CARBONDALE, ILL. – The beat rolls on and for the 53rd-rated Drake men's tennis team that meant another victory as the Bulldogs registered a 4-0 win over Southern Illinois on Saturday (April 14).

Weather forced the match indoors and with only three courts available, Drake proved to be business-like in its efforts as the Bulldogs claimed the victory in just over two hours.

The triumph pushed Drake's winning streak to 17 straight matches and improved the Bulldogs to 18-2 overall, including 3-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The loss dropped the Salukis to 10-5 on the campaign and 1-3 in league play.

“The guys did a great job of competing today on only three courts,” Drake head coach Chase Hodges said. “Winning the doubles point was huge and again the top three in the line-up were dominating. It was nice to get the victory and we look forward to playing Indiana State tomorrow.”

The 44th-rated duo of sophomore Maor Zirkin (KIbutz Hazor, Israel) and junior Dalibor Pavic (Adelaide, Australia) improved to 25-1 on the year, including 3-0 in the MVC, with an 8-3 decision over Karl Nilsson and Sergio Sanchez at No. 1 doubles.

The Bulldogs captured the doubles point when the tandem of freshmen Bokang Setshogo (Gaborone, Botswana) and Guilherme Marsiglia (Porto Alegre, Brazil) registered an 8-4 victory versus Rodrigo Lama and Hugo Vidal at the third doubles position.

With the doubles point in hand, the team of senior Sergi Vila (Barcelona, Spain) and sophomore Ivan Mendoza (Wellington, New Zealand) posted their 17th victory of the campaign with an 8-7 win against Felipe Villasenor and Lucas Waked at No. 2 doubles.

In singles, the top three in the Bulldogs line-up of Zirkin, Vila and Pavic made quick work of the Salukis as no Southern Illinois player registered more than two points in any of the six sets contested.

Notching his 22nd victory of the season at No. 1 singles was Zirkin, who netted a 6-2, 6-1 decision over Villasenor.

Vila improved his ledger to 33-6 in singles as he bettered Sanchez, 6-1, 6-1 at the second singles hole.

Rounding out the victory total was Pavic, who went to 18-2 on the dual campaign following his 6-0, 6-0 win over Breno Salvany at No. 3 singles.

With the outcome of the match decided, the final three singles contests were not played.

Drake closes out the road portion of its schedule on Sunday (April 15) as the Bulldogs travel to Terre Haute, Ind., for a date with Indiana State. The match is slated to commence at 10:00 a.m.

No. 53 Drake def. Southern Illinois, 4-0
April 14, 2007
Carbondale, Ill.
Records: Drake (18-2, 3-0 MVC), Southern Illinois (10-5, 1-3 MVC)

Singles
No. 1 Maor Zirkin (DU) def. Felipe Villasenor (SIU), 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 Sergi Vila (DU) def. Sergio Sanchez (SIU), 6-1, 6-1
No. 3 Dalibor Pavic (DU) def. Breno Salvany (SIU), 6-0, 6-0
No. 4 Not Contested
No. 5 Not Contested
No. 6 Not Contested

Doubles
No. 1 No. 44 Zirkin/Pavic (DU) def. Karl Nilsson/Sanchez (SIU), 8-3
No. 2 Vila/Mendoza (DU) def. Villasenor/Lucas Waked (SIU), 8-7
No. 3 Bokang Setshogo/Guilherme Marsiglia (DU) def. Rodrigo Lama/Hugo Vidal (SIU), 8-4