April 9, 2006

URBANA, Ill. - The No. 7 Illinois men's tennis program extended its weekend home conference play to 2-0 on Sunday against the No. 35 Michigan Wolverines. The Illini boosted its season record to 15-5 and its conference record to 5-1 after defeating Michigan 6-1 in their second of two home matches this weekend. With the loss, Michigan fell to 11-9 on the season with their conference record dropping to 5-3.

Illinois coach Brad Dancer said of his team's play, "Overall, today's win was a team effort. Kevin Anderson and Brandon Davis were big difference makers today even though they didn't play. Their spirit on the sidelines helped motivate the rest of the team. The team rallied around one another and I am proud of our guys."

The Illini jumped out to an early 1-0 advantage after taking two of the three doubles matches from Michigan. The Illini's 17th ranked tandem of seniors Ryler DeHeart and Pramod Dabir defeated the Wolverines' duo of Ryan Heller and Andrew Mazlin by a score of 8-6. The victory extends DeHeart and Dabir's overall season record to a flawless 4-0.

The Orange and Blue's team of Ryan Rowe and Ruben Gonzales fell to No. 11 Matko Maravic and Brian Hung, 8-4. With the doubles point up for grabs, Illinois' GD Jones and Marc Spicijaric muscled an 8-6 win over Michigan's Peter Aarts and Scott Bruckman. The strength of Jones and Spicijaric was tested as the duo, up 7-6, secured the win and the doubles point after winning a back-and-forth deuce point.

Still recovering from a minor aggravation, Kevin Anderson sat out of Sunday's contest. The last minute scratch forced Coach Dancer to shuffle his singles lineup. Anderson was replaced by No. 20 Rowe at the third position. The move allowed Dabir to take over at the No. 6 slot.

The decision to sit No. 3 DeHeart yesterday against Michigan State proved beneficial as the well-rested DeHeart made quick work of No. 44 Maravic. DeHeart prevailed over Maravic in a straight-set 6-2, 6-0 victory. With the win, DeHeart's season record improved to 29-5 with 13 of his victories this season coming against ranked opponents. Michigan's Aarts cut the Illinois lead to one after defeating Illini senior Dabir 6-4, 6-4. However, Illinois quickly regained its two-point lead with a 6-4, 6-4 victory coming from Spicijaric over Michigan junior Steve Peretz. With the win, Spicijaric improved his dual-match record this season to an impressive 12-1.

Up 3-1, Illinois secured the win over the Maize and Blue at the hands of Gonzales. Taking yesterday's momentum into today's match, Gonzales defeated Mazlin 6-2, 7-5 in straight-set fashion. The win marks his 20th for the season as his conference dual-match record improved to 4-1. The Orange and Blue continued to dominate the Wolverines as No. 64 Jones and No. 60 Rowe both beat their opponents in three-set matches. While Jones was unable to win the first set, his perseverance propelled him to a 5-7, 7-6(7), 10-4 victory over Hung. Likewise, Rowe dropped his first set to Michigan's Heller but was able to defeat his opponent by a final score of 6(5)-7, 6-4, 7-6(3). With the wins, Jones' and Rowe's record improved to 11-5 and 25-4 respectively.

Up Next: Illinois will travel to Lexington, Ky. to take on the No. 21 Kentucky Wildcats on Wednesday, April 12, 2006. The match is set to begin at 5:00 p.m. (CST) at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.

No. 7 Illinois 6, No. 35 Michigan 1
Atkins Tennis Center
Urbana, Ill

Singles
1.No. 3 Ryler DeHeart (ILL) def. No. 44 Matko Maravic (MICH);6-2, 6-0
2.No. 64 GD Jones (ILL) def. Brian Hung (MICH); 5-7, 7-6(7), 10-4
3.No. 60 Ryan Rowe ( ILL) def. Ryan Heller (MICH);6(5)-7, 6-4, 7-6(3)
4.Ruben Gonzales (ILL) def. Andrew Mazlin (MICH);6-2, 7-5
5.Marc Spicijaric (ILL) def. Steve Peretz (MICH);6-4, 6-4
6.Peter Aarts (MICH) def. Pramod Dabir ( ILL);6-4, 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 6, 5, 4, 2, 3

Doubles
1.No. 11 Matko Maravic/Brian Hung (MICH) def. Gonzales/Rowe (ILL);8-4
2.DeHeart/Dabir ( ILL) def. Ryan Heller/Andrew Mazlin (MICH);8-6
3.Jones/Spicijaric ( ILL) def. Peter Aarts/Scott Bruckman (MICH);8-6
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3