March 11, 2011
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ATLANTA - After a tough 6-1 defeat to Georgia Tech Thursday, the Illinois State men's tennis team bounced back, dropping Georgia State, 4-2, Friday at Piedmont Park in Atlanta.
The Redbirds were able to gain an early advantage by capturing the doubles point. Timon Reichelt and Alexander Pelaez got back on track after dropping their last two doubles decisions, defeating Victor Valente and Thomas Cook on the No. 1 court, 8-6. Matej Zlatkovic and Tuomas Manner were able to slide past Juan Pablo Gutierrez and Lucas Santana on the No. 2 court, 8-3, while Filip Miljevic and Mya Smith-Dennis fell to Vincent Verpeaux and Breon Badger on the No. 3 court, 8-5.
ISU was able to win singles matches on the top three courts. Reichelt took care of business against Gabe Townes on the No. 1 court, 7-5, 6-3, while Pelaez made short work of Valente on the No. 2 court, 6-2, 6-3. Miljevic clinched the win for the Redbirds on the No. 3 court, defeating Cook in a tight three-setter, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
Manner fell to Santana in straight-sets on the No. 5 court, 6-3, 6-0, while Skip Span was bested on the No. 6 court by Verpeaux, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0. Zlatkovic's match on the No. 4 court was unfinished, as he was still in competition with Gutierrez when Miljevic clinched the match victory for the `Birds.
Head coach Cris James was pleased with the way his squad bounced back to get the victory Friday.
"We had to deal with cold and windy conditions," James said. "Not everyone played well, but we competed as a team. That was the response I was looking for, and that's what it takes when a couple of guys aren't on their game."
James also believes his team can take away a handful of positives from the last two matches.
"It was a pretty good trip," James said. "We're happy we got the win over Georgia State, and I felt we played well against Georgia Tech despite the result. We should come out of this week with a lot of confidence, but we know that we need to continue to work hard and get better every day."
ISU hosts a double-header Saturday, Mar. 19, against Ball State and Western Illinois. Matches are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. CST.
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