March 11, 2001
The Illinois men's tennis team didn't have much time to make its transition to outdoor play, but the squad opened it's three-match swing through California on a high note by winning, 4-3, at No. 23 Fresno State.
Coach Craig Tiley's 12th-ranked Fighting Illini opened the match by taking the doubles point, thanks to victories by eighth-ranked Graydon Oliver and Amer Delic at No.1 and by Michael Calkins and Jamal Parker over 29th-ranked Sean Cooper and Nick Fustar.
Illinois benefited by strong performances from the middle of its lineup. Delic won his second singles match in a row after suffering eight consecutive losses, he beat Fustar, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 3. Mike Kosta came from behind to take a 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 decision against FSU's David Mullins at No. 4. Calkins took Alex Menichini, 6-3, 6-4, at No. 5. As things turned out, Kosta's was the clinching victory. Oliver (1), Phil Stolt (2) and Nathan Zeder (6) lost their matches after Illinois had sewn up the win as a team.
The Illini triumph was significant for several reasons. It was only the Bulldogs' fourth loss against 34 wins at their home, the Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center. It also served notice that Illinois will be a force to be reckoned with outdoors as well as indoors, and even when the most experienced players aren't able to win.
"I'm very pleased with today's victory," said Tiley. "With such a limited time (just a day or two) to prepare to make the transition from playing indoors to playing outdoors, and with the trip to the West Coast, it's not easy to win, particularly when you're facing a dangerous Top-25 team like Fresno State.
"All of our players had their moments, but we still haven't had a match yet this season when all of our players played very well," said Tiley. "But when they do, we're going to be very hard to beat."
The Fighting Illini (7-4) continue southward along the West Coast with a stop at No. 10 Pepperdine in Malibu on Tuesday. They'll wrap up their trop at No. 21 Southern California in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Today's Illinois Results:
Singles
1. No. 35 Peter Luczak (FSU) def. No. 18 Graydon Oliver (ILL) 6-7, 7-5, 6-3
2. Sean Cooper def. No. 40 Philip Stolt 6-2, 7-6 (6-2)
3. Amer Delic (ILL) def. Nick Fustar 6-4, 6-2
4. Mike Kosta (ILL) def. David Mullins 1-6, 6-1, 6-2
5. Michael Calkins (ILL) def. Alex Menichini 6-3, 6-4
6. Alex Krohn def. Nathan Zeder 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
Doubles
1. No. 8 Graydon Oliver/Amer Delic def. Peter Luczak/David Mullins 8-5
2. Michael Calkins/Jamal Parker def. No. 29 Cooper/Nick Fustar 8-6
3. Mike Kosta/Phil Stolt (ILL) vs. Alex Krohn and Alex Menichini susp.
