April 27, 2008

Box Score

IOWA CITY, Iowa - The No. 15 Illinois men's tennis team had the 2008 Big Ten Tournament title in its hands with a late 3-2 lead against No. 2 Ohio State, but the Buckeyes rallied in the end to win the final two singles matches to earn their third straight conference title, 4-3, over Illinois at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex today. For the first time in seven tries, the Illini secured the doubles point and had a 1-0 lead after wins at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles, but two matches going to decisive third sets in singles were the deciders as the Illini fall to 18-8 overall, while the Buckeyes improved to 32-1.

"It is obviously a very disappointing loss for the Illini today," head coach Brad Dancer said. "I felt like this was the second time that we had the Buckeyes on the ropes and were just not able to put them away. It also is disappointing because I know how hard this team worked all week and season long to try and bring home a Big Ten title. They played great in doubles to start off with a lead and had some great fight in singles. However, a lot of credit goes to Ohio State. They came out and fought for every point and were just the better players today at some positions to get the win."

Illinois could not have started off on a better foot than they did today, as senior Ruben Gonzales and junior Marc Spicijaric (ILL) took down No. 19 Drew Eberly and Justin Kronauge (OSU), 8-4, on court two, before senior Brandon Davis and freshman Waylon Chin (ILL) clinched the team point with their victory at three over Matt Allare and Shuhei Uzawa (OSU), 8-5. The wins were the fourth and seventh straight, respectively, for the Illini tandems, which have really come into their own here at the end of the season.

Not even in Illinois' upset of the then-No. 3 Buckeyes in last season's NCAA quarterfinals did the Illini tally the doubles point, but they were able to break through today to give OSU their toughest match of the year. Illinois not only took a 1-0 lead into singles, but they had the knowledge that they had the Buckeyes rattled, as senior Ryan Rowe and sophomore Billy Heiser (ILL) were holding their own at No. 1 doubles too, tied at 7-all before it was abandoned.

From there the Illini were handed an early blow when Ohio State was able to steal a quick win at No. 1 singles, but the Illini were not out of it by any means. Heiser (ILL), with ease at No. 4, was able to give the Orange and Blue breathing room again, as he put UI up 2-1 with his win over Uzawa (OSU), 6-2, 6-3. Heiser has now won three straight after today's victory.

However, OSU was intent on taking this the match the distance as it again tied the contest when freshman Roy Kalmanovich (ILL) dropped his first match of the year at No. 5 singles, proving to be a turning point in the end.

Illinois got a boost from the back-end of its lineup when Chin (ILL) upended Eberly (OSU) on court six, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(4), for Chin's fourth straight singles win. That match was a marathon and could not have offered more drama and entertainment; as the youngster showed nerves of steal to give Illinois a 3-2 lead, its final of the afternoon.

From there, Ohio State began its push as they were in position to take the final two matches on court at Nos. 2 and 4 singles, with both showing leads for the Buckeyes on the scoreboard in decisive third frames.

Then, just as quick as it had come, the Illini saw the title slip away, as Gonzales (ILL) was unable to turn things around in his match in the second slot, while Spicijaric (ILL) was the final Orange and Blue netter to fall at No. 4 to give Ohio State the Big Ten Tournament title, and the match, 4-3.

"As a coach, I am taking away the knowledge that fans and I have still not seen just how good this team can play yet," Dancer said about the bright future Illinois has the rest of the season. "We are a different team with Roy, and even our lineup before that has still got some improvements that we can make that will make us a better team down the stretch. Right now, we will head back to Champaign, get back to working hard and will be prepared for NCAAs in two weeks."

Illinois now awaits its NCAA Tournament fate when team selections are announced on Tuesday, April 29, at 2 p.m. CT on ESPNews. Illinois is still in the running to host, while the Illini are also looking to see what their final seed will be heading into the 2008 NCAA Championships. Singles and doubles NCAA selections will be announced on Wednesday by 5 p.m. on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) site (www.itatennis.com), or the NCAA tennis web site (www.NCAAsports.com).

#2 OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY vs. #15 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINIOS
4/27/2008 AT IOWA CITY, IOWA (HAWKEYE TENNIS & RECREATION COMPLEX)
OHIO STATE 4 def. ILLINOIS 3

Singles competition
1. #17 Bryan Koniecko (OSU) def. #19 Ryan Rowe (ILL) - 6-4, 6-2
2. #22 Justin Kronauge (OSU) def. #48 Ruben Gonzales (ILL) - 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 6-4
3. #33 Steven Moneke (OSU) def. Marc Spicijaric (ILL) - 5-7, 6-1, 6-3
4. Billy Heiser (ILL) def. Shuhei Uzawa (OSU) - 6-2, 6-3
5. Balazs Novak (OSU) def. Roy Kalmanovich (ILL) - 6-3, 7-5
6. Waylon Chin (ILL) def. Drew Eberly (OSU) - 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4)

Doubles competition
1. #13 Steven Moneke / Bryan Koniecko (OSU) vs. #11 Billy Heiser / Ryan Rowe (ILL) - 7-7 UF
2. Ruben Gonzales / Marc Spicijaric (ILL) def. #19 Drew Eberly / Justin Kronauge (OSU) -8-4
3. Brandon Davis / Waylon Chin (ILL) def. Matt Allare / Shuhei Uzawa (OSU) -8-5

Match Notes:
University of Illinois: 18-8, 8-2 Big Ten; National Ranking #15
Ohio State University: 32-1, 10-0 Big Ten; National Ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3); Singles (1, 4, 5, 6, 2, 3)