OMAHA, Neb. ? Both Wichita State tennis teams fell in the championship matches of the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championships. The Shocker men dropped a 4-0 decision to Drake, while the Shocker women came up short in a hard-fought, 4-3 loss to Indiana State.
WOMEN ? No. 75 Indiana State 4, No. 72 Wichita State 3
The Shockers rallied to earn the doubles point, claiming the early advantage by taking two of three matches from Indiana State. Florentina Hanisch and Torrie Browning dropped the No. 3 match, 8-4, to Sarah Meghoufel and Fadzai Masiyazi, but the Shockers rallied to take the two remaining matches, and the doubles point. Anna Egorova and Lenore Lazaroiu won the No. 2 match with a 8-4 decision over Marie Caujolle and Valeriia Petrovych, while Stephanie Dalmacio and Laryssa Ferreira followed with an 8-4 win of their own over Jennifer Migan and Joanne Schickerling.
Indiana State fired back in singles play, wasting no time in winning the No. 2 match, as Sarah Meghoufel defeated Florentina Hanisch, 6-2, 6-0 to even the match at 1-1.
Complete singles details will be added soon.
MEN ? No. 50 Drake 4, Wichita State 0
Drake made quick work of WSU in the championship match of the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, downing the Shockers 4-0 to claim the Valley title.
Drake made its opening statement in doubles competition, winning the doubles point in a sweep. The Bulldogs won the No. 1 match 8-0, and followed with a win at No. 3 when Kevin Gardner and Jonathan Obrist dropped an 8-5 decision to Mauricio Ballivian and Ivan Mendoza.
The No. 2 match between WSU's Thiago Dos Santos and Albert Ballesta and Drake's Ricardo Lau and Bokang Setshogo was unfinished, with Drake leading 7-6.
The Bulldogs kept the sweep alive in singles play. Indiana State's Ivan Mendoza gave the Sycamores a 2-0 advantage with a 6-0, 6-0 win over WSU's Matt Teivans in the No. 6 match. Maor Zirkin followed, dispatching of WSU's Albert Ballesta 6-1, 6-1 in the No. 2 match, while Bokang Setshogo won the match for Drake with a 6-2, 6-0 win over WSU's Jonathan Obrist.
With the Valley title already decided, the No. 1, No. 3, and No. 5 matches remained unfinished.
The Shockers finish their season with an overall record of 19-5, and will bid farewell to four seniors, as Tiago Espirito Santo, Thiago Dos Santos, Albert Ballesta, and Kevin Gardner are slated to graduate in May.
--Wichita State--
