April 22, 2005
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State men's tennis team will look for a strong showing from junior Alban Renard this weekend as he goes for his ninth and tenth consecutive singles wins. The `Birds host Indiana State on Saturday at 12 p.m., and play Southern Illinois on Sunday at 11 a.m., both matches will be held at the McCormick Courts.
Renard has been absolutely unstoppable since February 13. He has won 12 of his last thirteen singles matches and has won his last eight matches without giving up a single set. He is 16-9 on the season in singles, and has a 14-10 doubles record.
However, Renard can not win by himself. The `Birds have to get some production out of their No. 1 singles player Djordje Uskokovic and No. 2 singles player Guillermo Gomez. Both players have lost their last two singles matches.
Indiana State comes into this match up with a 5-0 conference record and is in sole possession of first place, while Southern Illinois is tied with the Redbirds for fourth. If the `Birds can beat both teams they will end a disappointing conference season on a high note and head into the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a higher seed and some confidence.
