Box Score
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Illinois men's tennis team earned a sweep of the Michigan State Spartans, 7-0 on Sunday afternoon. With the win, head coach Brad Dancer won his 100th Big Ten dual match. The Illini improve to 14-9 overall this season and 7-2 in Big Ten competition.
The Illini grabbed the doubles point on Sunday afternoon. Freshmen Zeke Clark and Aleks Kovacevic were first off the court with a 6-2 win over Francken and Koenen. Fellow-freshman Gui Gomes and redshirt-senior Alex Jesse clinched the point for the Orange and Blue at the No. 1 position as they defeated Dube and Harvey, 6-3.
In singles action, Clark was first off the court with a 6-3, 6-0 victory on court five against Billy Shisler. Freshman Noe Khlif was next to complete his match as he defeated Evan Rakic, 6-0, 6-2. Budic clinched the victory for the Orange and Blue with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Alexander Kim on court six.
The remaining singles matches played out. Junior Aron Hiltzik defeated Brett Forman, 6-3, 6-1 at the No. 1 position. Gomes topped Dube on two, 6-4, 6-2. Kovacevic completed the Illinois sweep with a 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-6) win on three.
Up next, Illinois will complete the 2017 regular season from the friendly confines of the Atkins Tennis Center. The Illini will host the Penn State Nittany Lions on Friday at 3 p.m. CT. UI will then celebrate Senior Day on Sunday at 12 p.m. CT as Illinois takes on Ohio State.
Head Coach Brad Dancer's Thoughts
"Again, another Big Ten road win, which is never easy to come by. The team again wants to thank all of the supporters that came out and made the weekend feel like a home event. The web of the Illini Family makes playing for Illinois feel really special no matter where we are. Today was another time this season that we were able to play five freshmen in singles, and we're really starting to see growth from those guys. Next weekend brings about more opportunities for us to continue to grow from where we are on this season. Thank you again to all of our supporters."
Final Results
Illinois 7, Michigan State 0
Doubles-Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2*
- Jesse/Gomes (Illinois) def. Dube/Harvey (MSU) 6-3
- Budic/Vukic (Illinois) def. Forman/Shisler (MSU) , unf.
- Kovacevic/Clark (Illinois) def. Francken/Koenen (MSU) 6-2
Singles-Order of Finish: 5, 4, 6, 1, 2, 3
- #31 Aron Hiltzik (Illinois) def. Brett Forman (MSU) 6-3, 6-1
- Gui Gomes (Illinois) def. Michael Dube (MSU) 6-4, 6-2
- Aleks Kovacevic (Illinois) def. Jasper Koenen (MSU) 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-6)
- Noe Khlif (Illinois) def. Evan Rakic (MSU) 6-0, 6-2
- Zeke Clark (Illinois) def. Billy Shisler (MSU) 6-3, 6-0
- Vuk Budic (Illinois) def. Alexander Kim (MSU) 6-1, 6-4
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