DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Wichita State men's tennis team's bid for a Missouri Valley Conference Championship was denied by undefeated and #51-ranked Drake Friday afternoon in Des Moines.
Drake grabbed the doubles point, and never looked back. The Bulldog duo of Dalibor Pavic and Maor Zirkin made quick work of WSU's Tiago Espirito Santo and Matt Teivans, cruising to an 8-2 win in the No. 1 match. Drake's Bokang Shetsogo and Ricardo Lau followed with an 8-3 win over WSU's Jonathan Obrist and Kevin Gardner in the No. 3 match.
The Shockers' only doubles match came in the No. 2 match, Albert Ballesta and Thiago Dos Santos defeated Drake's Mauricio Ballivian and Ivan Mendoza in a tie-break thriller, 8-7 (10-5).
Wichita State recieved a gift to start singles play, as Ricardo Lau retired from the No. 3 singles match and gave Thiago Dos Santos the Shockers' first doubles win, and evened the match at 1-1. The Bulldogs bit right back in the No. 1 match, as #73 Dalibor Pavic downed Tiago Espirito Santo in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. Drake's Maor Zirkin followed with a 6-2, 6-3 dispatching of Albert Ballesta in the No. 2 match, Ivan Mendoza defeated WSU's Matt Teivans in the No. 6 match, 6-2, 6-0 that secured the win for Drake.
With the match already decided, Adrian Chermaci defeated Drake's Bokang Shetshogo 6-4, 6-2 in the No. 5 match, but Drake countered in the No. 4 match as Mauricio Ballivan defeated Jonathan Obrist in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 10-5.
With the loss, the Shockers drop to 17-4 on the season, and 5-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Shockers will be the No. 2 seed in next weekend's State Farm Missouri Vallley Conference Tennis Championships in Omaha, Neb.
#51 Drake 5, Wichita State 2
SINGLES
1. #73 Pavic, Dalibor (DU) def. Tiago Espirito Santo (WSU) 6-2, 6-2
2. Zirkin, Maor (DU) def. Albert Ballesta (WSU) 6-2, 6-3
3. Thiago Dos Santos (WSU) def. Lau, Ricardo (DU) 6-0, 3-0, retired
4. Ballivian, Mauricio (DU) def. Jonathan Obrist (WSU) 6-3, 3-6, 10-5
5. Adrian Chermaci (WSU) def. Setshogo, Bokang (DU) 6-4, 6-2
6. Mendoza, Ivan (DU) def. Matt Tievans (WSU) 6-2, 6-0
DOUBLES
1. Pavic, Dalibor/Zirkin, Maor (DU) def. Matt Tievans/Tiago Espirito Santo (WSU) 8-2
2. Albert Ballesta/Thiago Dos Santos (WSU) def. Ballivian, Mauricio/Mendoza, Ivan (DU) 8-7 (10-5)
3. Setshogo, Bokang/Lau, Ricardo (DU) def. Jonathan Obrist/Kevin Gardner (WSU) 8-3
--Wichita State--
