March 7, 2014
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - For the second-straight weekend, the Illinois State men's tennis team matched up against one of the top teams in the country, this time versus No. 38 ranked Louisville. Unfortunately for the Redbirds (5-5), the result was the same, as the Cardinals (9-4) defeated the Redbirds, 7-0, Friday afternoon at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
"We played a very tough Louisville team today," ISU head coach Mark Klysner said. "We had a great win at No. 1 doubles and had some good results in singles. We'll work hard this week while in Alabama and be ready for Thursday against South Alabama and nationally-ranked Buffalo."
In the No. 1 doubles match, the team of Rolando Torrellas and Jakub Eisner picked up the lone win of the day for the Redbirds with an 8-5 defeat of Sebastian Stiefelmeyer and Van Damrongsri. However, the Cardinals picked up wins in the other two doubles matches to come away with the doubles point. The No. 2 doubles duo of Dylan Steffens and Urh Kranjc Domiter fell by a score of 8-2 to Albert Wagner and Chris Simich, and the No. 3 team of Muddappa Appanervanda and Rodrigo Oliveira were shut out, 8-0, by Louisville's Jeffrey Brown and Alex Gornet.
In No. 1 singles, Eisner fell in straight sets to Stiefelmeyer, 6-4 and 6-2, and Wilson fell to Wagner in the No. 2 position, 6-1, 6-1. Appanervanda was forced to retire from his match after going down 1-0 in the No. 3 singles slot and Torrellas played Gornet to a 6-3, 6-4 contest at the No. 4 position. Oliveira was not able to top Van Damrongsri at the No. 5 spot and fell by a score of 6-3, 6-2, and Dylan Steffens rounded out the action in the No. 6 position, falling to Luis Elizondo by a final of 6-6, 6-2.
The Redbirds return to action Thursday, March 13, when they travel to Mobile, Ala., for a match at South Alabama for the first of two back-to-back contests in the state. ISU will play the following day in Gulf Shores against another nationally-ranked opponent in No. 65 Buffalo.
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