After falling for the first time in Missouri Valley Conference play this season to No. 33 Indiana State on Wednesday, the Illinois State mens tennis team is looking to return to its winning ways this weekend against Valley foes Southwest Missouri State and Wichita State.
The Redbirds will face the Bears on Friday, April 13, at 3 p.m. in Springfield, Missouri, and the Shockers on Saturday, April 14, at 1 p.m. in Wichita, Kansas.
Leading the way for the Redbirds will be Ricky Heath and Marek Blaskovic. In singles action, Heath has won five of his last six matches to improve his spring record to 12-7. Likewise, Blaskovic has won three of his last four singles matches and is playing well for the Redbirds at the No. 6 spot. In addition, Blaskovic and teammate Ciaran Foley have won four of their last five matches at No. 3 doubles to improve to 4-1 on the spring.
We are looking for Rick to step up and play well for us this weekend, said head coach Greg Kennett. Marek is continuing to play solid for us and do what he needs to do to win.
The Redbirds will have to rebound quickly from their loss to the Sycamores. Both the Bears and the Shockers are strong opponents.
Both teams are doing very well in the Valley, said Kennett. They both have winning records in the conference and are very solid overall.
Southwest Missouri State is currently 5-9 in dual match play and 2-1 in the Valley. Wichita State boasts a record of 9-8 in dual match play and is undefeated in the Valley with a record of 3-0. The Shockers are currently on a four-match winning streak that began on March 24 with a win over Southwest Missouri State.
