Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- The University of North Dakota men's tennis team notched a pair of victories in the first home matches of the season for the Fighting Hawks on Saturday from Choice Health and Fitness in Grand Forks, N.D. 

UND improves to 2-5 on the season after opening with a thrilling 4-3 victory over No. 12 Gustavus Adolphus before closing the day with a 7-0 drubbing over Lindenwood. 

"Today's results should go a long way towards building our belief in each other and our trust in each other," said UND head coach Tom Boysen. "When matches that last almost four hours are decided in the last 10 minutes, it takes a lot of grit and resolve to pull out victories."

North Dakota 4, No. 12 Gustavus Adolphus 3
UND had to battle back against one of the top teams in Division III, rallying from a deficit in a four hour match. The Golden Gusties took a 1-0 lead in doubles action with wins on the No. 1 and No. 2 courts, but the pairing of Christos Alex and Leandro Zgraggen hoped to build some momentum for the green and white with a 6-3 triumph at the bottom spot to close two-man play. 

"Winning matches after losing the doubles point is extremely difficult to do, especially when you are up against a talented, well-coached and hungry team like Gustavus," said Boysen. "We dug in, made adjustments and supported each other in a big way today."

That support carried some momentum into singles play for the Hawks, with Ange-Kevin Koua leveling the score at 1-1 with a 6-2, 6-3 victory at the No.1 spot before Ethan Terry gave the Hawks a 2-1 lead by a 6-4, 6-1 score at the fourth position. 

After the Gusties tied the match at 2-2, Zgraggen restored the lead for the hosts with a 7-5, 6-2 triumph on the No. 3 court, having to battle back from a 4-1 deficit in the opening set to take the frame. With all eyes on the No. 2 and 5 courts, the visitors held on at the fifth spot in a three set affair to even the contest at 3-3. 

"Kevin and Ethan playing as well as they did and putting points on the board relatively quickly helped a lot," said Boysen. "Leandro coming back from a 1-4 deficit in the first set was a big momentum swing."

Jerall Yasin provided the winning moment for NoDak at the No. 2 spot, holding on in three sets by a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 score to give the Fighting Hawks the 4-3 match victory. 

"Jerall did a great job focusing on playing smart and tough until his level actually came around at the end," said Boysen. "He did a fantastic job handling the pressure of being the last man on the court today."

North Dakota 7, Lindenwood 0
Taking the court just 45 minutes after the big win over Gustavus, North Dakota dominated Lindenwood with a 7-0 victory to secure a perfect 2-0 day on the courts. 

"I am really proud of the way we came out against Lindenwood after only a 45-minute rest between matches," said Boysen. "We raced out to some good leads by playing controlled, disciplined tennis, and in the end we got another victory."

It was the top courts that helped NoDak get off to a good start in doubles play, with Koua and Victor Moreno Lozano rolling to a 6-0 victory at the No. 1 spot and Terry and Yasin following right behind by a 6-1 score on the middle courts to give the hosts the 1-0 lead. 

The Fighting Hawks kept it rolling in singles action, winning all but one set on the six courts to cruise to the 7-0 match victory. Koua finished off a 3-1 weekend with a 6-0, 7-6 triumph at the No. 1 spot while Yasin also had a perfect day in solo play by a 6-3, 6-2 score on the second court and Terry matched his teammates with a 6-3, 6-2 win as well at the No. 4 position for a perfect day in singles play. 

North Dakota hits the road for a pair of matches in Colorado Springs, Colo. against Idaho State on Saturday and Air Force on Sunday. 

For more information on North Dakota men's tennis, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDmtennis.