OMAHA, Neb. – The eight-match road trip continues for Illinois State men's tennis as the Redbirds are back on the road as they head to Omaha, Nebraska to face the Creighton Bluejays Friday before getting back into Summit League play against Omaha on Saturday.
The Redbirds and Bluejays hold first serve at 12:30 p.m. CT from the Hanscom Tennis Courts Friday. Meanwhile, for the Summit League opponents, the action gets started at 2:00 p.m. CT Saturday from the Miracle Hill Tennis Center.
Illinois State comes into this week after seeing three straight losses, including a pair of 4-3 results, from the Battle at the Beach in Wilmington, N.C. last week.
In the latest action for the 'Birds, it was a nail-biting 4-3 defeat to DePaul that ended their trip down South on Sunday. After going back-and-forth in doubles, it was the Blue Demons gaining the early advantage as the action moved to singles. In singles, the sides traded leads as ISU went ahead 2-1 before DePaul responded to make it 3-2. From there, Emiliano Gonzales knotted the score at 3-3 as it all came down to no. 3 singles. In the lone match of the day to take three sets, DePaul's Krivokapic willed his way to a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 win to give DePaul the win.
This spring, Creighton has gone 9-3 (4-0 at home) this season and have not lost since Jan. 27 against North Dakota. In singles, Matthew Lanahan leads the way with 9 wins, while the tandem of Oscar Alvarez and Zachary Kuo are the leading doubles pair with 5 wins.
For the Mavericks of Omaha, Saturday will be their second straight Summit League match of the week as they welcome North Dakota to town on Friday before welcoming in ISU. The team has gone 9-7 this year (5-0 at home) including wins over DePaul and Georgetown.
Ryoma Mishiro and Hugo Piles Ballester are tied for the team lead in singles with 8 victories while Mishiro and Ethan Gaubert hold the most doubles wins this season with a record of 10-5.
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