CHICAGO HEGHTS, Ill. - The first match under first-year Roosevelt head tennis coach Lucian Tabic was a success, as the Roosevelt men's tennis team edged a strong Prairie State side in a thrilling 5-4 win for the Lakers in scrimmage play on Friday.

The day started with singles play, and six-match slate of individual contests was competitive and tightly-contested throughout. Jake Cigelnik, Carlos Alcantar and Tyler Weber came away with straight-set decisions, while Manny Eudave won the first frame before a second-set rally from Jeremy Horvath forced a tight tiebreaker that eventually went in the hands of Prairie State.

Singles play was split down the middle to deadlock the match at 3-3 heading into doubles player, where a trio of close and quick paired matches would decide the outcome.

The Lakers would pull off the win, as Cigelnik and Alcantar teamed up for an 8-4 victory at the top spot before Matt Kuntzi and Dalton Rothe registered a high-octane 8-3 decision that gave Roosevelt the two points needed to ride off with the team win.

Roosevelt will be back in regular-season action when both Laker tennis teams head to Hilton head Island, S.C. for the 2014 PTR Spring TennisFest from March 9-14.

SINGLES

1. Srdja Nickolic (Praire State) def. Matt Kuntzi (Roosevelt) 6-1, 6-3

2. Jake Cigelnik (Roosevelt) def. Lotfi El Jai (Prairie State) 6-1, 7-5

3. Carlos Alcantar (Roosevelt) def. Kodie Hayes (Prairie State) 6-4, 6-3

4. Osiris Carroll (Prairie State) def. Dalton Rothe (Roosevelt) 6-4, 6-4

5. Jeremy Horvath (Prairie State) def. Manny Eudave (Roosevelt) 1-6, 6-0 (10-8)

6. Tyler Weber (Roosevelt) def. Justin Horvath (Prairie State) 6-0,6-2

DOUBLES

1. Carlos Alcantar/Jake Cigelnik (Roosevelt) def. Srdja Nikolic/Kodie Hayes (Prairie State) 8-4

2. Matt Kuntzi/Dalton Rothe (Roosevelt) def. Osiris Carroll/Lotfi El Jai (Prairie State) 8-3

3. Jeremy Horvath/Junior Gomez (Prairie State) def. Manny Eudave/Tyler Webber (Roosevelt) 8-2