Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's Tennis preps for Chicagoland swing
02/22/2010 | 12:00:00 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 22, 2010
www.SIUSalukis.com
MATCH INFORMATION
Date(s): February 27-28
Location: Hinsdale, Ill.; Rockford, Ill.
Site(s): Hinsdale Racquet Club; The Clock Tower Racquet Club
Head Coaches: Dann Nelson (72-54 overall; 54-40 at SIU); Hans Neufeld (84-83 overall and at UIC); Patrick Fisher (16-36 overall, 2-6 at NIU) - Division I records only
Saluki Assistant Coaches: Hugo Vidal (Graduate Assistant)
NET NOTES
The Southern Illinois Men's Tennis team is in its 87th year of existence... Head Coach Dann Nelson is in his fifth season with the team and holds a 54-41 (.568) mark with the Salukis... SIU enters 2010 as the defending Missouri Valley Conference champions after an 18-7 (5-1 MVC) mark in 2009... The Salukis captured their first MVC crown since 1990 by defeating Drake, 4-3, in the MVC Tournament title match... In the NCAA Tournament, the Dawgs fell to #7 UCLA in the first round, 4-0... The Salukis 18 victories were the most since 1977, when they won a program record 21 matches... The 2009 squad's .720 winning percentage is the best since 1972 (.875).
ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
The Salukis hit the road this weekend for a two-match Chicagoland swing. SIU begins the road trip Saturday night when they face the UIC Flames at 6 p.m. in Hinsdale, Ill. The Dawgs will then trek to Rockford, Ill., where they are set to face the Northern Illinois Huskies for a 1 p.m. match.
SCOUTING UIC
The Flames enter Saturday's match on a four match-winning streak and sit at 6-6 on the year. Among the teams UIC has defeated include MVC rival Bradley and UMKC, who the Salukis lost to on Feb. 6. Led by Hans Neufeld, the Flames return eight players from last year's 9-16 squad. Leading the way on the courts are seniors Bastian Harbo and Sebastian Lystad, who both earned first-team Horizon League honors last season.
SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
The Huskies have struggled early in the 2010 season, as they have managed a 2-6 record thus far. However, NIU has scheduled top-ranking teams like Michigan State, Drake, and Iowa in the process. First-year coach Patrick Fisher leads the Huskies this season after serving as an assistant for the nationally-ranked Cougars of BYU. NIU is led on the courts is Javier Bernabe, who has notched a 5-3 record in singles.
THE LAST TIME...
The Salukis faced the Flames and Huskies last season in Carbondale. The Dawgs won both matches, beating NIU, 5-2, on Mar. 28. SIU came back the next day and defeated the Flames, 5-2.
DOUSING THE FLAMES
Southern has had a large amount of success against the UIC Flames in the past decade. In the teams' past six matches, the Dawgs have topped the Flames five times (2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009).
ANTON-ISHING RETURN, PART II
Anton Leonenko topped his Valentine's Day doubles comeback Saturday, returning to singles action against Tennessee Tech. Leonenko shook off some early rust to push TTU's Arturo Santa Ruize in the second set, but was unable to lengthen the match, losing 6-0, 7-6.
NELSON NEARS MILESTONE
Head coach Dann Nelson is five matches away from coaching his 100th match for the Salukis. Nelson will currently reach that mark in sunny Florida, when SIU faces the Buffalo Bulls in Boca Raton, Fla., on March 9. The only other coach to achieve that feat is the legendary Richard LeFevre, who amassed 819 matches in his 36 years at the helm.
Players Mentioned
