April 25, 2008
Final Stats
OMAHA, Neb. -
Senior Luka Marinkovic and Junior Daniel Tobar helped the Illinois State men's tennis team capture the doubles point for the first time in six matches, but it was not enough as the Redbirds fell, 4-1, to Southern Illinois in the opening round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Championships Friday, April 25, in Omaha, Neb. Junior Nuno Jacinto and freshman Filip Miljevic teamed up to capture their doubles match as well.
"The players worked really hard today and I was happy with the effort they gave," said head coach Cris James. "Our players competed very hard and played well in doubles. We worked hard again in singles but were not able to play as well. Southern Illinois played some very good singles matches today."
The doubles point was the first for the Redbirds since facing Bradley on March 30. Marinkovic and Tobar combined to take down Lucas Waked and Anton Leonenko, 8-3, at the No. 1 position. The victory marked the 80th doubles win of Marinkovic's career at Illinois State, putting him in third place all-time in school history. At the No. 2 doubles spot, the duo of Jacinto and Miljevic bested Hugo Vidal and Sebastian Rubiano, 8-6.
"I felt bad for Luka, with it being his last match as a senior," said James. "It has been a bit of a tough year, but he has fought the whole way."
Illinois State was unable convert the doubles momentum into singles victories, as the `Birds dropped three singles matches and were forced to forfeit a fourth due to an injury-shortened roster, giving the Salukis the match victory. In tournament play, competition is stopped once the match outcome is determined.
In singles, Marinkovic fell to Waked, 6-3, 6-2, at the No. 1 position. At the No. 2 spot, Jacinto played a close match with Vidal, but lost, 6-4, 6-3. Tobar was unable to defeat Mariano Restrepo at the No. 3 position, falling, 6-1, 7-6.
The loss marks the end of the Redbirds 2007-08 men's tennis season with an overall record of 9-11, including a 2-4 MVC mark.
