DES MOINES, Iowa – The No. 38 Drake University men's tennis team improved to 4-1 on the season with a 5-2 victory over visiting Nebraska Friday night at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.
Drake secured the doubles point and then collected victories on courts Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 to cruise past the Huskers.
Nebraska's Chris Hobgarski tied the match at No. 5 in the first singles match to finish on the night with a 6-3, 6-1, win before No. 30 Ben Lott (Newcastle, England) registered a 6-3, 6-2, win over Marc Hermann at No. 2 singles to give Drake the lead for good.
Matt Frost (London, England) put Drake up 3-1 with a 6-2, 7-5, win at No. 3. The reigning MVC Player of the Week and 46th-ranked singles player, Alen Salibasic (Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina) sealed the match with a 7-6, 6-3, win over Dusty Boyer at No. 1 singles.
Ravi Patel (London, England) won Drake's final match of the evening with a 7-5, 6-4, win at No. 4 prior to Nebraska's Vasile Stavropouls picking up a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, win at No. 6 to account for the final 5-2 tally.
Salibasic and Lott won their doubles match, 6-3, and the tandem of Frost and Patel secured the doubles point with a 6-1 triumph to start the match.
Drake continues its season on Sunday afternoon when it hosts No. 51 Dartmouth at noon in the Roger Knapp Tennis Center. The Big Green will the fourth ranked foe the Bulldogs have faced this season.
#38 Drake 5, Nebraska 2
Jan 30, 2015 at Des Moines, Iowa (Roger Knapp Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #40 Salibasic, Alen (DU) def. Boyer, Dusty (UNL) 7-6, 6-3
2. #30 Lott, Ben (DU) def. Hermann, Marc (UNL) 6-3, 6-2
3. Frost, Matt (DU) def. Dzulynsky, Andrew (UNL) 6-2, 7-5
4. Patel, Ravi (DU) def. Erhart, Linus (UNL) 7-5, 6-4
5. Hobgarski, Chris (UNL) def. Stride, Ben (DU) 6-3, 6-1
6. Stavropoulos, Vasile (UNL) def. Philips, Bayo (DU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Salibasic, Alen/Lott, Ben (DU) def. Boyer, Dusty/Zitsch, Bradford (UNL) 6-3
2. Frost, Matt/Patel, Ravi (DU) def. Elsass, Scott/Erhart, Linus (UNL) 6-1
3. Philips, Bayo/Stride, Ben (DU) vs. Hermann, Marc/Hobgarski, Chris (UNL) 4-5, unfinished
Match Notes
Nebraska 0-2
Drake 4-1; National ranking #38
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (5,2,3,1,4,6)
