Impressive play last weekend by Marek Blaskovic and Brent Steven will hopefully serve as a catalyst for the Illinois State mens tennis team as it hopes to add to its three match winning streak at New Mexico and New Mexico State.
With wins over Northern Illinois and DePaul last weekend, the Redbirds improved to 3-3 in dual match play. Blaskovic won two matches at No. 5 singles to improve his overall record to 14-6. In addition, he and teammate Jason Smit recorded a victory at No. 2 doubles to improve their record to 2-0. Like Blaskovic, Steven also won two matches at No. 6 singles to improve his overall record to 9-8.
Without question, the Redbirds will once again have their work cut out for them. Besides playing four matches in as many days, all four of their opponents are strong teams.
New Mexico (No. 65) holds a record of 3-4 in dual match play. The Lobos are led by Divan Coetzee, who is currently ranked No. 106 in the nation. Arkansas-Little Rock (No. 71) holds a record of 4-3 in dual match play. Mariano Pettigrosso, who is currently ranked No. 28 in the nation, will lead the Trojans. Denver and New Mexico State hold records of 2-2 and 4-2 respectively in dual match play.
The Redbirds will kick-off their road trip against New Mexico on Thursday, February 21, at 6 p.m. in Albuquerque, New Mexico. From there, they will travel to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to play Denver at 9 a.m. and Arkansas-Little Rock at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 23. The Redbirds will wrap-up the road trip on Sunday, February 24, against New Mexico State at 6 p.m. in Las Cruces.
