TULSA, Okla.- A day after picking up its first Summit League win of the season, the Western Illinois men's tennis team dropped its second match of the league cluster to UMKC, 4-0, at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
"First, congratulations to UMKC on a really well-played match," said Western Illinois head coach Michael Hunt. "Coach Hale is a very good coach and he had his team well-prepared."
Playing indoors, the two teams started out with singles for the second straight day. The Leathernecks (3-12, 1-1 Summit League) fell in a quick 2-0 hole after dropping matches at No. 2 singles and No. 4 singles.
Junior Bret Berryman put the Kangaroos up 3-0 when he defeated senior Zach Frisch at No. 1 singles, 6-2, 6-4. Freshman Jim Capalbo took the first set at No. 6 singles, 6-4, but freshman Nick Hays clinched the win for UMKC by rebound to win the next two sets and the match, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
"It's a testament to our success over the last few years that everyone wants to knock us off and that beating us is now considered a big deal," stated Hunt. "The truth is that we have a team that still has an excellent chance of competing for the Summit League tournament title. But we still have some improving to do over the next month. We're not ready to win right now and we just need to focus on improving each match, so that we are ready at the end of April."
Western wraps up play at its first Summit League cluster of the year by playing host Oral Roberts Sunday, March 29, at 9 a.m. at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. The Leathernecks beat the Golden Eagles last season during regular season play, 4-3, but will still be looking for revenge after dropping The Summit League championship mach the Oral Roberts, 4-3.
"I've told our team that we need to focus on qualifying for the tournament first and then we'll worry about who we play and how to prepare for them," Hunt said. "I was very pleased with our heart and effort today. We'll need that type of effort tomorrow and probably a break or two to be competitive with Oral Roberts tomorrow."
UMKC 4, Western Illinois 0
Singles Results
No. 1 ? Bret Berryman (UMKC) def. Zach Frisch (WIU), 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 ? Patrick Smith (UMKC) def. Francisco Ortiz (WIU), 6-0, 6-1
No. 3 ? Gustavo Guerin (UMKC) led Neil Lesinski (WIU) DNF
No. 4 ? Dennis Schwarz (UMKC) def. Rodrigo Azevedo (WIU), 7-5, 6-1
No. 5 ? Erwin Quintanilla (UMKC) vs. Sean Ragee-Nelson (WIU), Did Not Start
No. 6 ? Nick Hays (UMKC) def. Jim Capalbo (WIU), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
Doubles Results
Did not play.
