By: Illinois College became the first Midwest Conference opponent to take more than one point off of Grinnell this season.
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College men's tennis team may have fallen to Grinnell College, 7-2, on Saturday afternoon, but that doesn't diminish the quality of play by the Blueboys. Grinnell, 13-time defending Midwest Conference champions, hadn't allowed a MWC opponent to score more than one point against them until IC did it at the Bellatti Tennis Complex.
Illinois College very nearly took a lead into the singles competition. Though the Blueboys suffered an 8-0 loss at No. 3 doubles,
Miguel Vaca and
Michael Connolly paired up for an 8-6 win at No. 1 doubles. In the No. 2 match,
Nazar Otunchiev and
Rolando Salazar pushed the Grinnell pair to the end before falling, 9-7.
Two quick wins at love at Nos. 5 and 6 gave the Pioneers a nearly insurmountable lead at 4-1. A victory by Henry Johnson over Salazar at No. 3, 6-1, 6-0 clinched the win for Grinnell. At No. 2, Otunchiev also fell victim in his match to Tommy Pitcher, 6-1, 6-2. The final point for the Pioneers came at No. 1 where Cole Miller outlasted Vaca, 2-6, 7-6(3), 10-7.
Connolly took one point in singles for the Blueboys in his match at No. 4 with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 11-9 triumph over Lucas LeDoux.
The weekend concludes with the final MWC match of the season tomorrow for Illinois College. The Blueboys host Cornell College at the Bellatti Tennis Complex beginning at 10 a.m.
