KANSAS CITY, Mo.- The Western Illinois men's tennis team remained unbeaten in Summit League play by beating UMKC, 4-3, at the Plaza Tennis Center.

"This was a big win today," said Western Illinois head coach Michael Hunt. "UMKC is a tough team and they pushed us to the limit. This was a team win."

The doubles point decided the match as the Leathernecks (6-5, 2-0 The Summit League) took two out of the three doubles matches from the Kangaroos (4-7, 2-2 The Summit League). Senior Martin Boström (Stockholm, Sweden/Varmdo Gymnasium/Missouri Valley) and junior Sean Ragee-Nelson (Decatur, Ill./MacArthur) won at No. 2 doubles, defeating Dennis Schwarz and Erwin Quintanilla, 8-5. With the win, the duo moved their record to 7-0 this season. Senior Michael Tiu (Naperville, Ill./Central) and freshman Francisco Ortiz (Porto Alegre, Brazil/Colegio Unificado Iquatemi) sealed the doubles point by beating Nick Mader and Nick Patonai, 8-3, at No. 3 doubles.

Western jumped out to a 3-0 lead against UMKC. Junior Andy Jones (Huntsville, Texas/Huntsville/Howard Payne) nearly swept Mader at No. 5 singles, 6-0, 6-1. Ragee-Nelson added a singles win to his day, defeating Patonai, 6-1, 6-3, at the No. 6 singles position.

Despite the early deficit, the Kangaroos fought back to tie the match at 3-3. The last match on the court was the No. 4 singles position. Ortiz sealed the conference win for the Leathernecks by defeating Quintanilla in a three-set match, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-5.

"Francisco really stepped up for us today," Hunt stated. "This win will be very important to his development."

Western will host Lewis, Tuesday, April 1, at Brophy Courts as it looks to win its fourth match in a row.

Western Illinois 4, UMKC 3
Singles
No. 1 ? Serge Ristivojevic (UMKC) def. Zach Frisch (WIU), 1-6, 6-4, 6-2
No. 2 ? Patrick Smith (UMKC) def. Martin Boström (WIU), 7-6 (3), 6-3
No. 3 ? Dennis Schwarz (UMKC) def. Neil Lesinski (WIU), 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 ? Francisco Ortiz (WIU) def. Erwin Quintanilla (UMKC), 7-6 (4), 3-6, 7-5
No. 5 ? Andy Jones (WIU) def. Nick Mader (UMKC), 6-0, 6-1
No. 6 ? Sean Ragee-Nelson (WIU) def. Nick Patonai (UMKC), 6-1, 6-3

Doubles
No. 1 ? Smith/Ristivojevic (UMKC) def. Frisch/Lesinski (WIU), 8-5
No. 2 ? Bostrom/Ragee-Nelson (WIU) def. Schwarz/Quintanilla (UMKC), 8-5
No. 3 ? Ortiz/Michael Tiu (WIU) def. Mader/Patonai (UMKC), 8-3