University of Illinois
Nebraska
No. 7 Illini Sweep Singles Play for 6-1 Victory Against Nebraska
April 1, 2018 | Men's Tennis
LINCOLN, Neb. – The No. 7 Fighting Illini men's tennis team defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 6-1, on Sunday afternoon at the Dillon Tennis Center. The Illini extended their winning streak to four matches with an overall record of 14-5 on the season and 5-0 mark in Big Ten play.
After dropping the doubles point, the Illini swept singles play to earn the victory. Freshman Alex Brown was first off the court with a 6-2, 6-4 win at the No. 2 position. Sophomore Aleks Kovacevic produced a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Micah Klousia. Fellow-sophomore Zeke Clark defeated Isaac Nortney, 6-1, 6-3 on court five. At the No. 1 position, senior Aleks Vukic clinched his first match of the season with a three-set, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 win against Toby Boyer.
Illinois returns to the Atkins Tennis Center next weekend to host a pair of Big Ten opponents. The Illini will face the No. 11 Michigan Wolverines on Saturday at noon and then the Michigan State Spartans on Sunday at the same time.
Illini Notes
- Illinois improves to 7-0 all-time against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
- Clark extended his singles winning streak to five matches.
- Kovacevic has won four-straight singles matches.
- Vukic clinched his first match of the season.
Illini Quotes
"It is definitely good to pick up two conference road wins this weekend. Have said that, we lost some of our doubles mojo. When I look at where we are as a team, this is not what we are capable of. I saw great leadership today by Zeke Clark, Alex Brown and Aleks Kovacevic and our seniors were able to dial it in when necessary. Aron Hiltzik and Aleks Vukic play a huge role on this team and getting them healthy and playing at full speed will help us going forward." – head coach Brad Dancer
Final Results
#7 Illinois 6, Nebraska 1
Doubles-Order of Finish: 1, 3*
- Boyer/Erhart (Nebraska) def. #46 Hiltzik/Vukic (Illinois) 6-3
- Clark/Kovacevic (Illinois) vs. Bednarczyk/Dean (Nebraska) 5-5, unf.
- Smith/Klousia (Nebraska) def. Brown/Budic (Illinois) 7-5
Singles-Order of Finish: 2, 4, 5, 1*, 3, 6
- #20 Aleks Vukic (Illinois) def. Toby Boyer (Nebraska) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
- #59 Alex Brown (Illinois) def. Linus Erhart (Nebraska) 6-2, 6-4
- #103 Aron Hiltzik (Illinois) def. #100 Dylan Bednarczyk (Nebraska) 6-2, 6-4
- Aleks Kovacevic (Illinois) def. Micah Klousia (Nebraska) 6-3, 6-2
- Zeke Clark (Illinois) def. Isaac Nortney (Nebraska) 6-1, 6-3
- Vuk Budic (Illinois) def. William Grattan-Smith (Nebraska) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
Records: Illinois (14-5, 5-0) | Nebraska (9-8, 0-5)
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