confidence and attitudes across the board during the doubles part of the match,” said Boysen. “It really set the tone for the match from our team’s perspective.” 

The middle courts kept it rolling for UND, as Galliano and Terry each grabbed wins to give the Hawks their second and third points of the match. The freshman continued his hot play with a 6-4, 6-0 win at the No. 3 spot while Terry rolled to a 6-1, 6-2 victory from the fourth position. 

With the visitors in front by a 3-1 score, Zgraggen provided the clinch with a 6-3, 7-5 win on the No. 1 court while Christos Alex capped off the morning with a 6-0, 7-6 triumph at the bottom spot to secure the 5-2 match victory for NoDak. 

“We want to accomplish big things this season, but to do that we need to focus only on the next match, next practice, next conditioning session and the next thing on our to-do list. This was one good day in what we hope is a great season for the team.”