Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Wichita State
Salukis fall 4-2 to Wichita State on Sunday
04/17/2016 | 12:00:00 | Men's Tennis
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
WICHITA, Kans. -- The Saluki men's tennis team fell 4-2 in a tight match on Sunday against the Wichita State Shockers. With today's loss, the Salukis move to a split 1-1 record against MVC opponents and are 12-4 on the season overall.
SIU opened the match on a high note, winning the doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. Wilder Pimentel and Alex Pozo came away with the first win of the day at the No. 2 spot, topping No. 67 ranked Miroslav Herzan and Haru Inoue, 6-1. This is the pair's sixth straight win, moving them to 10-4 on the season. Peter Molloy and Daniel Martinez followed, with a 6-4 win at the No. 3 spot to help the Salukis take a 1-0 lead heading into singles.
SIU's success initially carried over into singles play, as the Salukis won four of their six first sets. Peter Molloy was the first to come off the court. After winning his first set, 6-2, Molloy fell behind in the second two, ultimately falling 2-6, 6-1, 6-1. After Jonny Rigby fell in his No. 2 match, 7-6, 6-1, Piotr Baranski earned SIU's second win of the day at the No. 1 spot. Baranski won the first set, but a 3-6 loss in the second forced a third frame. Baranski's 6-3 win in the final frame tied the match, 2-2 overall. Baranski remains undefeated against conference opponents and has a 10-2 singles record overall.
The rest of the match slipped away from SIU as Wilder Pimentel and Daniel Martinez each fell in three sets. Both won their first frames, but were unable to close out their matches, resulting in a 4-2 Wichita win.
"We put ourselves in position to win this match, but could not put them away," SIU head coach Dann Nelson said. "I give Wichita State a lot of credit for weathering the storm and finishing matches. We will have to improve on this quickly if we are to have a chance with Drake next weekend."
The Salukis final match of the regular season is set for next Saturday against the No. 46 Drake Bulldogs. SIU's last win over Drake was in 2009 when SIU went on the win the MVC Championship title.
Complete Results
Doubles
DNF: Jocelyn Devilliers/Austin Williams (WSU) vs. Piotr Baranski/Jonny Rigby (SIU) 5-4, unfinished
W: Wilder Pimentel/Alex Pozo (SIU) def. #67 Miroslav Herzan/Haru Inoue (WSU) 6-1
W: Peter Molloy/Daniel Martinez (SIU) def. Sergio de Vilchez/Eddie Stoica (WSU) 6-4
Singles
W: Piotr Baranski (SIU) def. Miroslav Herzan (WSU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
L: Jocelyn Devilliers (WSU) def. Jonny Rigby (SIU) 7-6, 6-1
L: Haru Inoue (WSU) def. Wilder Pimentel (SIU) 3-6, 6-1, 6-1
L: Eddie Stoica (WSU) def. Peter Molloy (SIU) 2-6, 6-1, 6-1
DNF: Sergio de Vilchez (WSU) vs. Alex Pozo (SIU) 7-6, 3-5, unfinished
L: Vitor Mendes (WSU) def. Daniel Martinez (SIU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Players Mentioned
