Men's Tennis Drops Dual at Oral Roberts

Leathernecks fall to Golden Eagles in Summit League action

Box score

TULSA, Okla. – The Western Illinois men's tennis team faced its second Summit League foe is as many matches Saturday (March 5) afternoon, as the Leathernecks squared off against Oral Roberts. WIU played outdoors for the first time this spring, dropping a 7-0 decision to the Golden Eagles. Western falls to 0-9 (0-2) on the year while ORU improves to 6-6 (1-0).

"Today was our first match outdoors this spring and it was an adjustment not competing indoors and dealing with the outdoor conditions," said head coach Mashiska Washington. "We were consistent in our approach but Oral Roberts was able to earn the victory."

Western's doubles teams took to the Philcrest Hills Tennis Club first and were unable to snag the first point of the afternoon. The duos of Surya Sawhney/Nikola Pavlovic (No. 1) and Ross Smith/Nolan Jones (No. 3) each fell by 6-2 margins. Jacob Sanders and Kerry Nozum fell by a 6-0 mark at No. 2.

Singles action went to the host Golden Eagles, as they were able to sweep all six matches in straight sets. Sawhney (No. 1) and Smith (No. 2) battled in the top two spots, but fell by matching 6-1, 6-1 scores. After falling 6-0 in the opening set, Sanders bounced back with a pair of game victories at No. 3 before losing 6-2. Jones, Kerry Nozum, and Christopher Nozum each claimed a game in the No. 4, 5, and 6 positions, respectively, but were not able to get the Leathernecks on the board.

Western gets three weeks off of competition before taking to the courts again, as the Leathernecks travel to Illinois State for an in-state showdown. First serve in Normal is set for 6 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Nikola Pavlovic: Senior

Jacob Sanders: Sophomore

Surya Sawhney: Sophomore

Ross Smith: Senior

Nolan Jones: Freshman

Christopher Nozum: Freshman

Kerry Nozum: Senior

Players Mentioned

Nikola Pavlovic
: Senior

Jacob Sanders
: Sophomore

Surya Sawhney
: Sophomore

Ross Smith
: Senior

Nolan Jones
: Freshman

Christopher Nozum
: Freshman

Kerry Nozum
: Senior