FEBRUARY 9, 2012

DES MOINES, Iowa - In a battle of ranked opponents, it was the 73rd-rated Drake men's tennis team carving out a 6-1 victory past No. 74 East Tennessee State on Thursday (Feb. 9) at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.

The win was the first by a ranked-Bulldog team against an ITA-rated foe at home since Drake downed Iowa, 5-2, on Feb. 27, 2008.

Setting the tone for the match in doubles were the Bulldogs, who swept all three contests to secure a 1-0 advantage.  Claiming the point for Drake was the tandem of juniors Anis Ghorbel (Sfax, Tunisia) and James McKie (Edinburgh, Scotland), who dispatched of Jesus Bandres and Sander Gille, 8-5.

Extending the margin to 3-0 for the Bulldogs by earning singles decisions at the Nos. 3 and 5 slots were McKie and sophomore Robin Goodman (Cambridge, England).

Goodman downed Jeremy Bonnevalle at No. 5, 6-3, 6-4, before McKie bested Juan Ramirez at No. 2, 6-2, 6-3.

The Buccaneers registered their lone point of the afternoon on court No. 4 as Robin Akser downed freshman Alen Salibasic (Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina) in three sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

Pulling out a come-from-behind triumph at No. 2 to secure the match-clinching tally was junior Jean Erasmus (Windhoek, Namibia), who defeated Bandres, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-2.

The Bulldogs also received victories from freshman Ben Mullis (Leicestershire, England) and Ghorbel.

Mullis pulled out a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 win over Jorge Varon on court No. 6, before Ghorbel registered a 7-5 decision in the third-set tiebreaker at No. 1 to edge Gille, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (5).

Drake returns to action on Saturday (Feb. 11) as the Bulldogs entertain Nebraska Kearney in a 3:00 p.m. tilt at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.

NO. 73 DRAKE (5-1) DEF. NO. 74 EAST TENNESSEE STATE (0-5), 6-1

FEBRUARY 9, 2012 • ROGER KNAPP TENNIS CENTER

SINGLES:

No. 1 No. 51 Anis Ghorbel (DU) def. Sander Gille (ETSU), 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (5)

No. 2 Jean Erasmus (DU) def. Jesus Bandres (ETSU), 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-2

No. 3 James McKie (DU) def. Juan Ramirez (ETSU), 6-2, 6-3

No. 4 Robin Akser (ETSU) def. Alen Salibasic (DU), 6-4, 2-6, 6-2

No. 5 Robin Goodman (DU) def. Jeremy Bonnevalle (ETSU), 6-3, 6-4

No. 6 Ben Mullis (DU) def. Jorge Varon (ETSU), 4-6, 6-1, 6-1

Order of finish: (5,3,4,2,6,1)

DOUBLES:

No. 1 Ghorbel/McKie (DU) def. Bandres/Gille (ETSU), 8-5

No. 2 Bracho/Salibasic (DU) def. Akser/Bonnevalle (ETSU), 8-5

No. 3 Eramus/Goodman (DU) def. Ramirez/Varon (ETSU), 8-2

Order of finish: (3,1,2)