After leading the Illinois State mens tennis team to victories over DePaul and Bradley, senior Marek Blaskovic (MAIR-ek BLASS-ko-vic) has been named Missouri Valley Conference Athlete of the Week. Blaskovic had an outstanding weekend for the Redbirds, as he did not lose a set in the four matches he played.
Playing in the No. 3 spot in singles competition, Blaskovic defeated DePauls Sam Davidson 7-5, 6-1, and then went on to rout Bradleys Paul Craigen 6-3, 6-0 in his second match of the day.
Blaskovic was equally efficient in doubles competition as he teamed up with Andy Martin in the No. 3 doubles position to beat DePauls Michael Fessler and Jeff Peters, 8-1. Blaskovic and Martin later went on to defeat Bradleys Mark Muskievicz and Marijon Panzic 8-6.
Greg Kennett has been pleasantly surprised with Blaskovics play during the spring season.
Marek is playing in the highest position that he has played in his entire career, and has responded better than expected, said Kennett. We have given him a game plan that really works for him, and we expect continued success for the rest of the season.
These wins helped carry the Redbirds to a 6-1 victory over Bradley and 5-2 win over DePaul, and brought the Birds record above the .500 mark for the first time since mid-January. Blaskovic improved his season-singles record to 10-6 with the wins.
Blaskovic and the Birds return to action March 1, against Western Michigan at the Evergreen Racquetclub, in Bloomington, Ill.
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