Jan. 25, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State men's tennis team will head to Des Moines, Iowa, to compete in the Missouri Valley Conference Individual Tennis Championship. The three-day event, hosted by Drake, will begin Friday at 9 a.m. at the Drake Tennis Center.
The MVC Individual Championship will be the first chance this spring for the team to compete against Valley foes. All nine members of the ISU team are scheduled to compete in the seven singles flights. In doubles action, six Redbirds will be competing in the three doubles flights.
As the tournament begins, ISU will have two singles players and a pair of doubles teams seeded going into the championship. In Flight 1 singles, Yohann Nograbat is seeded No. 3 and in Flight 2 singles, Alfredo Lagarda is seeded No. 3. The two Redbirds are both 0-1 this spring. In doubles action, Nograbat and Xavier Riart-Ferrer are seeded No. 2 in the Flight 1 doubles. Nuno Jacinto and Daniel Tobar are seeded No. 1 in Flight 2 of doubles. Jacinto and Tobar are 1-0 as a doubles tandem entering tomorrow's tournament.
Last year at the MVC individuals, Illinois State brought home two singles titles and a doubles title. Luka Marinkovic, Tobar and Lagarda each brought home titles. Marinkovic, brought home two titles, including the Flight 5 singles titles as well as the Flight 3 doubles crown with Tobar. In addition, Alfredo Lagarda took home the No. 7 singles title by defeating Redbird teammate Tim Link (6-4, 6-3).
The MVC Individual Tennis Championship runs through Sunday, Jan. 28, with action beginning each day at 9 a.m.
