BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Drake University men's tennis team swept Illinois State, 4-0, in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Saturday at the Bloomington Tennis Center.
 
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 1-0 lead by winning the doubles point. Juniors Ben Stride and Ben Wood topped Dylan Steffens and Christoffer Greve 6-2 at No. 3 doubles, while sophomores Vinny Gillespie and Tom Hands secured the doubles point with a 7-5 win at No. 2.
 
Drake kept its momentum into singles play and took the first set in five of six matches. Hands cruised past Greve 6-2, 6-2 at No. 5, while sophomore Ben Clark rolled past Egehan Sertkaya, 6-3, 6-0 to give Drake a commanding 3-0 lead.
 
Junior Calum MacGeoch clinched the sweep with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Matias Chomali at No. 4.
 
The Bulldogs will play for the MVC Championship title against Southern Illinois on Sunday at 10 a.m.
 
Drake 4, Illinois State 0
Apr 29, 2017 at Bloomington, Ill.
(Bloomington Tennis Center)
 
Singles competition
1. Gillespie, Vinny (DUM) vs. Urh Krajnc Domiter (ILSM) 4-6, 4-1, unfinished
2. Stride, Ben (DUM) vs. Dylan Steffens (ILSM) 6-0, 0-6, 4-4, unfinished
3. Philips, Bayo (DUM) vs. Andreas Boers (ILSM) 6-1, 5-5, unfinished
4. MacGeoch, Calum (DUM) def. Matias Chomali (ILSM) 6-4, 6-2
5. Hands, Tom (DUM) def. Christoffer Greve (ILSM) 6-2, 6-2
6. Clark, Ben (DUM) def. Egehan Sertkaya (ILSM) 6-3, 6-0
 
 Doubles competition
1. Philips, Bayo/Thorold, Barnaby (DUM) vs. Urh Krajnc Domiter/Matias Chomali (ILSM) 4-5, unfinished
2. Gillespie, Vinny/Hands, Tom (DUM) def. Andreas Boers/Egehan Sertkaya (ILSM) 7-5
3. Stride, Ben/Wood, Ben (DUM) def. Dylan Steffens/Christoffer Greve (ILSM) 6-2
Match Notes:
Illinois State 8-15 (0-3 MVC)
Drake 15-11 (3-0 MVC)
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (5,6,2,4)
MVC Team Tennis Championships Semifinal