Sunday, April 30
Bloomignton, Ill.
10:00 a.m.
Southern Illinois University
0
vs
4
Drake University
Salukis take home second place at MVC Championship
04/30/2017 | 4:12:00 | Men's Tennis
The Southern Illinois men's tennis program played its final match on Sunday, falling in the Missouri Valley Conference championship to Drake, 4-0. The Bulldogs were the only MVC team to defeat the Salukis this season, which ended with a 17-4 record.
SIU's Piotr Baranski and Alex Pozo defeated Bayo Phillips and Barnaby Thorold, 6-1, in No. 1 doubles, but the Salukis lost the doubles point after being edged out in No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. The top three flights of singles play remained unfinished as Drake defeated Southern in the bottom three, Pozo at No. 4, Daniel Martinez at No. 5 and Param Pun at No. 6 singles.
"We have to give a lot of credit to Drake, they outplayed us today and deserved the win," Coach Jonny Rigby said. "What the guys have achieved this year as a team is incredible and everyone associated with the team should be extremely proud."
Their accomplishments did not go unnoticed. Four Salukis were named to the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Tennis All- Conference Team — Baranski, Michal Kianicka, Wilder Pimentel and Pozo.
The 2017 team was undefeated at home and finished with the fifth-most wins in a season in school history. Kianicka broke Rigby's record for most wins in doubles by an individual. The No. 1 doubles team of Baranski and Pozo went 17-0 for the spring season including the MVC Championship. Their 19-1 overall doubles mark tied for third in doubles wins in a season.
"It's sad that today is the last match for us," Rigby said. "But we showed what a great team we are this year and we will look back on this year with great memories."
SIU's Piotr Baranski and Alex Pozo defeated Bayo Phillips and Barnaby Thorold, 6-1, in No. 1 doubles, but the Salukis lost the doubles point after being edged out in No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. The top three flights of singles play remained unfinished as Drake defeated Southern in the bottom three, Pozo at No. 4, Daniel Martinez at No. 5 and Param Pun at No. 6 singles.
"We have to give a lot of credit to Drake, they outplayed us today and deserved the win," Coach Jonny Rigby said. "What the guys have achieved this year as a team is incredible and everyone associated with the team should be extremely proud."
Their accomplishments did not go unnoticed. Four Salukis were named to the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Tennis All- Conference Team — Baranski, Michal Kianicka, Wilder Pimentel and Pozo.
The 2017 team was undefeated at home and finished with the fifth-most wins in a season in school history. Kianicka broke Rigby's record for most wins in doubles by an individual. The No. 1 doubles team of Baranski and Pozo went 17-0 for the spring season including the MVC Championship. Their 19-1 overall doubles mark tied for third in doubles wins in a season.
"It's sad that today is the last match for us," Rigby said. "But we showed what a great team we are this year and we will look back on this year with great memories."
2017 Men's Tennis All-Conference Team
|
Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
|
Southern Illinois |
Sr. |
Zielona Gora, Poland |
|
|
Ben Clark |
Drake |
So. |
Comberton, England |
|
Urh Krajnc Domiter |
Illinois State |
Sr. |
Ptuj, Slovenia |
|
Marius Frosa |
Wichita State |
So. |
Galati, Romania |
|
Tom Hands |
Drake |
So. |
Fulbourn, England |
|
Haru Inoue |
Wichita State |
So. |
Tokyo, Japan |
|
Southern Illinois |
R-Jr. |
Bratislava, Slovakia |
|
|
Calum MacGeoch |
Drake |
Jr. |
Edinburgh, Scotland |
|
Bayo Philips |
Drake |
Jr. |
Houston, Texas |
|
Southern Illinois |
Sr. |
Lima, Peru |
|
|
Southern Illinois |
Jr. |
St. Louis, Mo. |
|
|
Dylan Steffens |
Illinois State |
Sr. |
High Ridge, Mo. |
|
Ben Stride |
Drake |
Jr. |
Bognor Regis, England |
|
Raphael Termat |
Stony Brook |
Sr. |
Nice, France |
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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