April 2, 2010
NORMAL, Ill. -
Alexander Pelaez and the Illinois State men's tennis team will begin Missouri Valley Conference play this Saturday, Apr. 3, against the Southern Illinois Salukis at 1 p.m., in Carbondale, Ill.
The Redbirds earned back-to-back MVC Athlete of the Week selections this past week when Pelaez was given the honor Tuesday. Skip Span was named athlete of the week Tuesday, Mar. 23, by the league office.
"This is an important match for us," head coach Cris James said. "We're playing the defending MVC champions, although both teams are very different from last year."
Illinois State boasts a 9-7 record this spring and has won two of their last three matches, including a 6-1 win at Air Force last Sunday afternoon. The Redbirds lost the doubles point at Air Force and at No. 29 Denver in Saturday's 4-0 loss.
"We're still looking for better production out of doubles," James said. "But our doubles play has been very solid lately."
The Redbirds last saw conference play at the MVC Individual Championships in January. llinois State took home three titles, including one at the No. 1 singles court where Filip Miljevic topped all opponents to win the first ever MVC Individual No. 1 singles title for the Redbirds. Michael Hobson collected another title for ISU at the No. 7 singles spot. Teammates Timon Reichelt and Matej Zlatkovic were perfect on the No. 2 doubles court, going 4-0 and bringing home the Redbirds third title.
Players on the men's tennis team faced off against Southern Illinois in four singles matches at the championships and were a perfect 4-0. In doubles, Illinois State had a similar experience, going 2-0 when taking on the Salukis.
Southern Illinois holds a 5-8 record and has lost three of their last four matches. The Salukis take on the Bradley Braves this afternoon in Carbondale, Ill.
"Overall, we're energized, pumped up and ready for conference play to start," James said. "I think most of the teams in the MVC are very evenly matched so from this point on these matches will come down to the small details and our mental toughness."
Saturday's match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., at the University Courts in Carbondale, Ill.
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