ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Mate Virag, Jody Maginley and Nick Lang each won their singles and doubles flights on Friday afternoon as the No. 3 seed Northern Kentucky University men's tennis team defeated No. 6 UIC by a score of 4-2 in the first round of the Horizon League Championship.

NKU captured the doubles point to open the match with the No. 1 duo of Maginley and Lang defeating Christopher Cole and Mitch Granger, 6-4. Virag and Court Clark blanked Carl Hedstrom and Nate Campanile, 6-0, at the No. 2 doubles flight.

UIC opened singles play with a victory at No. 4 to even the match score before Maginley earned a No. 2 victory over Marcelo Dib, 6-3, 6-4.

Lang followed at the No. 6 flight with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Campanile.

Virag then clinched the match, winning a three-set battle against Hedstrom at the top flight, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, to advance the Norse to the semifinal round.

The semifinals will take place on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. NKU is set to take on No. 2 Green Bay. All matches throughout the tournament will air on ESPN3.

Northern Kentucky 4, UIC 2

Singles results

1. VIRAG, Mate (NKU) def. HEDSTROM, Carl (UIC) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

2. MAGINLEY, Jody (NKU) def. DIB, Marcelo (UIC) 6-3, 6-4

3. CLEMENS, Lukas (NKU) vs. COLE, Christopher (UIC) 6-3, 4-6, 3-4, unfinished

4. GRANGER, Mitch (UIC) def. CLARK, Court (NKU) 6-1, 6-3

5. CEDERKALL, Max (UIC) def. ISACHE, Adrian (NKU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1

6. LANG, Nick (NKU) def. CAMPANILE, Nate (UIC) 6-1, 6-4

Doubles results

1. MAGINLEY, Jody/LANG, Nick (NKU) def. COLE, Christopher/GRANGER, Mitch (UIC) 6-4

2. VIRAG, Mate/CLARK, Court (NKU) def. HEDSTROM, Carl/CAMPANILE, Nate (UIC) 6-0

3. CLEMENS, Lukas/ISACHE, Adrian (NKU) vs. DIB, Marcelo/CEDERKALL, Max (UIC) 5-3, unfinished