Junior
Alexander Pelaez of the Illinois State men's tennis team was named the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week on Tuesday for his excellent performance against Creighton and Drake.
Pelaez came to Illinois State in 2009. He was named 2010 Freshman of the Year and was named to the 2010 MVC All-Conference First-Team at No.2 singles. Pelaez currently plays at the No. 1 spot in both singles and doubles for the Redbirds, while currently holding a record of 17-2 in singles action and a record of 23-9 in doubles play.
Alexander Pelaez received the MVC Athlete of the Week because he showed outstanding talent and determination against Creighton and Drake, allowing him to win 4-of-4 matches in both singles and doubles play. He beat Creighton's J.T. Christian and Kyle Obermeier in the No. 1 doubles spot, 9-7, with teammate Jusso Ojanen. In singles, he defeated Creighton's Billy Paluch in the No. 1 spot, contributing to the perfect match for the Redbirds that day. His success continued against Drake as he fought for his win with Jusso Ojanen in the No. 1 doubles spot to take out Anis Ghorbel and James Mckie, 8-7, before coming out on top against Drake's No. 1 singles player, Anis Ghorbel, 6-2, 3-6, 11-9.
Head coach Cris James believes Pelaez has all the talent he needs to beat any player in the MVC.
"Alex had a great weekend," said James. "When he keeps his focus, like he did, the sky is the limit for him. We will defiantly need him to continue to lead this team."
Pelaez will be back in action with the `Birds Sunday when they face Wichita State in Wichita, Ka. Play is set to begin at 10 a.m.
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