DES MOINES, Iowa – The 39th-ranked Drake University men's tennis team collected wins over Western Michigan, 4-3, and Green Bay, 4-1, on Sunday at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.

The Bulldogs dropped the doubles point for the first time this season as the Broncos managed to pull off a pair of tiebreaker victories on courts 2 and 3.

Bayo Philips evened it up at one with a 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 2 singles. Freshman Tom Hands put the Bulldogs ahead 2-1, winning 7-5, 6-3 at No. 6. The Broncos took a 3-2 lead with wins on court five and four.

The final two singles matches came down to third set tiebreakers. Freshman Vinny Gillespie split the first two sets 6-3, 5-7, before winning the third set tiebreaker 7-5 and tying the match up at three. The fourth and decisive point came down to court one between senior Ben Lott and WM's Jefta Kecic. Lott took the first set in a tiebreaker as Kecic came away with the second set 6-4. Lott gave Drake the match by winning the third set tiebreaker 10-8.

For the second straight match the Bulldogs dropped the doubles point, but they didn't allow that to affect them in singles play.

Gillespie rolled over Green Bay's Florian Kraenzler, 6-3, 6-0 at No. 3, while Hands earned his second win of the day, defeating GB's Matej Kostadinov 6-2, 6-4 at No. 6 to give Drake a 2-1 lead. Sophomore Calum MacGeoch cruised to a first set win, 6-0, before closing out his match with a second set tiebreaker victory. Sophomore Ben Stride had to comeback from being down a set to clinch the match for the Bulldogs. He dropped the first set 6-4 and forced a third set after a second set tiebreaker victory. Stride used his momentum from the tiebreaker to dominate the third set, winning 6-1.

The Bulldogs will return to action at nationally-ranked Minnesota on Feb. 14.

#39 Drake 4, Western Michigan 3
Feb 07, 2016 at Des Moines, Iowa (Roger Knapp Center) 

Singles competition

1. Lott, Ben (DU) def. Jefta Kecic (WMU) 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (10-8)

2. Philips, Bayo (DU) def. Maik Steiner (WMU) 6-4, 6-3

3. Gillespie, Vinny (DU) def. Matt Hamilton (WMU) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5)

4. Matej Svjetlicic (WMU) def. MacGeoch, Calum (DU) 7-5, 7-5

5. Ruben Greiner (WMU) def. Clark, Ben (DU) 6-3, 6-3

6. Hands, Tom (DU) def. Daniel Loebel (WMU) 7-5, 6-3

 

Doubles competition

1. Philips, Bayo/Gillespie, Vinny (DU) def. Ruben Greiner/Daniel Loebel (WMU) 6-2

2. Matt Hamilton/Maik Steiner (WMU) def. Lott, Ben/MacGeoch, Calum (DU) 7-6 (7-2)

3. Jefta Kecic/Jimmy Beckwith (WMU) def. Clark, Ben/Wood, Ben (DU) 7-6 (7-5)

 

Match Notes

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

 
#39 Drake 4, Green Bay 1
Feb 07, 2016 at Des Moines, Iowa (Roger Knapp Tennis Center) 

Singles competition

1. Lott, Ben (DU) vs. Leo Gomez Islinger (GB) 6-4, 5-7, 4-3, unfinished

2. Philips, Bayo (DU) vs. Howard Scott (GB) 6-7 (9-11), 6-3, 1-2, unfinished

3. Gillespie, Vinny (DU) def. Florian Kraenzler (GB) 6-3, 6-0

4. MacGeoch, Calum (DU) def. Joshua Schramm (GB) 6-0, 7-6 (7-4)

5. Stride, Ben (DU) def. Joey Leto (GB) 4-6, 7-6, 6-1

6. Hands, Tom (DU) def. Matej Kostadinov (GB) 6-2, 6-4

 

Doubles competition

1. Leo Gomez Islinger/Florian Kraenzler (GB) def. Philips, Bayo/Gillespie, Vinny (DU) 7-6 (7-5)

2. Howard Scott/Joey Leto (GB) def. Clark, Ben/Wood, Ben (DU) 6-4

3. Stride, Ben/MacGeoch, Calum (DU) vs. Rowan Isaaks/Miles McDowall (GB) 6-5, unfinished

 

Match Notes

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