By: With their eighth win on Tuesday night, the IC men’s tennis team tied the 1982, 1995, and 1996 teams for the most wins in a season.
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College men's tennis team downed Westminster College (MO) on Tuesday night by a score of 8-1, notching the eighth win of the season and tying a school record last set more than 20 years ago. The Blueboys – 8-7 on the year overall – joined the 1982, 1995, and 1996 squads for the most victories in a single season in program history.
Westminster managed its only point on the night during doubles, but Illinois College still took a 2-1 lead into the singles portion of play.
Miguel Vaca and
Michael Connolly won the last four games of the match for an 8-5 victory at No. 1.
Nazar Otunchiev and
Jacob McQueen had a much easier time in an 8-4 win at No. 3. The Blue Jays got their point at No. 2 with an 8-6 win over
Rolando Salazar and
Cameron Doerr.
The Blue Jays were no match for the Blueboys in singles, however. In the No. 3 match, Doerr blanked Giovanni Strickland, 6-0, 6-0. McQueen nearly matched him at No. 5 with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Nick Lakowski for IC's fourth point of the night. The win was clinched in a 6-0, 6-3 win for
Connor McAndrew at No. 6 against Bryce Loney.
At No. 2 singles, Otunchiev battled past Phillip Udinyiwe, 6-2, 6-2. The final two matches to wrap up involved Vaca and Salazar. Vaca had just put the finishing touches on a 7-5, 6-1 win over Adam Fuchs in the No. 1 match when Salazar finished off a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Joshua Udinyiwe at No. 4.
Illinois College will have two chances to break the school record for victories this weekend on the road as the team wraps up the regular season. The Blueboys face Grinnell College on April 21 at 9 a.m., then play their final match before the Midwest Conference Championships against Cornell College on April 22 at 9 a.m.
