MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois Men's Tennis squad will look to snap a four-match losing streak when they head to Carbondale, Ill. to take on the Southern Illinois Salukis in a dual match on Saturday, Feb. 26.
The Fighting Leathernecks (2-4) are coming off a 7-0 loss at No. 70 Northwestern last weekend while the Salukis (2-1) shutout Saint Louis by a score of 7-0 on Feb. 20.
Western Illinois will look to Francisco Ortiz and Mandela Shepard to continue their momentum in singles play at the No. 4 and No. 5 positions, respectively. Both players lead the team with three wins on the season and carry overall records of 3-3 in to the weekend matchup.
The loss to Northwestern last weekend marked the first time that the team has been shutout this season. Western's last victory came in Jim Capalbo's matchup at the No. 6 singles spot against Green Bay on Feb. 12 when the junior rallied to win (1-6, 7-6 (7-0), 10-5).
The Leathernecks also pulled out a win at the No. 1 doubles match against Green Bay as the team of Jeff Cote and Patrick Hammers pulled out a thrilling victory (8-7 (9-7)).
Cote and Hammers have fared extremely well together in doubles play as they hold a 4-2 record on the season. The doubles team of Alejandro Buceta and Ben Yue have also shown promise, compiling a 2-3 record in the early going.
The Salukis dropped just three sets in their victory over the Billikens last weekend after nearly pulling out a come-from-behind victory before eventually falling 4-3 at Austin Peay on Feb. 11.
Western Illinois will take the court again when it faces Marquette and Drake in Des Moines, Iowa on March 5 & 6 before heading to Orlando, Fla. for three matches during Spring Break.
