April 3, 2008
NORMAL, lll. -
The Illinois State men's tennis team, winners of three-straight and eight of its last nine, will seek to continue that trend this weekend as the Redbirds play host to Missouri Valley Conference foe Drake Saturday, April 5, and BIG EAST member DePaul (12-8) Sunday, April 6. Both matches will begin at 1 p.m. Illinois State will be aiming to spoil Drake's perfect season, as the Bulldogs come to town with a 17-0 record on the season.
"Our five healthy players, who are battling some bumps themselves, are all very match tough right now," said head coach Cris James. "I'm really looking for those players to go out and compete hard this weekend. We have some pretty good momentum as a team, so regardless if win or lose, I want to see us continue to maintain that momentum."
Illinois State will be led by senior Luka Marinkovic, who has won three-straight and was selected as the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for this past week. In singles, junior Daniel Tobar leads the team with nine wins in dual match play and is 8-2 in his last 10 matches. In doubles, the Redbirds have used a variety of lineups due to injuries, but have found success often as they have a 26-10 (.722) mark in doubles play.
For the third-consecutive week Illinois State will be without senior Oscar Beich and sophomore Xavier Riart-Ferrer, who are both recovering from injuries. As a result, the Redbird's roster will be limited to five active players, forcing them to take a forfeit at the No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles spots.
"Drake and DePaul are both good programs," said James. "There is a tendency as you play good teams to get exposed. Things you normally may get away with you won't be able to against those top-programs. It's not a bad thing at all if you have the right response and learn from it rather than let it destroy your confidence."
Drake is led by senior Dalibor Pavic in singles, who is 12-1 in dual matches and 30-4 overall and has garnered a No. 68 national ranking. Junior Maor Zirkin is also having a strong season, with a 13-1 mark in singles. In doubles, Zirkin and Pavic lead the Bulldogs with a 12-1 mark. Overall Drake is 78-15 (.839) in singles and 37-7 (.841) in doubles.
DePaul will enter Sunday's match after playing Marquette on Saturday, April 5. Freshman Ben Hartman leads the Blue Demons with 17 singles victories. DePaul junior Jose Moncada is also having a good season, playing primarily at the No. 1 and 2 spots, has compiled a 13-7 record this spring. In doubles, DePaul is paced by junior Austin Doerner and sophomore Alasdair Graetz who have compiled a 7-2 mark at the No. 1 doubles position.
