March 31, 2009
Box Score
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -The 12th-ranked Illinois men's tennis team snapped a two-match losing streak with a convincing 6-1 win over the No. 43-ranked Indiana Hoosiers this afternoon at the IU Tennis Complex in Bloomington, Ind. The Illini started off strong sweeping all three doubles matches for an early 1-0 lead. The Orange and Blue maintained the momentum in singles notching five wins to secure the conference victory.
"Obviously, we refigured the lineup today and Waylon (Chin) and Abe (Souza) made the most of their opportunities and that's what we need to see," Illinois head coach Brad Dancer said. "Marek (Czerwinski) was a strong leader for us in doubles and singles and to get a Big Ten road victory is a good thing, but we've got a tough road ahead with two more conference matches away this weekend."
With the win the Illini improve to 14-5 overall and 4-0 in the Big Ten, while the Hoosiers drop to 11-9, 3-1.
In doubles, Czerwinski and partner Marc Spicijaric showed their veteran leadership at the No. 1 slot for Illinois this afternoon. The Illini duo, currently ranked No. 49 in the country, swiftly defeated Indiana's Santiago Gruter and Jeremy Langer, 8-3. Senior Brian Livingston and sophomore Waylon Chin teamed up at No. 3 doubles, taking an 8-4 win over the Hoosiers' Peter Anton and Will Kendall to secure the doubles point for Illinois. The No. 18-ranked Illinois tandem of freshmen Dennis Nevolo and Ruan Roelofse put the polishing touches on the doubles sweep, notching an 8-4 victory on court two.
After the break, the Hoosiers got on the board with a victory at No. 3 singles. However, the Illini focused and finished singles with wins on the five remaining courts. Chin got the ball rolling at No. 5 singles for the Orange and Blue. The Boca Raton, Fla., native tallied a straight sets win over Guy Kubi (IND), 7-5, 6-3. Souza struck next at No. 6 singles, notching a 6-2, 6-4 victory over the Hoosiers' Will Kendall.
Czerwinski solidified the win for Illinois, battling through a grueling three-set match against Indiana's Maxime Armengaud, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Spicijaric, ranked No. 79 in the latest Campbell's Soup ITA polls, knocked off the Hoosier's Santiago Gruter (IND), 7-6 (6), 6-2, at No. 2 singles.
At No. 1 singles, No. 39-ranked Dennis Nevolo wrapped up the Illini win with a 6-3, 7-6 (6), straight sets victory over No. 85-ranked Lachlan Ferguson (IND).
Up next, the Illini continue their tough road swing as they travel to Big Ten foes Iowa on April 3 and Minnesota on April 5. Both matches are set for 12 p.m. starts.
Match Results
#12 Illinois 6, #43 Indiana 1
3/31/2009
Singles competition
1. #39 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. #85 Lachlan Ferguson (IND) 6-3, 7-6 (8-6)
2. #79 Marc Spicijaric (ILL) def. Santiago Gruter (IND) 7-6 (8-6), 6-2
3. Jeremy Langer (IND) def. #42 Roy Kalmanovich (ILL) 6-3, 6-4
4. Marek Czerwinski (ILL) def. Maxime Armengaud (IND) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
5. Waylon Chin (ILL) def. Guy Kubi (IND) 7-5, 6-3
6. Abe Souza (ILL) def. Will Kendall (IND) 6-2, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. #49 Marek Czerwinski/Marc Spicijaric (ILL) def. Santiago Gruter/Jeremy Langer (IND) 8-3
2. #18 Dennis Nevolo/Ruan Roelofse (ILL) def. Lachlan Ferguson/Stephen Vogl (IND) 8-4
3. Waylon Chin/Brian Livingston (ILL) def. Peter Antons/Will Kendall (IND) 8-4
Match Notes:
Illinois 14-5 (4-0); National ranking #12
Indiana 11-9 (3-1); National ranking #43
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (3,5,6,4,2,1)
