Southern Illinoise University Athletics
SIU men enter MVC Championships as No. 2 seed
04/27/2016 | 12:00:00 | Men's Tennis
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
WICHITA, Kan. - For the first time in program history, the Saluki men's tennis team enters the MVC Team Championships as a co-champion of the regular season. With the No. 2 seed after a tiebreaker with Wichita State, the Salukis will take on America East's No. 3 team, Hartford, in the opening round of the Valley Championships on Friday.
The Salukis are coming off one of their best seasons in recent program history. After a solid start to the season against non-conference opponents where the Salukis won as many as eight consecutive matches, SIU continued into conference play with an 11-3 record and great momentum.
In the first MVC match of the season, SIU faced Illinois State at home, resulting in a tight 4-3 victory. Piotr Baranski's three-set singles match at the No. 1 spot was the deciding point to lead SIU to a 1-0 conference record.
The final two regular season matches against Wichita State and Drake would present challenges for SIU, as the Salukis had not beat either team since 2007. A tough, but hard-fought 4-2 loss to Wichita State set the Salukis back, splitting their conference record at 1-1, but a major 4-3 upset over No. 46 Drake propelled SIU to a share of the regular season MVC title.
"The Drake win was huge. That gives you all the confidence you need I think to go into the tournament thinking we can win," SIU head coach Dann Nelson said. "There are several teams that could win this tournament, and we think we're one of them."
As the No. 2 seed, SIU will take on Hartford, the No. 3 seed from the America East Conference affiliates. The Hartford Hawks concluded the regular season with a 2-16 overall record, with a win over Saint Peter's University last fall and one against Franklin Pierce University in the last match of the regular season. Last year Hartford was swept by Wichita State in the opening round of the MVC Championship, falling 4-0.
"They're an unknown, and they don't even play anyone we play, so it's really tough to find out what Hartford is about," Nelson said. "It's the first match of the conference tournament, and you don't get a second unless you win the first one, so we need to come out and show them we can play."
The Salukis fell in the first round at the MVC Championships each of the last two years, last year to America East's UMBC and to Wichita State the year prior. SIU's last advance to the second round was in 2013 when they faced Wichita State. Their last trip to the championship match was in 2009, resulting in the Salukis' most recent conference title over Drake, 4-3.
"We just keep getting stronger, and I really think here's nothing we can't do right now," Nelson said. "I wouldn't want to bet against this team."
SIU will play the second match of the tournament, which is set to begin Friday at Crestview Country Club in Wichita, Kan. The second round and championship match will be held at Sheldon Coleman Tennis Complex on Wichita State's campus. The Salukis will take on Hartford at noon. For live stats, see the link above.
