University of Illinois
Pepperdine
Illinois Keeps On Rolling With 7-0 Win At Pepperdine
March 28, 2003 | Men's Tennis
March 28, 2003
The top-ranked Fighting Illini men's tennis team blanked No. 22 Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif., this afternoon and moved their season record to 16-0, despite having to play without their highest-ranked player. Junior Amer Delic, ranked No. 5, twisted an ankle in yesterday's practice, but Illinois didn't skip a beat.
The Illini scored the doubles point, despite dropping the No. 2 match. No. 28 Rajeev Ram and Brian Wilson won their match at No. 1 when the Waves' Calle Hansen retired after four games due to a wrist injury. The Illini duo beat Hansen and Diego Acuna, the ninth-ranked doubles team in the country, 4-0. Phil Stolt and Ryler DeHeart, ranked No. 36, clinched the point with their 8-6 win at No. 3 over Pepperdine's Kevin Borzenski and Alexis Rafidison. Two freshmen, Scott Doerner and Pedro Rico, were winners in the No. 2 match; they outdueled Illinois' Chris Martin and Michael Calkins, 8-6.
It was Stolt who moved Illinois' lead to 2-0 with his 6-4, 6-3 victory over Acuna on Court 2. Calkins stretched the Illini advantage with a 7-6, 6-1 decision over Doerner in the No. 4 match. UI freshman Pramod Dabir, playing in his home state of California, took advantage of his opportunity in the lineup (in the absence of Delic) by whipping Borzenski, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 in the No. 6 contest to clinch the victory for the Orange and Blue. The win was his 17th in a row; he is just one victory shy of Illinois' all-time longest singles streak (Graydon Oliver, 18, three years ago).
After Illinois' other freshman starter, Rajeev Ram, defeated Hansen, 6-4, 7-6, at No. 1, the visitors led, 5-0. The final two matches were decided in three sets. Martin and Wilson preserved the shutout with triumphs in the No. 5 and No. 3 matches, respectively. Martin's was a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 verdict over Rafidison, while Wilson's was a tight 7-6, 3-6, 7-5 affair with Rico.
"The conditions were very tough today," said UI Head Coach Craig Tiley. "With the high winds and Pepperdine's solid play, we had our hands full out there. They're a good team; they compete hard, and today they played very well. On the other hand, I didn't think any of our players performed particularly well. Still, it's nice to come out to California and win our first two outdoor matches against good teams (No. 5 California and No. 22 Pepperdine).
"Now we need to get ready for the rest of Big Ten play and for our match down at LSU," Tiley continued. We need to keep improving and to finish the season strong."
Illinois returns to campus to begin preparations for two matches next weekend; they travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on Ohio State in an Apr. 5 meeting before going on to State College, Pa., for an Apr. 6 appearance at Penn State.
No. 1 ILLINOIS 7 at No. 22 Pepperdine 0
SINGLES: 1. No. 14 Rajeev Ram (ILL) def. Calle Hansen (PEPP) 6-4, 7-6 2. No. 8 Phil Stolt (ILL) def. Diego Acuna (PEPP) 6-4, 6-3 3. No. 9 Brian Wilson (ILL) def. No. 57 Pedro Rico (PEPP) 7-6, 3-6, 7-5 4. No. 103 Michael Calkins (ILL) def. Scott Doerner (PEPP) 7-6, 6-1 5. Chris Martin (ILL) def. Alexis Rafidison (PEPP) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 6. Pramod Dabir (ILL) def. Kevin Borzenski (PEPP) 6-3, 6-7, 6-1DOUBLES: 1. No. 28 Brian Wilson/Rajeev Ram (ILL) def. No. 9 Diego Acuna/Calle Hansen (PEPP) 4-0 (ret.) 2. Scott Doerner/Pedro Rico (PEPP) def. Michael Calkins/Chris Martin (ILL) 8-6 3. No. 36 Ryler DeHeart/Phil Stolt (ILL) def. Kevin Borzenski/Alexis Rafidison (PEPP) 8-6
