Sept. 23, 2005
MILWAUKEE, Wis. -
The Illinois State men's tennis team completed day one undefeated at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic. The tournament is hosted by Marquette and will conclude on Sunday.
Illinois State dominated Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW) in singles today. The entire Redbird squad won in straight sets, meaning there was no need for a third match. Yohann Nograbat played at the number one position and defeated his opponent 6-1, 6-3. Alban Renard won at the number two position 6-0, 6-0 and Luka Marinkovic won at the number three position 6-1, 6-2. Head Coach Greg Kennett could not be more impressed with the team's performance.
"We have been talking about playing strong and playing smart," said Kennett. "It's starting to sink in because we made sure to hit our serves in when it counted."
The Redbirds also went undefeated in doubles action against Marquette. Marinkovic and Renard paired up to win 8-6 and hometown heroes Oscar Beich and Tim Link won 8-4. Djordje Uskokovic and Nograbat remain undefeated in doubles overall by winning 9-8 today. Kennett was most ecstatic with the Redbird doubles achievements.
"Marquette is a good team," said Kennett. "It was nice to win all three doubles matches."
Coach Kennett also enjoyed watching his players excel against Marquette.
"Timmy and Oscar played an excellent doubles match and they beat a good team," said Kennett. "Alban and Luka were the doubles highlights today; the two really hit their serves well physically."
The Redbirds have been taking advantage of their experience to make big plays happen. The team is composed of seven returning players. This veteran squad carries their skill, knowledge and understanding of the game to the court. Kennett has anticipated his players becoming more intelligent and comfortable during games.
"We played well under pressure today," said Kennett. "I have been talking to the team about playing well at the end of matches and making sure to follow through and there have been improvements."
Tomorrow, the men's tennis squad will begin with doubles against Northern Illinois at 11 a.m. The team will also compete against Marquette in singles at 1 p.m.
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