GRAND FORKS — UND's dual against Hawaii came down to a tiebreaker.
The meet was 3-3. UND's Leandro Zgraggen and Hawaii's Azuma Visaya split sets at No. 1 singles and got to 6-6 in the third set. Visaya won the tiebreak.
That was Feb. 1.
UND has not lost again.
The Fighting Hawks have reeled off a program record 13 wins in a row. They're 16-3 overall, setting a school record in total wins.
And they're coming back home with a chance to win their first Summit League regular-season title.
UND hosts Illinois State at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Choice Health and Fitness.
Regardless of Saturday's result, UND's regular-season finale at 10:15 a.m. on April 13 against Denver will decide the Summit League regular-season championship.
"We’ve been really good in some big situations," UND tennis coach Tom Boysen said. "We've had a couple 4-3, 5-2 wins, where with an hour left, it could have gone either way. We're not afraid to let our identities come out at the end. We're not hoping the other team loses. We're trying to take the match."
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UND has two veterans at the top of the lineup — Zgraggen and Ange-Kevin Koua.
Zgraggen, the Summit League performer of the month for March, is 12-2 at No. 1 singles. Koua is 10-3 at No. 2 singles.
The Fighting Hawks also have been bolstered their freshman class.
Leo Galliano of Chalais, Switzerland, is 13-1 at No. 3 singles.
"He doesn't beat himself at all," Boysen said. "He doesn't have many weaknesses. His backhand is very good. He's extremely intelligent when to go bigger or when to put a little more offense in his game. He passes extremely well. He's a lefty with a crafty serve on the ad side. He's extremely competitive and breaks down opponents well."
Andrew Hayduke II, of Rancho Mirage, Calif., is 8-2 at No. 4 singles and 10-2 overall.
"He's been as advertised," Boysen said. "We really hit the jackpot with getting two freshmen who seem to compete well, who don't like to lose, who take pride in how they play for their team."
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UND has several impressive wins on its resume.
The Fighting Hawks beat Marquette twice on the road. They beat Creighton twice on the road. They beat Omaha on the road. And they beat Drake for the first time since re-starting the program in 2013.
"I don't think any of us are thinking too much about the (winning streak)," Boysen said.
Saturday will be UND's second home match since Feb. 15.
The Summit League tournament is April 18-19 in Denver.
Nore Heinitz, Jule Schulte close to marks
Two UND women's players are close to setting program marks.
Nore Heinitz, a senior from Duluth, Minn., is three wins away from tying Andrea Jansson's school record of 133. Jansson set the record last season.
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"She wins so often, you almost take it for granted," Boysen said. "She doesn't too often lose to players she's even with or even within 20 percent of. You have to outhit her and outplay her to have a shot.
"You want to leave a program in better shape than when you got there. We were in good shape when she was a freshman, but even more things have happened since she's been here. I give her a lot of credit."
Schulte, a junior from Essen, Germany, is two wins away from 100. She's attempting to become the first UND player to hit 100 wins in three seasons.
"It's hard to win 100 in four years," Boysen said. "To do it in three is amazing. She's willing to do anything in a match to win it."
The Fighting Hawks are 12-6. They're at home 2 p.m. Friday against South Dakota and 10 a.m. Sunday against Minnesota State.
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