WICHITA, Kan. – The 51^st-ranked Drake men's tennis team rolled past Southern Illinois, winning 4-0, in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Saturday.

The Bulldogs didn't waste any time, taking a lead by winning the doubles point. Ben Lott and Ben Stride blanked Wilder Pimentel and Alex Wilder, 6-0 at the No. 2 spot as Bayo Philips and Ben Wood clinched the point with 6-3 at No. 1.

Drake went on to dominate singles with all six courts winning the first set. Freshman Tom Hands was the first one off, cruising past Pozo, 6-1, 6-1 at the No. 5 spot. Stride defeated Daniel Martinez, 7-5, 6-0 at the No. 6 spot to put Drake up 3-0. Freshman Vinny Gillespie clinched the match for the Bulldogs with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Piotr Barnski.

The Bulldogs advance to the MVC championship match and will square off against host Wichita State at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Drake 4, Southern Illinois 0
Apr 30, 2016 at Wichita, Kan. (Sheldon Coleman Tennis Complex) 

Singles competition

1. Rigby, Jonny (SIU) vs. Lott, Ben (DU) 1-6, 3-5, unfinished

2. Gillespie, Vinny (DU) def. Baranski, Piotr (SIU) 6-3, 6-4

3. Pimentel, Wilder (SIU) vs. MacGeoch, Calum (DU) 4-6, 4-2, unfinished

4. Molloy, Peter (SIU) vs. Bayo Phillips (DU) 3-6, 4-3, unfinished

5. Hands, Tom (DU) def. Pozo, Alex (SIU) 6-1, 6-1

6. Stride, Ben (DU) def. Martinez, Daniel (SIU) 7-5, 6-0

 

Doubles competition

1. Bayo Phillips/Wood, Ben (DU) def. Rigby, Jonny/Baranski, Piotr (SIU) 6-3

2. Lott, Ben/Stride, Ben (DU) def. Pimentel, Wilder/Pozo, Alex (SIU) 6-0

3. Molloy, Peter/Martinez, Daniel (SIU) def. Gillespie, Vinny/MacGeoch, Calum (DU) 6-4

 

Match Notes

Drake 17-11

Southern Illinois 14-5

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

MVC Tournament - Semifinals

Drake advances to championship match