April 15, 2007
Results
COLUMBUS, Ohio ­- The No.9 Illinois men's tennis team was handed a hard loss at the hands of No. 3 Ohio State today at the Jesse Owens West Tennis Center, falling 7-0 on the road. Despite tough and hard-fought battles from each of the Illini in the lineup, the Buckeyes had the last word as junior Brandon Davis was the lone Orange and Blue netter to take a set from his OSU opponent.
"Going on the road suffering this type of loss is not enjoyable for anyone," head coach Brad Dancer said. "Ohio State is good team and definitely beat us up today."
With the loss, Illinois dropped to 14-7 overall and 6-2 in conference action, while Ohio State improved to 22-1 and 8-0 in league affairs. With the victory, Ohio State has almost sealed a share of the conference crown with only two conference matches remaining on their schedule.
From the first serve in doubles, Ohio State took command of the match as it swept the doubles portion of the day, ending the defending doubles champions Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe's 11-match win streak in the process. Ranked 10th in the country, Anderson and Rowe kept the contest tight from start to end, but Devin Mullings and Chris Klingemann (OSU), ranked 22nd, pulled away in the end to steal an 8-5 upset.
In singles, the Illini fortunes would not get any better, as OSU notched straight set victories at Nos. 3-4 singles to take a 3-0 lead and move just one match away from the win.
Dealing the final blow to end any chance of an Illini comeback, Rowe dropped a close 6-3, 6-4 match to No. 7 ranked Steven Moneke (OSU).
Junior Brandon Davis was the lone bright spot in the loss, as he fought to a second-set victory over Drew Eberly of Ohio State, 6-3, after dropping the first, 6-2. With the dual already decided, the two would decide the victory in a match tiebreak, where Eberly squeaked out a close 10-7 victory to clinch the match win and put the final touches on a 7-0 victory for Ohio State.
Illinois returns home for its final two matches of the regular season, welcoming Minnesota on Saturday, April 21, while closing the Big Ten regular season with Iowa on Sunday, April 22. Both matches are set for noon starts at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Ill.
-ILLINI-
Tennis Match Results
Columbus, Ohio
Jesse Owens West Tennis Center
4/15/07
#3 Ohio State 7, #9 Illinois 0
Singles
1. #34 Devin Mullings (OSU) def. #5 Kevin Anderson (ILL) 6-3, 7-5
2. #7 Steven Moneke (OSU) def. #15 Ryan Rowe (ILL) 6-3, 6-4
3. #25 Bryan Koniecko (OSU) def. Ruben Gonzales (ILL) 6-3, 6-0
4. Justin Kronauge (OSU) def. Marc Spicijaric (ILL) 7-5, 6-4
5. #75 Chris Klingemann (OSU) def. GD Jones (ILL) 4-3, retired
6. Drew Eberly (OSU) def. Brandon Davis (ILL) 6-2, 3-6 (10-7)
Doubles
1. #22 Devin Mullings/Chris Klingemann (OSU) def. #10 Kevin Anderson/Ryan Rowe (ILL) 8-5
2. #31 Drew Eberly/Justin Kronauge (OSU) def. Marc Spicijaric/GD Jones (ILL) 8-5
3. Steven Moneke/Bryan Koniecko (OSU) def. Ruben Gonzales/Brandon Davis (ILL) 8-6
Match Notes:
Order of Finish: Doubles (2, 3, 1); Singles (3, 4, 2, 5, 1, 6)
