Feb. 1, 2008

Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. - The 2007 NCAA Finalist No. 8 Illinois men's tennis team battled against No. 15 Duke and came up victorious 4-3 on Friday night. The match came down to a third set tiebreaker on court six with senior Brandon Davis facing off against Alex Stone. Davis won the first set 7-6, then dropped the second set 3-6. With the match on the line, Davis pulled through and clinched the victory for the Orange and Blue with a 7-6 (4) tiebreak decision to put the Illini up 4-3.

"Tonight was a great rebound for Brandon," head coach Brad Dancer said. "After last week, it was great to see Brandon come out and finish it off tonight and seal the victory for us. Our overall performance was not at the level of when we played Virginia, but we were pleased to get out of there with a win."

The Illini started the night off strong, claiming the doubles point for the third straight match this season. Playing at No.1 doubles, the No. 36 ranked tandem of senior Ryan Rowe and sophomore Billy Heiser quickly polished off the Blue Devils duo of David Goulet and Christopher Price, 8-6. On doubles court two, seniors Brandon Davis and Ruben Gonzales battled their way to a 9-8 triumph over Reid Carleton and Kiril Dimitrov to clinch the doubles point for the Orange and Blue. Finishing out doubles action, on court three, freshman Waylon Chin and junior Marc Spicijaric fought hard but could not overcome the Blue Devil duo of Dylan Arnould and Alex Stone, falling 9-8.

"Ruben and Brandon led the charge of the team and gave us the emotional energy that we needed tonight," Dancer said. "Tennessee is a tough team and they will be a strong test for us on Sunday."

In singles, No. 15 ranked senior Ryan Rowe fell to David Goulet in straight sets 6-2, 6-3. Things did not get easier for the Illini as Duke took a 2-1 advantage when junior Marc Spicijaric (Ill.) fell to Dylan Arnould (Duke), 6-3, 6-4.

Rebounding for the Illini, senior Ruben Gonzales playing at No. 1 singles, finished off Kiril Dimitrov in three sets, 6-1, 6(5)-7, 6-1. Gonzales, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week is now 3-0 in dual action this season.

At No. 3 singles, No. 70 sophomore Billy Heiser dominated the first set 6-3 over Reid Carlton, but could not rally dropping the second and third sets 4-6, 4-6. Freshman Waylon Chin evened the score 3-3 with his victory over Jared Pinsky on court five. Chin lost the first set 4-6, but battled back in the next two sets 7-6, 6-3.

With Davis' clinching victory on court six the Illini improved to 2-1 on the season.

The Orange and Blue now travel to face No. 24 Tennessee on Feb. 3. First serve is set for 11 a.m. CT, Noon local time. Livestats can be found by clicking on the link on the fightingillini.com homepage. A full recap and results can be found at fightingillini.com at the conclusion of the match.

No. 8 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 4, No. 15 DUKE UNIVERSITY 3
2/1/2008 AT DURHAM, N.C. (Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center)

Singles competition
1. Ruben Gonzales (ILL.) def. Kiril Dimitrov - 6-1, 6(5)-7, 6-1
2. David Goulet (DUKE) def. #15 Ryan Rowe (ILL) - 6-2, 6-3
3. Reid Carlton (DUKE) def. # 70 Billy Heiser (ILL) - 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
4. Dylan Arnould (DUKE) def. Marc Spicijaric (ILL) - 6-3, 6-4
5. Waylon Chin (ILL.) def. Jared Pinsky (DUKE) - 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3
6. Brandon Davis (ILL.) def. Alex Stone (DUKE) - 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (4)

Doubles competition
1. #36 Ryan Rowe / Billy Heiser (ILL) def. David Goulet/Christopher Price (DUKE) - 8-6
2. Brandon Davis / Ruben Gonzales (ILL.) def. Reid Carleton/Kiril Dimitrov (DUKE) - 9-8(4)
3. Dylan Arnould/Alex Stone (Duke) def. Waylon Chin / Marc Spicijaric (ILL) - 9-8(4)

Match Notes University of Illinois 2-1, 0-0 Big Ten
Duke University, 2-1, 0-0 ACC
Order of finish: Doubles (1, 2, 3); Singles (2, 4, 1, 3, 5, 6)