DES MOINES, IOWA - The Drake men's tennis team cracked the win column for the first time this season on Saturday (Feb. 14) as the Bulldogs registered a 6-1 victory over Saint Louis at the Drake Tennis Center.

The triumph moved No. 54 Drake to 1-3 overall, while dropping the Billikens to 4-2.

“This was a quality win for us,” Bulldog head coach Chase Hodges commented.  “The guys did a nice job of stepping up in key situations.  Hopefully, we can get another win tomorrow and start another streak.”

The duo of junior Guilherme Marsiglia (Porto Alegre Brazil) and senior Ricardo Lau (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) clinched the doubles point for the Bulldogs by virtue of their 8-3 win over P.J. Hendrie and Matt Gordon at the No. 3 slot.

The lead swelled to 3-0 after victories by senior Ivan Mendoza (Wellington, New Zealand) and Lau at the sixth and fourth singles positions, respectively.  Mendoza bettered Bryan Beasley, 6-2, 6-1, while Lau recorded a 6-1, 6-4 decision against P.J. Hendrie.

Senior Maor Zirkin (Kibutz Hazor, Israel) secured the triumph with his 199th career win posting a 6-4, 6-4 victory versus Ken Nordheim at the top singles slot.

Rounding out the win total for the Bulldogs was sophomore Mauricio Ballivian (Santa Cruz, Bolivia) and Marsiglia.  Ballivian registered a 6-3, 7-6 (4) triumph against Jake Hendrie at No. 3, while Marsiglia downed McManus, 6-3, 4-6, 10-5 at No. 5.

Drake returns to action on Sunday (Feb. 15) as the Bulldogs entertain Western Illinois at noon.

NO. 54 DRAKE (1-3) DEF. SAINT LOUIS (4-2), 6-1
FEB. 14, 2009
DRAKE TENNIS CENTER ? DES MOINES, IOWA

SINGLES:
No. 1 Maor Zirkin (DU) def. Ken Nordheim (SLU), 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 James McArthur (SLU) def. Evgeny Silitski (DU), 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
No. 3 Mauricio Ballivian (DU) def. Jake Hendrie (SLU), 6-3, 7-6 (4)
No. 4 Ricardo Lau (DU) def. P.J. Hendrie (SLU), 6-1, 6-4
No. 5 Guilherme Marsiglia (DU) def. Sean McManus (SLU), 6-3, 4-6, 10-5
No. 6 Ivan Mendoza (DU) def. Bryan Beasley (SLU), 6-2, 6-1
Order of Finish (6, 4, 1, 3, 5, 2)

DOUBLES:
No. 1 Nordheim/McArthur (SLU) def. Zirkin/Silitski (DU), 8-5
No. 2 Mendoza/Ballivian (DU) def. J. Hendrie/McManus (SLU), 8-3
No. 3 Marsiglia/Lau (DU) def. P.J. Hendrie/Matt Gordon (SLU), 8-6
Order of Finish (2, 3, 1)