The Drake men's tennis team travels to San Diego, Calif., this week to compete at the Hilton San Diego Mission Valley Spring Classic Thursday (March 20) through Saturday (March 22).
The 43rd-ranked Bulldogs are part of an eight-team tournament field that includes No. 28 Harvard, No. 32 Memphis, No. 40 Purdue, No. 56 Princeton, No. 61 San Diego, No. 73 Denver and San Diego State.
Drake opens competition versus the 56th-rated Tigers on Thursday (March 20) at 12:00 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs will then face either San Diego State or Memphis on Friday (March 21) at either 12:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. CT. Drake's opponent on Saturday (March 22) will come from the bottom half of the bracket, which consists of Denver, Harvard, Purdue and San Diego.
SALIBASIC CHOSEN AS MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The Missouri Valley Conference announced that Drake junior Alen Salibasic (Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina) was selected as the MVC Men's Tennis Player of the Week. The honor marked the third accolade for Salibasic this season and the fifth overall during his Drake career.
Salibasic posted a 3-0 combined singles/doubles ledger leading the Bulldogs to a 2-1 mark against No. 30 Oregon, No. 67 New Mexico and No. 71 Georgia State this past week.
In Drake's 4-0 setback against Oregon (March 12), Salibasic won the first set of his singles match against Kevin Farin, 7-5, on No. 1 court and was serving up 5-4 (40-15) in the second set when the deciding point was clinched.
In the Bulldogs' 4-1 win against No. 67 New Mexico on Sunday (March 16), Salibasic bested Samir Iftikhar at the top singles slot, 6-2, 7-6 (4).
He capped his weekend registering an 8-1 doubles triumph at No. 2 with junior Ben Mullis (Leicestershire, England) and a 6-3, 7-5 win over Thomas Cook at No. 1 singles in Drake's 4-0 triumph over No. 71 Georgia State this past Sunday (March 16).
DRAKE COLLECTS 4-0 WIN PAST NO. 71 GEORGIA STATE
The then No. 39 Drake men's tennis team capped a successful day on the court registering its second triumph over a ranked opponent on Sunday (March 16), downing 71st-ranked Georgia State, 4-0, in Atlanta, Ga.
The Bulldogs catapulted themselves to the victory earning the doubles point with wins at the Nos. 1 and 2 positions, respectively.
Claiming the tally with an 8-1 decision at the top spot was the tandem of senior Robin Goodman (Cambridge, England) and sophomore Ben Lott (Newcastle, England).
In singles, Lott extended Drake's advantage to 2-0, besting Jannis Koeke, 6-0, 6-0, on the No. 2 court.
Alen Salibasic pushed the Bulldogs' lead to 3-0 winning at the No. 1 position, 6-3, 7-5.
Goodman then garnered the match-clinching tally at No. 3, 6-0, 6-3.
BULLDOGS UPEND NO. 67 NEW MEXICO, 4-1
Drake opened its cross-country spring break trip with a 4-1 victory past No. 67 New Mexico on Sunday (March 16) in Atlanta, Ga.
Weather forced play indoors where only two courts were available for competition. This resulted in singles matches being played first in the third-ever meeting between the two schools.
Ben Lott gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 advantage in singles besting Hayden Sabatka on the No. 2 court, 6-2, 6-4.
After the Lobos evened the affair at one with a triumph at No. 4, Alen Salibasic put Drake ahead to stay, winning at the top singles slot, 6-2, 7-6 (4).
Junior Ravi Patel (London, England) extended the Bulldogs' lead to 3-1 at No. 5, 6-1, 7-6 (5).
Ben Mullis followed by recording a hard-fought 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) decision past Mads Hegelund on the No. 6 court.
NO. 30 OREGON HANDS DRAKE A 4-0 HOME SETBACK
The Bulldogs saw their 37-match home-court winning streak snapped on March 12 as 30th-rated Oregon edged Drake, 4-0, at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.
The setback was the first for Drake at home since dropping a 5-2 decision versus Wichita State on April 3, 2010. The last loss for the Bulldogs at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center against a non-conference foe occurred on Feb. 24, 2010, a 4-3 setback to Iowa.
The Ducks staked themselves to a 1-0 advantage claiming the doubles point with victories at the Nos. 1 and 3 doubles positions.
The No. 2 tandem of Ben Mullis and Alen Salibasic was leading their match for Drake versus Dean Maasland and Joey Swaysland, 6-5, when the deciding tally was clinched.
In singles, Oregon captured decisions at the Nos. 2, 3 and 6 positions to earn the victory.
Singles play proved to be a closer battle than the final score indicated as the Bulldogs won the first set in three of the six contests. Salibasic was on the verge of garnering the triumph at No. 1 over Kevin Farin, leading 7-5, 5-4, including 40-15 in the final game, when the match was decided.
Winning first-set tiebreakers at the Nos. 4 and 5 positions, respectively, were juniors Matt Frost (Cambridge, England) and Ravi Patel.
A YEAR AGO
Drake advanced to the title match of the Hilton San Diego Mission Valley Spring Classic on the strength of victories over Denver (4-0) and No. 44 Memphis (4-1) on March 21 and 22, 2013, respectively. In the title contest, the Bulldogs saw their 17-match winning streak snapped at the hands of No. 23 Harvard, 4-2, on March 23, 2013.
DRAKE ODDS-N-ENDS
• After starting the campaign with an 0-3 mark versus ranked opponents, the Bulldogs have won five of their last seven against ranked foes, including wins over No. 67 New Mexico and No. 71 Georgia State on Sunday (March 16).
• Robin Goodman enters action this week needing one singles triumph to record 100 for his Drake career. The last Bulldog to reach 100 career singles victories was James McKie, who recorded 109 for Drake from 2009-13.
• In each of their last eight victories, the Bulldogs have allowed only one point to their opponents. In the last 10 matches for Drake, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents, 44-9.
• Drake is 5-2 in its last seven matches versus ranked teams.
• Drake has received strong support from the bottom half of its singles lineup as the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 positions have combined to register an 24-6 record, including a 9-1 mark at the No. 4 spot. The top half of the lineup owns an 28-13 ledger.
• Ben Lott leads the Bulldogs with a 33-16 combined singles/doubles ledger. He is followed by Matt Frost (31-17), Alen Salibasic (26-11), Goodman (26-13), Ravi Patel (24-11), Ben Mullis (18-10), freshman Euan McIntosh (Edinburgh, Scotland) (13-6), Grant Tesmer (Lincoln, Neb.) (9-3) and sophomore Rakshit Rishi (New Delhi, India) (2-1).
• Salibasic owns a 7-1 record in his last 10 singles matches, including seven straight wins.
• The Bulldogs are 8-2 in their last 10 meetings with schools from the Big Ten Conference following their 4-0 win at Nebraska on March 9.
• Drake's setback at Minnesota Feb. 22 snapped a 22-match winning streak in the month of February.
• Patel owns a 9-1 singles mark this spring, including eight consecutive victories.
• Since the 2007-08 campaign, Goodman, Salibasic and Mullis are ranked second, fifth and seventh at Drake in singles victories with 99, 78 and 58, respectively.
• Goodman and Salibasic are rated sixth and ninth in combined singles/doubles records since 2007-08 at Drake owning 176-57 and 133-55 ledgers. In doubles, the duo finds itself fourth (77) and sixth (55) for the Bulldogs.
• Goodman and Mullis are ranked third and fifth, respectively, at Drake (since the 2007-08 campaign) in winning percentage in singles play with winning percentages of .832 (99-20) and .784 (58-16).
• Drake owns a 110-34 (.764) record since the 2008-09 campaign, including a 52-6 mark at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.
• The Bulldogs sport a 81-15 (.844) ledger since the 2011 campaign.
• Drake has garnered six MVC Player of the Week honors. Salibasic (Feb. 18 & 25 and March 18) has collected the weekly accolades three times, while Goodman (Jan. 21 and March 4) and Mullis (March 11) have combined to pull in the award on three occasions.
• Lott paces Drake with a team-high 21 singles victories this season. Cracking the 10-win plateau with 19, 17, 12, 12 and 11 victories are Frost, Salibasic, Goodman, Patel and Mullis.
• The Bulldogs finished the month of February having won 22 consecutive home matches in the month. Drake's last setback in the month at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center occurred on Feb. 24, 2010, in a 4-3 setback versus Iowa.
DRAKE RECOGNIZED IN ITA PRESEASON RANKINGS
On the strength of its record-setting 2013 campaign, Drake earned its highest preseason ranking in program history, as the Bulldogs were rated No. 30 in the initial Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll.
Coming off its sixth regular season Missouri Valley Conference title in the last seven campaigns and third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, Drake established a school record for victories with a 25-4 mark last season. The Bulldogs return five letterwinners from a squad that finished the 2013 spring campaign with a No. 27 national ranking.
Robin Goodman and Ravi Patel were recognized for their efforts in doubles during the fall campaign as the duo garnered the highest doubles ranking in school history at No. 8 nationally. In singles, Matt Frost made his debut in the poll at No. 123 nationally.
Also garnering regional recognition in singles were Goodman, Frost, Alen Salibasic, Patel and Ben Lott, who were tabbed seventh, 10th, 12th, 13th and 15th, respectively, in the ITA Central Region. In doubles, Goodman and Patel are the top-rated duo in the region.
A YEAR TO REMEMBER
Drake capped its sixth regular season MVC title in the last seven campaigns and third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance last spring. In the process, the Bulldogs registered their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory after posting a 4-1 decision past No. 34 TCU on May, 10, 2013, in Los Angeles, Calif. Drake was recognized for its efforts as five Bulldogs garnered national and regional rankings in the final ITA ratings, while as a team, Drake finished No. 27 nationally.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Drake returns five letterwinners from a squad that posted a school-record 25-4 ledger last spring, including a 5-0 regular season MVC championship.
Robin Goodman and James McKie led Drake with 65 combined singles/doubles victories each, while the Bulldogs also garnered combined win totals of 58, 45, 41, 40, 38, 26 and 18 from Alen Salibasic, Jean Erasmus, Ben Mullis, Anis Ghorbel, Ben Lott, Grant Tesmer and Ryan Drake.
Goodman registered a team-best 36 singles victories a year ago, while McKie and Goodman posted 31 and 29 doubles triumphs, respectively.
DRAKE HEAD COACH DAVIDSON KOZLOWSKI
Davidson Kozlowski was named head men's tennis coach at Drake on Sept. 6, 2012. This season marks his second campaign directing the Bulldogs' fortunes.
Kozlowski came to Drake after spending seven seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
This past fall, Kozlowski helped guide senior Robin Goodman and junior Ravi Patel to become what is believed to be the first Drake doubles squad to capture a regional title in program history.
By virtue of their 8-5 triumph past Minnesota's Mathieu Froment and Jack Hamburg, the duo earned a berth into the United States Tennis Association/ITA National Indoor Championship at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., where Goodman and Patel advanced to the quarterfinal round.
Drake had two players reach the semifinal round of the ITA Central Regional in singles for the second consecutive year as junior Matt Frost and sophomore Ben Lott advanced to the semifinals.
For their efforts, Goodman and Patel achieved a No. 8 national ranking, the highest in program history, in the 2014 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) preseason poll, while Frost checked in at No. 123 nationally in singles. As a team, Drake entered the 2014 spring campaign earning its highest-ever preseason rating at No. 30.
The 2012-13 campaign for the Bulldogs was one for the record books as Kozlowski helped Drake garner its third consecutive and seventh overall NCAA Tournament berth en route to establishing a school record for victories with a 25-4 ledger.
Drake entered the 2013 spring season with its then highest preseason ranking in program history by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), coming in at No. 45.
The Bulldogs opened their campaign with a tough 4-3 setback versus No. 33 Florida State at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Malibu, Calif., before rolling off 17 consecutive victories. During its winning streak, Drake registered triumphs on the road over No. 30 VCU (4-3), No. 66 Minnesota (4-3), No. 14 Washington (4-3) and No. 44 Memphis (4-1).
The Bulldogs achieved their highest ranking in school history on Feb. 26, 2012, as Drake was rated No. 27. The ranking moved up to No. 16 on March 5, 2013, after the Bulldogs downed No. 14 Washington, marking the highest-ranked opponent Drake had ever defeated.
The Bulldogs closed their campaign with a 6-1 mark, including a home win over No. 69 Wisconsin, en route to capturing their third straight regular season Missouri Valley Conference crown.
Kozlowski was honored by his peers for his coaching efforts as the 2013 MVC Coach of the Year, while senior James McKie garnered Player of the Year accolades for Drake for the seventh consecutive campaign. Joining McKie on the first team at the Nos. 2 and 3 singles positions, respectively, were sophomore Alen Salibasic and Goodman, while Jean Erasmus was tabbed to the MVC All-Select squad.
Despite being upset in the finals of the MVC Championship, the Bulldogs captured their first-ever at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Drake took full advantage of its opportunity registering the Bulldogs' first-ever NCAA Tournament triumph, a 4-1 decision past No. 34 TCU in Los Angeles, Calif., before top-seeded UCLA posted a 4-0 victory over Drake in the second round.
Off the court, Goodman and Salibasic earned first-team All-MVC Men's Tennis Scholar-Athlete honors, while Erasmus was chosen as an honorable mention selection. Salibasic garnered the MVC Elite 18 award presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point-average competing at the finals site of each of the league's 18 team championships. He later went on to be named a first-team honoree to the Capital One Academic All-America All-District VI At-Large team, as chosen by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Senior Anis Ghorbel became only the sixth Drake men's tennis player to be selected to participate in the NCAA Championship and first since 2008 with his inclusion as an automatic qualifier in the 64-player field. He dropped a 6-3, 4-6, 3-6 decision versus 11th-ranked Sebastian Fanselow of Pepperdine in the opening round at the NCAA Championship in Champaign, Ill.
Kozlowski, 38, came to UAB after spending three years as the Director of Tennis at Birchtree Swim and Racquet Club, a position he continued to hold until his appointment at Drake.
A native of Sarasota, Fla., Kozlowski played collegiate tennis at Auburn (1994-96) before transferring to Florida State for his final two seasons (1997-99). While competing for the Seminoles, Kozlowski was a regular in the FSU lineup both of his years in Tallahassee and played No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.
Following graduation from Florida State, Kozlowski played on the Futures and Challenger Circuit from 1999-2002.
He earned a bachelor's degree in social science from Florida State in 1999.
Kozlowski and his wife, Jennifer, have three children: Alex, Anya and Chase.
UP NEXT
Drake hosts No. 74 St. John's and Southern Illinois on April 4 at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center. The Bulldogs will battle the Red Storm at 10:00 a.m. before opening defense of their 2013 Missouri Valley Conference regular season title against the Salukis at 3:00 p.m.
