
Photo by: Travis Bell, Sideline Carolina Photography
Men’s Tennis Takes Early Advantage Before Falling to #2 DePaul, 4-1, At BIG EAST Championships
4/22/2022 11:13:00 AM | Men's Tennis
The Bluejays took the doubles point before the Blue Demons won four singles matches in straight sets.
CAYCE, S.C. – The seventh seeded Creighton men's tennis team jumped out to an early 1-0 lead before falling to second-seeded DePaul, 4-1, on Friday morning during the BIG EAST Championship Quarterfinals at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center.
The Bluejays end the 2022 spring season with an 8-10 overall record, while the Blue Demons improve to 11-12 and advance to a semifinals match on Saturday.
Creighton claimed the early advantage by winning the doubles point. Senior's Stratton Brown and Jose Oscar Diaz opened Friday's match with a 6-3 victory at the No. 3 doubles position, giving the Bluejays the slight edge. DePaul quickly evened things up with a 6-3 victory at the top doubles spot before Shin Inoue and Zack Maline won 7-5 at the No. 2 doubles slot to clinch the doubles point for the Bluejays and improve the duos season record to 9-1 on the year.
DePaul, however, quickly responded and took the overall match with four straight-sets singles wins. The Blue Demons claimed victories at the No. 1, 2, 5 and 6 slots to earn the 4-1 win.
Inoue earned a first set win at the No. 3 singles slot, 6-4, while Diaz captured a 6-3 win during the opening set at the No. 4 singles slot. Diaz was also locked up at 5-5 during the second frame before the other four matches were decided.
"I really enjoyed how we started off and took the doubles point," said head coach Tom Lilly. "Our doubles play was definitely a strength this season. We lost a couple big games in singles on a few courts that may have turned the tide DePaul's way. They are really strong up top and very deep and credit foes to them for take four singles matches. Stratty and Jose had great careers for us, and we will miss them next season."
Friday marked the final match of their respective Creighton careers for Brown and Diaz. Brown, a Salina, Kansas native, closed out his career with 109 career victories, while Diaz, a Santiago, Dominican Republic native, finished his Bluejay career with 92 career victories.
#7 Creighton vs #2 DePaul (Apr 22, 2022)
#2 DePaul 4, #7 Creighton 1
Apr 22, 2022 at Cayce, S.C. (Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center)
The Bluejays end the 2022 spring season with an 8-10 overall record, while the Blue Demons improve to 11-12 and advance to a semifinals match on Saturday.
Creighton claimed the early advantage by winning the doubles point. Senior's Stratton Brown and Jose Oscar Diaz opened Friday's match with a 6-3 victory at the No. 3 doubles position, giving the Bluejays the slight edge. DePaul quickly evened things up with a 6-3 victory at the top doubles spot before Shin Inoue and Zack Maline won 7-5 at the No. 2 doubles slot to clinch the doubles point for the Bluejays and improve the duos season record to 9-1 on the year.
DePaul, however, quickly responded and took the overall match with four straight-sets singles wins. The Blue Demons claimed victories at the No. 1, 2, 5 and 6 slots to earn the 4-1 win.
Inoue earned a first set win at the No. 3 singles slot, 6-4, while Diaz captured a 6-3 win during the opening set at the No. 4 singles slot. Diaz was also locked up at 5-5 during the second frame before the other four matches were decided.
"I really enjoyed how we started off and took the doubles point," said head coach Tom Lilly. "Our doubles play was definitely a strength this season. We lost a couple big games in singles on a few courts that may have turned the tide DePaul's way. They are really strong up top and very deep and credit foes to them for take four singles matches. Stratty and Jose had great careers for us, and we will miss them next season."
Friday marked the final match of their respective Creighton careers for Brown and Diaz. Brown, a Salina, Kansas native, closed out his career with 109 career victories, while Diaz, a Santiago, Dominican Republic native, finished his Bluejay career with 92 career victories.
#7 Creighton vs #2 DePaul (Apr 22, 2022)
#2 DePaul 4, #7 Creighton 1
Apr 22, 2022 at Cayce, S.C. (Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center)
Singles competition |
1. Vito Tonejc (DPU) def. Casey Ross (CU) 6-1, 6-0 |
2. Marino Jakic (DPU) def. Stratton Brown (CU) 6-2, 7-5 |
3. Leon Huck (DPU) vs. Shin Inoue (CU) 4-6, 6-4, unfinished |
4. Luuk Wassenaar (DPU) vs. Jose Oscar Diaz (CU) 3-6, 5-5, unfinished |
5. Matteo Iaquinto (DPU) def. Matthew Lanahan (CU) 7-6 (1-0), 6-1 |
6. Tripp Tuff (DPU) def. Ethan Neil (CU) 6-2, 6-0 |
Doubles competition |
1. Vito Tonejc/Marino Jakic (DPU) def. Casey Ross/Matthew Lanahan (CU) 6-3 |
2. Shin Inoue/Zack Maline (CU) def. Leon Huck/Jona Gitschel (DPU) 7-5 |
3. Stratton Brown/Jose Oscar Diaz (CU) def. Tripp Tuff/Luuk Wassenaar (DPU) 6-3 |
Match Notes |
#7 Creighton 8-10 |
#2 DePaul 11-12 |
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,6,2,5) |
2022 BIG EAST Championship Quarterfinals |
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3,2
Order of Finish:
1,6,2,5
Players Mentioned
Creighton Men's Tennis Final Point and Celebration vs. Xavier, 4/19/25
Saturday, April 19
Creighton Men's Tennis Postgame vs. North Dakota, 3/30/25
Sunday, March 30
Creighton Women's Tennis Postgame vs. North Dakota, 3/29/25
Sunday, March 30
Crieghton Men's Tennis Postmatch vs. Butler, 2/16/25
Sunday, February 16