March 4, 2006
Final Stats
NORMAL, Ill. -
Missouri Valley Player of the Week Djordje Uskokovic led the Illinois State men's tennis team to victory on Saturday afternoon against IUPUI. Uskokovic swept his competition at the No. 3 singles position 6-0, 6-0 and also won at the No. 2 doubles spot with teammate Tim Link, 8-3. The `Birds move to 5-6, while the Jaguars drop to 0-10 in their fourth shut-out loss this season.
Alban Renard and Oscar Beich took out their opposition 8-0 at the No. 1 doubles position, while Luka Marinkovic and Daniel Tobar dropped the Jaguars 8-1 at the No. 3 spot.
According to head coach Greg Kennett, his players are becoming more comfortable in doubles competition, which will be a key factor in match play over the course of the season.
"I like the doubles teams we have now, Oscar has really stepped up and has been playing very well," said Kennett. "I like him and Alban at the No. 1 doubles position because they have great energy. The doubles point is really helpful and is going to help us out a lot down the road."
In singles action, the `Birds wasted no time with the Jaguars. Every ISU player dropped their opponent in straight sets.
Yohann Nograbat outlasted his opponent at the No. 1 singles slot 6-4, 6-3 while Nuno Jacinto also had a successful day at the No. 2 position in a 6-2, 6-2 win. Alfredo Lagarda was the first to finish of the squad in a 6-0, 6-0 win at the No. 6 spot. Beich also finished strong with a 6-0, 6-2 win at the No. 4 singles position along side of Luka Marinkovic who won 6-1, 6-1 at the No. 5 slot.
Kennett is happy with the `Birds performance against IUPUI.
"Today we were hitting the ball solid and this was the first time I have seen the whole team do that at the same time this season," said Kennett. "Winning the last two in a row is huge for us and we hope to extend this win streak."
Illinois State will compete again March 16 and 17 in South Carolina against Bucknell and Marquette.
