Tennis To Host MVC Team Championships This Weekend
4/24/2008 12:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
OMAHA, Neb. ? Creighton University will serve as the host for the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Men's & Women's Tennis Championships, which runs Friday-Sunday in Omaha. The Koch Family Tennis Center (124th & Maple) will host the action on Saturday and Sunday, but Friday's play is now at the Hanscom Indoor Tennis Center (3220 Ed Creighton Ave.), with all matches free to attend.
The Creighton men (8-9, 1-5 MVC) earned the sixth seed and will open with third-seeded Indiana State (10-12, 4-2 MVC) on Friday at 2:00 pm. Other quarterfinal round match-ups on the men's side include fifth-seeded Illinois State (9-10, 2-4 MVC) against fourth-seeded Southern Illinois (10-12, 3-3 MVC) as well as second-seeded Wichita State (17-4, 5-1 MVC) against seventh-seeded Bradley (2-17, 0-6 MVC). The top-seed, Drake (22-0, 6-0 MVC), has a bye and will open play in the semi's against the Illinois State/Southern Illinois winner.
The Bulldogs have won a nation-best 42 straight regular-season matches, including four over ranked squads, and are the nation's 50th-ranked team. Drake and Virginia (28-0) are the nation's only remaining undefeated men's squads. Drake's Dalibor Pavic is the nation's 76th-ranked men's player in singles play. The Bulldogs have won this event the past two years.
The semifinal round will be held Saturday at 11 am and 2 pm, with Sunday's finals set for a noon start. The winner of the championship earns the MVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Leading the Creighton team with 10 singles wins in duals this spring has been junior Nikita Dudar and senior Joe Eckert. CU's No. 1 singles player is junior Jose Guerra (7-10), who is also a member of The Valley's Scholar-Athlete Team. CU's top doubles squad consists of Dudar and Eckert, who are 8-8 on the spring.
On the women's side, Creighton (7-12, 0-8 MVC) is seeded ninth and faces eighth-seeded Bradley (5-14, 1-7 MVC) in first-round action, starting at 9 am on Friday. The winner of that match faces top-seeded Indiana State (10-6, 8-0 MVC) at 4:30 pm later that day. Other quarterfinal round matches include fifth-seeded Southern Illinois (11-11, 4-4 MVC) against fourth-seeded Northern Iowa (13-8, 5-3 MVC) at 9 am and 11:30 Am matches involving third-seeded Illinois State (12-9, 6-2 MVC) versus sixth-seeded Drake (9-14, 3-5 MVC), as well as a second-seeded Wichita State (14-7, 7-1 MVC) club against seventh-seeded Evansville (12-11, 2-6 MVC) at 2 pm.
The women's draw features two ranked teams (No. 72 Wichita State and No. 75 Indiana State) as well as the 125th-ranked player in the country, Indiana State's Jennifer Migan. The Shockers are two-time defending event champion.
The Creighton women are led by freshman Lauren Mastro, who is 11-8 this spring at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions. She was named MVC Player of the Week on March 1 earlier this spring. Twin sisters Leesa and Sarah Cadwallader rank among the Valley's best doubles teams, where they own a 13-6 record this season.
In the event of inclement weather, the tournament would move inside to Hanscom Indoor Tennis Center (3220 Ed Creighton Ave.). Creighton's website (www.gocreighton.com) and sports hotline (402-280-5555) will keep fans posted if the event gets moved.
Creighton is coached by 1993 alum Tom Lilly. Lilly, now in his 11th year, is assisted by his wife, Jean Lilly.
The Creighton men (8-9, 1-5 MVC) earned the sixth seed and will open with third-seeded Indiana State (10-12, 4-2 MVC) on Friday at 2:00 pm. Other quarterfinal round match-ups on the men's side include fifth-seeded Illinois State (9-10, 2-4 MVC) against fourth-seeded Southern Illinois (10-12, 3-3 MVC) as well as second-seeded Wichita State (17-4, 5-1 MVC) against seventh-seeded Bradley (2-17, 0-6 MVC). The top-seed, Drake (22-0, 6-0 MVC), has a bye and will open play in the semi's against the Illinois State/Southern Illinois winner.
The Bulldogs have won a nation-best 42 straight regular-season matches, including four over ranked squads, and are the nation's 50th-ranked team. Drake and Virginia (28-0) are the nation's only remaining undefeated men's squads. Drake's Dalibor Pavic is the nation's 76th-ranked men's player in singles play. The Bulldogs have won this event the past two years.
The semifinal round will be held Saturday at 11 am and 2 pm, with Sunday's finals set for a noon start. The winner of the championship earns the MVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Leading the Creighton team with 10 singles wins in duals this spring has been junior Nikita Dudar and senior Joe Eckert. CU's No. 1 singles player is junior Jose Guerra (7-10), who is also a member of The Valley's Scholar-Athlete Team. CU's top doubles squad consists of Dudar and Eckert, who are 8-8 on the spring.
On the women's side, Creighton (7-12, 0-8 MVC) is seeded ninth and faces eighth-seeded Bradley (5-14, 1-7 MVC) in first-round action, starting at 9 am on Friday. The winner of that match faces top-seeded Indiana State (10-6, 8-0 MVC) at 4:30 pm later that day. Other quarterfinal round matches include fifth-seeded Southern Illinois (11-11, 4-4 MVC) against fourth-seeded Northern Iowa (13-8, 5-3 MVC) at 9 am and 11:30 Am matches involving third-seeded Illinois State (12-9, 6-2 MVC) versus sixth-seeded Drake (9-14, 3-5 MVC), as well as a second-seeded Wichita State (14-7, 7-1 MVC) club against seventh-seeded Evansville (12-11, 2-6 MVC) at 2 pm.
The women's draw features two ranked teams (No. 72 Wichita State and No. 75 Indiana State) as well as the 125th-ranked player in the country, Indiana State's Jennifer Migan. The Shockers are two-time defending event champion.
The Creighton women are led by freshman Lauren Mastro, who is 11-8 this spring at the No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions. She was named MVC Player of the Week on March 1 earlier this spring. Twin sisters Leesa and Sarah Cadwallader rank among the Valley's best doubles teams, where they own a 13-6 record this season.
In the event of inclement weather, the tournament would move inside to Hanscom Indoor Tennis Center (3220 Ed Creighton Ave.). Creighton's website (www.gocreighton.com) and sports hotline (402-280-5555) will keep fans posted if the event gets moved.
Creighton is coached by 1993 alum Tom Lilly. Lilly, now in his 11th year, is assisted by his wife, Jean Lilly.
Players Mentioned
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