Feb. 5, 2006
Final Stats
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The Illinois State men's tennis team (2-4) was bested by New Mexico (3-2) at the Lobo Tennis Club 5-2. Djordje Uskokovic won at the No. 4 singles position and Oscar Beich bested his opponent at the No. 6 singles spot. Both wins marked the only points scored against the Lobos.
In doubles play, Uskokovic and Luka Marinkovic teamed up at the No. 2 position to win 8-6, for the only doubles win of the day.
The `Birds still have some adjustments to make to find the right doubles combinations, but head coach Greg Kennett believes they are on the right track.
"We did well at the lower end of the lineup and we won at the No. 4 and six (singles positions). I have been really pleased with Oscar and Djordje," said Kennett. "We also played a lot better in doubles and we may be getting close to having the right teams together. Oscar and Tim (Link) played some great doubles despite their loss today."
Alban Renard fell short at the No. 1 singles position 6-4, 6-1 and marked his third loss in a row. Yohann Nograbat also dropped his third straight singles match at the No. 2 slot (7-6, 6-4).
Kennett wants to see more intensity at the top of the lineup.
"Our top guys need to play better and we need to be more competitive," said Kennett. "We left a lot of opportunities out there and I think we could have done better today."
The `Birds are now on a four game skid and drop to 0-4 on the road. Kennett would also like to see his team take advantage of more opportunities.
"Overall we need to capitalize on the opportunities that were given to us this weekend," said Kennett. "It's always great to play a ranked team, now we just need to take the next step and beat them."
Illinois State returns to Evergreen Racquet Club Friday, February 10 as the `Birds host DePaul at 7 p.m.
