OMAHA, NEB. - An unprecedented run in Drake men's tennis history came to an unceremonious end on Sunday (April 26) as Southern Illinois stunned the Bulldogs, 4-3, in the title match of the State Farm Missouri Valley Championship to claim the league's automatic NCAA Tournament berth.

The Salukis snapped Drake's run of three consecutive titles in the MVC Championship en route to capturing their third league title in school history and first since 1990.

Southern Illinois avenged a 4-2 setback to Drake on April 5 to improve to 18-6 overall, while the Bulldogs' campaign came to an end at 14-10.

"A heartbreaker today as we had opportunities, but ultimately having our Nos. 5 and 6 players having their first matches today may have hurt them not having that valuable court time,” Drake head coach Chase Hodges commented.  “We have to move forward, it was a great run winning three straight championships.  We put ourselves in a good position to win the match but Southern Illinois stepped up at the third thru six positions and we have to take this experience and learn from it so when we're in the same situation again we will convert.”

The Bulldogs stole the early momentum in the affair earning a pair of victories at the Nos. 1 and 2 doubles positions.

Claiming the first triumph was the tandem of senior Maor Zirkin (Kibutz Hazor, Israel) and freshman Cesar Bracho (Luque, Paraguay) on the top doubles court over Felipe Villasenor and Eric West, 8-5.

The celebration carried over onto the No. 2 court as less than a minute later the duo of sophomore Mauricio Ballivian (Santa Cruz, Bolivia) and senior Ivan Mendoza (Wellington, New Zealand) clinched the doubles point with an 8-3 decision versus Lucas Waked and Anton Leonenko.

The Salukis took the initial set in two of the first four singles matches.  The Bulldogs got a furious rally from Zirkin at No. 1 overcoming a 4-3 deficit to claim a 7-5 victory in the first set.  On court No. 2, Ballivian broke a five-all tie winning two straight games to take the initial frame, 7-5.

Southern Illinois took advantage of taking the first sets on courts three and four to garner victories and assume a 2-1 lead. Hugo Vidal downed Mendoza at No. 4, 6-4, 6-3, while Bracho suffered a 6-3, 6-2 setback at No. 3.

Attention shifted back to the top two courts where at No. 1 Zirkin closed out Villasenor in the second set, 6-3, to square the tilt at two.

The Bulldogs retook the lead, 3-2, after Ballivian posted a 6-2 triumph in the second frame.

With only four indoor courts available, junior Guilherme Marsiglia (Porto Alegre, Brazil) was next on for Drake.  He took advantage by storming out to a 5-0 lead versus Sebastian Rubiano before holding on for a 6-2 victory in the first set.

In the final match, senior Ricardo Lau (Tecugigalpa, Honduras) fought Anton Leonenko back and forth before the Saluki posted a 6-4 win in the first set and then a 6-2 triumph in the second to collect the match.

Marsiglia came up on the wrong end of a 6-2 decision in the second set to force a winner-take-all showdown in the deciding set.  In that set, Rubiano recorded a 6-4 victory to clinch the match for the Salukis.

“This was a season that we overachieved in many ways,” Hodges said.  “We captured the regular season MVC title, but unfortunately we didn't get it done at the tournament.  We will have to get better from the experience and hopefully the guys coming back will be more hungry after today's experience.”

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (18-6) DEF. DRAKE (14-10), 4-3
APRIL 26, 2009
OMAHA, NEB.

SINGLES:
No. 1 Maor Zirkin (DU) def. Felipe Villasenor (SIU), 7-5, 6-3
No. 2 Mauricio Ballivian (DU) vs. Lucas Waked (SIU), 7-5, 6-2
No. 3 Eric West (SIU) def. Cesar Bracho (DU), 6-3, 6-2
No. 4 Hugo Vidal (SIU) def. Ivan Mendoza (DU), 6-4, 6-3
No. 5 Sebastian Rubiano (SIU) def. Guilherme Marsiglia (DU), 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
No. 6 Anton Leonenko (SIU) def. Ricardo Lau (DU), 6-4, 6-2
Order of finish (4,3,1,2,6,5)

DOUBLES:
No. 1 Zirkin/Bracho (DU) def. Villasenor/West (SIU), 8-5
No. 2 Ballivian/Mendoza (DU) def. Waked/Leonenko (SIU), 8-3
No. 3 Lau/Marsiglia (DU) vs. Rubiano/Vidal (SIU), 4-4, unfinished
Order of finish (1,2)