BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Wichita State fell to No. 39 Drake 4-0 on Sunday during the MVC Team Championship Final at the Evergreen Racquet Club in Bloomington. The Shockers fell to 18-9 on the year while the Bulldogs improved to 22-5. No. 39 Drake also earned the MVC's automatic NCAA Tournament bid due to winning the MVC Team Championship Final.
Doubles play began with a No. 84 Robin Goodman/Ben Lott 8-5 victory over Tomislav Gregurovic/Tin Ostojic at No. 1 doubles. The Shockers tied the doubles portion at one win apiece after Guillermo Nicol/Guillermo de Vilchez took down Alen Salibasic/Ben Mullis 8-5 at No. 2 doubles.
The Bulldogs clinched the doubles point and took the 1-0 lead after Matt Frost/Ravi Patel won 8-7 at No. 3 doubles against Ibian Hodgson/Jocelyn Devilliers.
Singles play began when Mulls defeated Hodgson 6-0, 6-1 at No. 6 singles to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage. Patel won 6-3, 6-1 against Devilliers at No. 5 singles to push the No. 39 Drake lead to 3-0.
Goodman clinched the MVC Team Championship for the Bulldogs when he earned a 6-3, 6-2 win over Nicol at No. 3 singles.
Shocker men's tennis head coach Brad Louderback was proud of his team in many ways.
“Ilija Cuic came through this year and established himself as one of the best players in the conference this year,” Louderback said. “To turn around and not have him was going to make things very tough for us and it did. Everyone on the team rallied and played hard. Everyone picked it up a notch and I couldn't be any more proud.
“Every Shocker would be proud of the way we fought and the way we fought for Wichita State today. It's tough to fall short when we believed we were going to win and that's what carried us this far. Anytime we fight that hard and finish second, it hurts because we put everything on the line. We played with a lot of class and fought hard.”
The Shockers finished the year at 18-9 and went 3-1 in the MVC. WSU's highest national ranking of the season was No. 63 in the nation. Overall in singles play, the team combined to go 103-66 and was 79-42 in the spring.
Ostojic led the way in singles victories with 22 while Gregurovic had 19 wins and Cuic had 18. Ostojic also had the most victories in one flight, as he had 13 wins out of No. 2 singles. Cuic and Ostojic were named to the 2014 MVC Men's Tennis All-Conference All-Select Team after posting strong seasons in singles play.
In doubles, Wichita State finished at 47-33 overall and was 39-27 in the spring. Nicol/de Vilchez and Gregurovic/Ostojic led the way with 12 doubles wins apiece while Cuic/Devilliers had ten wins. Gregurovic/Ostojic had the most wins out of one flight, as they were 12-9 out of No. 1 doubles.
-WICHITA STATE-
#39 Drake 4, Wichita State 0
Singles competition
1. #71 Salibasic, Alen (DU) vs. Tin Ostojic (WSUM) 7-5, 1-1, unfinished
2. Lott, Ben (DU) vs. Tomislav Gregurovic (WSUM) 4-6, 6-1, unfinished
3. Goodman, Robin (DU) def. Guillermo Nicol (WSUM) 6-3, 6-2
4. Frost, Matt (DU) vs. Guillermo de Vilchez (WSUM) 6-3, 5-3, unfinished
5. Patel, Ravi (DU) def. Jocelyn Devilliers (WSUM) 6-3, 6-1
6. Mullis, Ben (DU) def. Ibian Hodgson (WSUM) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #84 Goodman, Robin/Lott, Ben (DU) def. Tomislav Gregurovic/Tin Ostojic (WSUM) 8-5
2. Guillermo Nicol/Guillermo de Vilchez (WSUM) def. Salibasic, Alen/Mullis, Ben (DU) 8-5
3. Frost, Matt/Patel, Ravi (DU) def. Ibian Hodgson/Jocelyn Devilliers (WSUM) 8-7
Match Notes:
Wichita State 18-8 (3-1 MVC)
Drake 21-5 (4-0 MVC); National ranking #39
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (6,5,3)
Missouri Valley Conference Team Tennis Championship (title match)
