WICHITA - The Shockers fell to the Illinois State Redbirds in epic fashion, as the decision came down to the third set of the final match to hand Wichita State its first Missouri Valley Conference loss of the season, 4-3.

Wichita State (10-8, 2-1) battled back from deficits three times to tie the match on Saturday, providing all of the drama to be expected when last two undefeated teams in the Missouri Valley Conference faced each other for what will likely be the rights to the regular-season title.

The pair of unbeatens put on a suspensful show in the fight for the doubles point. Freshman Matheus Pereira and sophomore David Cavalcanti gave the Shockers the edge when they defeated Filip Miljevic and Skip Span in the No. 3 match, 8-4.

In the meantime, WSU was working itself out of deficits on courts one and two. The freshman Shocker duo of Sven Kasper and Valentin Mihai took an early lead against Illinois State's No. 1, Michael Hobson and Alexander Paleaz but the Redbirds swung the momentum back to their side to grab the 8-5 win and leave the doubles decision to the No. 2 match.

After falling behind 7-4, juniors Adrian Chermaci and Vlad Marinescu executed well to cut the Redbird lead, 7-6, putting the doubles point within reach. Timon Reichelt and Matej Zlatkovic buckled down on the Shocks, however, and sealed the point with their 8-6 victory.

Down 1-0, Pereira went right to work for the Shockers. The Sao Paulo, Brazil native quickly downed Micah LeMoine in the No. 6 match, 6-1, 6-0 to bring his spring record to a team-leading 11-3. Now tied, the Redbirds took the lead again when Pelaez beat Mihai in straight sets at No. 3, 6-3, 6-1.

This time it was Cavalcanti who evened the score at 2-2 by taking the No. 5 match. He played the come-back game himself after falling behind in the second set against Span, but pulled away with the 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory. Kasper's loss at the top spot to Reichelt, 7-5, 6-2, made the remaining two matches must-win for the Shockers.

Juniors Chermaci and Marinescu were the two called upon, as each went into a third set to set up the dramatic finish. As their teammates went back and fourth from courts two and four, Marinescu tied the match with his over over Miljevic at the No. 2 spot to send the momentum back to Chermaci.

Illinois State's No. 4 man, Matej Zlatkovic stood in the way. After Chermaci won the first set, Zlatkovic took the next two to seal the match in the Redbirds' favor, 4-3.

Illinois State (12-7, 3-0) moves into sole possession of first place in the MVC with the victory. The Shockers will wrap up their weekend against the Bradley Braves on Sunday at the Sheldon Coleman Tennis Complex. First serve is set for 10 a.m.

Singles Results
1. Timon Reichelt (ILS) def. Sven Kasper (WSU), 7-5, 6-2
2. Vlad Marinescu (WSU) def. Filip Miljevic (ILS), 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
3. Alexander Pelaez (ILS) def. Valentin Mihai (WSU), 6-3, 6-1
4. Matej Zlatkovic (ILS) def. Adrian Chermaci (WSU), 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
5. David Cavalcanti (WSU) def. Skip Span (ILS), 6-3, 7-6 (4)
6. Matheus Pereira (WSu) def. Micah LeMoine (ILS), 6-1, 6-0

Order of Finish: 6, 3, 5, 1, 2, 4

Doubles Results
1. Hobson/Pelaez (ILS) def. Kasper/Mihai (WSU), 8-5
2. Reichelt/Zlatkovic (ILS) def. Chermaci/Marinescu (WSU), 8-6
3. Cavalcanti/Pereira (WSU) def. Miljevic/Span (ILS), 8-4

Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2

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-Wichita State-