March 28, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State men's tennis team, winners of six of its last seven matches, will seek to continue that trend this weekend as the Redbirds travel to Missouri to take on Saint Louis University on Saturday, March 29, before returning Sunday, March 30, to host Missouri Valley Conference rival Bradley at home.
The match against Saint Louis was originally scheduled for a 1 p.m. start, but was moved back to 2 p.m. to accommodate the possibility of having to play indoors. The match against Bradley will be played at 1 p.m.
"I'm looking for us to get two wins this weekend," said head coach Cris James. "With only having five players available, I've been stressing to the team how important it is to be ready to go. One player having an off day can throw it all off for us. The doubles point becomes even more important now. If we are able to get that then it really gets us out of the hole a little bit."
Illinois State will be without senior Oscar Beich and sophomore Xavier Riart-Ferrer for the second consecutive weekend, forcing the `Birds to forfeit a singles and doubles match in both contests.
Illinois State (7-4) comes into the weekend fresh off a 6-1 win over MVC foe Creighton last Friday. Against the Bluejays, the Redbirds overcame playing with an abbreviated five-man roster for the win. In singles, junior Daniel Tobar brings a seven-match win streak to the match after besting Joe Eckert last weekend, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2. In doubles, Illinois State will look to continue its success at the No. 1 position, where it owns an 8-3 (.727) mark, including six wins from the duo of senior Luka Marinkovic and Tobar.
"Both Daniel and Filip have been playing well for us," said James. "With Daniel, we have been going through a process of figuring out what is the best way for him to play. Maturity also has a lot to do with it, as he has improved with his match preparation. Filip I think is benefiting from having time to adjust to everything new. I think he's settled in now and there is less stress from outside of tennis on him now. He is able to focus more on just playing tennis well. Our whole team, really, has been able to gain some confidence by putting some wins together. I believe that winning breeds confidence which only helps you to succeed more. "
Saint Louis and Bradley will played a match on Thursday, March 27, in Peoria, Ill. The Billikens won the match 4-3.
Saint Louis (8-8) comes into Saturday's matchup having just broke a three-match losing streak with its win over Bradley. The Billikens are led by junior Sean McManus and senior Paul Feder his eight wins in singles play this season. In doubles, Saint Louis is paced by the duo of sophomore P.J. Henderie and McManus, who are 7-8 at the No. 2 position.
Illinois State will host Bradley (1-10) on Sunday. Bradley will come to Bloomington/Normal after playing Valparaiso on Saturday. Bradley has lost six-consecutive matches, collecting only two total points over the streak. Bradley's lone win on the season was a 5-2 victory over IUPUI.
