Jan. 21, 2006
Final Stats
TULSA, Okla. - In the first appearance in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Men's Central Region Team Indoor Championships, the Illinois State Redbirds (2-1) were bested 4-2 in the single elimination tournament by the Oklahoma Sooners (1-0).
Djordje Uskokovic competed at the No. 4 singles position and won against his competition 6-3, 6-2. Teammate Luka Marinkovic also downed at the No. 6 singles slot 6-1, 6-0. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to keep the `Birds on top.
Head coach Greg Kennett was impressed with Marinkovic's efforts.
"I was really pleased with Luka's performance today," said Kennett. "He was sharp and did not make many errors. He had a great doubles match and he showed a lot of intensity."
No. 23 ranked Marek Velicka of Oklahoma defeated Yohann Nograbat 6-0, 6-2 at the No. 1 singles position. Alban Renard dropped two tie breakers at the No. 2 singles spot to Alexei Ivanov 7-6, 7-6.
In doubles play, Renard and teammate Nuno Jacinto competed at the No. 1 position but they could not hold on to overcome nationally ranked (No. 20) doubles pair Ivanov and Velicka in an 8-4 loss. Uskokovic and Tim Link also dropped their No. 2 doubles match 8-6.
Kennett was excited to see Uskokovic and Link's team chemistry.
"I like how Djordje and Tim played in doubles. I think they have a lot of opportunities to play well together in the future," said Kennett. "Djordje also played very well in his singles match, he played smart and consistent."
Kennett was content with his squad's first appearance in the tournament.
"Overall our team played Oklahoma very close. I think we earned a lot of respect from a number of coaches and teams," said Kennett. "We got a lot of praise about our guys' efforts. We showed a lot of heart and determination, which are aspects that we are going to take with us for the rest of the spring season."
The `Birds will compete again next weekend January 27-29 in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Individuals Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa.
