WICHITA - The Wichita State men's tennis team finished the season ranked No. 8 in the Central region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Monday.

Strengthening his program, head coach Brad Louderback put his Shockers up against No. 21 Oklahoma, No. 54 Iowa, No. 12 UCLA and No. 35 Nebraska in less than a three-week stretch this spring. With a lineup featuring three freshman and a sophomore, the potent schedule introduced Louderback's young roster to high-caliber play from day one.

The Shocks took it in stride. Freshman Matheus Pereira and sophomore David Cavalcanti each earned spots on the Missouri Valley's All-Conference singles team after notching a combined 10-0 conference record. Redshirt freshman Sven Kasper and true freshman Valentin Mihai also earned All-Conference honors for their doubles work. The pair competed in the NCAA team tournament with its first national ITA ranking of the season, sitting at No. 86. The doubles tandem finished the season ranked No. 9 in the Central region.

After the regular-season champion Redbirds from Illinois State escaped with the victory during the regular season, the Shockers turned the tables in the MVC tournament to defeat the top seed, 4-1 and claim their first Valley title since 2004.

Together with the women's program for the first time in school history, the Shocker men traveled to Norman, Okla., for the OU Regional. The Shockers took on the No. 14 Texas Tech Red Raiders, falling to the Big 12 power house to end their season.