Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Lipscomb
Salukis fall, 4-3, in tight match against Lipscomb
02/28/2015 | 12:00:00 | Men's Tennis
By Katja Sonkeng
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Jonny Rigby and Michal Kianicka's seventh-consecutive singles wins had a bittersweet aftertaste as the Saluki men's tennis saw its two-match winning streak snapped after a tight 4-3 loss to Lipscomb University on Saturday afternoon. SIU picked up four wins - two in singles and doubles, respectively. The Salukis are now 3-6 on the season.
The Salukis jumped out to an early lead by earning the doubles point after topping their Lipscomb opponents at the No.1 and No. 3 slots. Michal Kianicka and Alex Pozo came away with a 6-4 victory in No. 1 doubles, followed by Jonny Rigby and Szymon Opieczonek with 6-3 win at No. 3. Max Phipps and Daniel Martinez' match at the No.2 position, however, went unfinished.
The SIU men's tennis team couldn't carry over its momentum to singles play as the Salukis lost four of their six pairings. Rigby continued his winning streak in singles, registering his seventh consecutive win against Lipscomb's Rob Mitchell in two straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. Kianicka overcame his opponent at the No. 2 spot as well, 6-3, 7-6. Like Rigby, this marks Kianicka's seventh-straight singles win. SIU fell short and dropped the bottom four matches, however.
"Jonny and Mike continue to be our go to guys, and they are really carrying us right now," head coach Dann Nelson said. "Unfortunately, today we did not have another player step up and get the singles win we needed. We are fighting hard in almost every match, but we came up short."
Up next, the Salukis will return to action on Wednesday at 1 p.m. to face Eastern Illinois University at the Garden Grove Center in Carbondale. Their initial meet was cancelled last Sunday due to inclement weather. The last time the two schools played each other was at the SIU Fall Classic in the fall, and ended in favor of the Salukis, coming away with 13 wins.
Complete Results
Doubles
W: Michal Kianicka /Alex Pozo (SIU) def. Alex Pavel/ Philippe Courteau (Lipscomb) 6-4
DNF: Max Phipps / Daniel Martinez (SIU) vs. John Tougher / Rob Mitchell (Lipscomb) 4-5
W: Jonny Rigby / Szymon Opieczonek (SIU) def. Daniel Hernandez / Alejandro Manzanares (Lipscomb) 6-3
Singles
W: Jonny Rigby (SIU) def. Rob Mitchell (Lipscomb) 6-3, 6-2
W: Michal Kianicka (SIU) def. Alejandro Manzanares (Lipscomb) 6-3, 7-6
L: Philippe Courteau (Lipscomb) def. Alex Pozo (SIU) 1-6, 6-4, 6-2
L: Daniel Hernandez (Lipscomb) def. Max Phipps (SIU) 6-0, 6-0
L: Alex Pavel (Lipscomb) def. Szymon Opieczonek (SIU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
L: John Tougher (Lipscomb) def. Peter Molloy (SIU) 6-2, 6-2
