CLEVELAND – The No. 8 nationally ranked Case Western Reserve University men's tennis team pulled in a 5-4 victory versus No. 17 University of Chicago on Saturday evening at the Cleveland Racquet Club.

The Spartans advance to 3-1 for the season, while Chicago drops to 2-2.

The Spartans fell behind after doubles despite an 8-5 victory at No. 1. Ranked 11th in the nation, juniors CJ Krimbill (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain) and Louis Stuerke (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley Northwest) defeated the No. 4 ranked tandem of David Liu and Deepak Sabuda.

In singles, the Spartans grabbed control with wins at No. 2 and No. 1. Senior Will Drougas (Roanoke, Va./Salem) defeated his opponent 6-2, 6-3 in second position, and Krimbill was victorious in the top spot by counts of 6-3, 6-2 against Nicholas Chua, the No. 1-ranked player in the nation.

Chicago moved back in front with victories at No. 3 and No. 5 before Stuerke tied the match with a 7-6, 6-4 victory against the 27th-ranked Liu at No. 4. Then in the deciding matchup, sophomore Kevin Dong (Bishop, Ga./Athens Academy) clinched the win for the Spartans by rallying to defeat his opponent at No. 6 (3-6, 6-4, 6-1).  

CWRU now has a week off from competition before returning to action with fellow top 8 teams at the 2015 ITA National Team Indoor Championship in St. Peter, Minnesota on February 20-22.