DES MOINES, IOWA - Extending its season-best winning streak to five straight was the Drake men's tennis team as the Bulldogs dealt Bradley a 7-0 setback on Saturday (April 11) at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.

Drake pushed its ledger to 11-9, including 4-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference with its 20th consecutive league triumph, while the Braves fell to 7-11 overall and 1-3 in conference competition.
 
“We've won five in a row now and we are starting to play very solid,” Bulldog head coach Chase Hodges commented.  “Illinois State will provide a good test for us tomorrow."

Drake garnered victories at each of the three doubles positions to stake itself to a lead it didn't relinquish.  Clinching the doubles point was the duo of sophomore Mauricio Ballivian (Santa Cruz, Bolivia) and senior Ivan Mendoza (Wellington, New Zealand), who downed Michel Macara-chvili and Mitch Osborne, 8-2, at the No. 2 slot.

The Bulldogs extended the margin to 3-0 on the strength of triumphs at the Nos. 5 and 6 holes from junior Guilherme Marsiglia (Porto Algre, Brazil) and senior Ricardo Lau (Tecugigalpa, Honduras).  Marsiglia dispatched of Richard Robertson, 6-0, 6-2 at No. 5, while Lau bettered Osborne, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 6.

For the second time in his three collegiate matches, freshman Cesar Bracho (Luque, Paraguay) sealed a Drake victory posting the deciding tally with his 6-1, 6-2 decision over Evgeny Samoylov on the No. 3 court.

Additionally, the Bulldogs got victories at the Nos. 2, 4 and 1 slots from Ballivian, Mendoza and senior Maor Zirkin (Kibutz Hazor, Israel).

Drake plays its final home match of the campaign on Sunday (April 12) as the Bulldogs host Illinois State at 11:00 a.m.

DRAKE (11-9, 4-0 MVC) DEF. BRADLEY (7-11, 1-3 MVC), 7-0
APRIL 11, 2009
ROGER KNAPP TENNIS CENTER ? DES MOINES, IOWA

SINGLES:
No. 1 Maor Zirkin (DU) def. Milos Romic (BU), 6-2, 7-5
No. 2 Mauricio Ballivian (DU) def. Callen Fraychineaud (BU), 6-3, 6-2
No. 3 Cesar Bracho (DU) def. Evgeny Samoylov (BU), 6-1, 6-2
No. 4 Ivan Mendoza (DU) def. Michel Macara-chvili (BU), 6-0, 6-3
No. 5 Guilherme Marsiglia (DU) def. Richard Robertson (BU), 6-0, 6-2
No. 6 Ricardo Lau (DU) def. Mitch Osborne (BU), 6-1, 6-0
Order of finish (5,6,3,2,4,1)

DOUBLES:
No. 1 Zirkin/Bracho (DU) def. Romic/Fraychinauad (BU), 8-6
No. 2 Ballivian/Mendoza (DU) def. Macara-chvili/Osborne (BU), 8-2
No. 3 Marsiglia/Lau (DU) def. Robertson/Trevor Mcgrath (BU), 8-1
Order of finish (3,2,1)