Chris Cozad won his first match playing in the No. 2 singles spot Saturday, but it was not enough, as the Illinois State mens tennis team (5-8, 1-0) fell to Saint Louis, 4-3, at the Billiken Tennis Center in St. Louis, Mo.
Cozads straight set win, 6-4, 6-4, over Tom de Larzac in the No. 2 position was his fourth singles victory of the season.
The doubles competition was the difference maker in the match this afternoon between the Redbirds and Saint Louis. Each team picked up three singles points apiece, but Saint Louis was able to take the edge in the match by taking the doubles point, as the duo of Cozad and Yohann Nograbats victory over de Larzac and Thomas Kwong in the No. 2 spot would prove to be the only doubles win the Birds could earn.
TheBirds return the courts Sunday to take on Missouri Valley Conference foe Indiana State. The match is set for 1 p.m. at the McCormick Courts in Normal, Ill.
Saint Louis 4, Illinois State 3
Singles
1) Ikaika Jobe (St. Louis) over Djordje Uskokovic (ISU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
2) Chris Cozad (ISU) over Tom de Larzac (Saint Louis) 6-4, 6-4
3) Yohann Nograbat (ISU) over Thomas Kwong (Saint Louis) 6-3, 6-1
4) Lance Vodicka (Saint Louis) over Guillermo Gomez (ISU) 6-2, 7-5
5) Alban Renard (ISU) over Sanjeev Paramanathan (Saint Louis) 6-3, 6-3
6) Taylor Curran (Saint Louis) over Tim Link (ISU) 7-5, 6-3
Doubles
1) Jobe/Paramanathan (Saint Louis) over Usokovic/Gomez (ISU), 8-6
2) Cozad/Nograbat (ISU) over deLarcac/ Kwong (Saint Louis), 9-7
3) Vodicka/Curran (Saint Louis) over Link/Renard (ISU), 8-4
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