March 25, 2003
Each time the Illinois men's tennis team has faced major tests this season, it has aced them. Today's showdown at No. 5 California was no exception. Coach Craig Tiley's Fighting Illini squad all but erased its reputation as being an indoor team when it defeated a strong Cal team, 6-1, in its first match played outside.
"It meant a lot to our players to prove that we are not just an indoor team," said Tiley. "Everyone did a very good job today. I had challenged them to be competitive from the start, and they were. They stepped up to the challenge of playing outdoors on the home court of a very strong team. This was a great match for us. The weather conditions were perfect, California has an excellent team, and they had a big crowd."
The Illini captured the doubles point on the strength of victories at Nos. 1 and 2. No. 5 Michael Calkins and Amer Delic sailed to an 8-2 win in the No. 2 skirmish over Cal's Or Dekel and Patrick Briaud, who were playing together for the first time. Brian Wilson and Rajeev Ram, ranked No. 28, broke Steve Berke's service to go on top 6-4, then went on to beat Berke and Robert Kowalczyk, 8-5, at No. 2 to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. In the No. 3 match, Chris Martin and Phil Stolt took a 4-1 lead, but the Bears' Mik Ledvonova and Conor Niland managed to tie the match at 5 and again at 8 before prevailing, 9-8.
Ram, ranked No. 14, advanced Illinois' lead to 2-0 with his 6-2, 6-2 win in the No. 2 singles match over All-American John Paul Fruttero, who was playing in his first contest since a January wrist surgery. The win moved Ram's record as a collegian to 14-0. No. 103 Calkins broke a 4-4 tie in the first set and moved on to a hard-fought 6-3, 6-4 victory, his 12th in a row, at No. 5 over Steve Berke to extend the Orange and Blue advantage to 3-0.
It was eighth-ranked Phil Stolt who provided the Illini with their match-clinching win. Down, 5-3, to Niland, the No. 38 player in the nation, Stolt rallied for a pair of service breaks to claim the first set, 7-5, then coasted to a 6-2 verdict in the second. Stolt's win was his 11th in succession. The No. 9 Wilson and the No. 41 Kowalczyk were engaged in a knock-down, drag-out battle on Court 4, with the score knotted at five in the third set, when the UI junior took the last two games for a 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 triumph, his ninth in a row.
"It's harder to serve outside," said Wilson, "but I thought we adjusted well. "We had a couple of outdoor practices back on campus, and a couple since we arrived here in California, but that's been about it. Several of our matches were close, but for the most part, we were able to play some good tennis."
California avoided the shutout when Ledvonova won a third-set super-tiebreaker over Illinois' 74th-ranked Ryler DeHeart in the No. 6 tilt; the score was 7-5, 4-6, 1-0.
With the 6-1 margin, Illinois (15-0) has outscored its opponents, 90-5, in dual matches this season. The Fighting Illini head south along the coast tomorrow and will prepare for Friday's match at No. 42 Pepperdine.
"The guys were clearly ready to play today, and it was great to have (UI Director of Athletics) Ron Guenther and some of the I-Fund people with us," said Wilson. "Now our challenge is to focus on Pepperdine. They're a very good team, and I'm sure Craig and (Associate Head Coach) Bruce (Berque) will prepare us well."
No. 1 ILLINOIS 6, at No. 5 California 1
SINGLES:
1. No. 8 Phil Stolt (ILL) def. No. 38 Conor Niland (CAL) 7-5, 6-2 *
2. No. 14 Rajeev Ram (ILL) def. John Paul Fruttero (CAL) 6-2, 6-2
3. No. 5 Amer Delic (ILL) def. Or Dekel (CAL) 6-3, 7-6
4. No. 9 Brian Wilson (ILL) def. No. 41 Robert Kowalczyk (CAL) 6-1, 3-6, 7-5
5. No. 103 Michael Calkins (ILL) def. Steve Berke (CAL) 6-3, 6-4
6. Mik Ledvonova (CAL) def. No. 74 Ryler DeHeart (ILL) 7-5, 4-6, 1-0
DOUBLES:
1. No. 28 Brian Wilson/Rajeev Ram (ILL) def. Steve Berke (CAL) 8-5
2. No. 5 Amer Delic/Michael Calkins (ILL) def. Patrick Briaud/Or Dekel (CAL) 8-2
3. Mik Ledvonova/Conor Niland (CAL) def. Chris Martin/Phil Stolt (ILL) 9-8
* match-clinching win
