The Basics
Drake men's tennis will hop back into conference play against Illinois State on Wednesday, Mar. 27 at 12:30 p.m. The match will be played in Bloomington, Illinois.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
The Bulldogs are 8-6 on the year and 1-0 in Summit League play. They are on a two-game losing streak but haven't completed a match since Mar. 12. Their most recent match was against UT Arlington on Mar. 15, but it was canceled mid-match due to storms. The first Summit League opponent the Bulldogs faced was North Dakota on Mar. 2. The Bulldogs played them at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center in Des Moines and defeated them 5-2.
Oliver Johansson and
Matija Matic defend the top doubles position for the Bulldogs. The duo is 7-5 in 2024 and has spent time on the ITA doubles rankings throughout the season.
Markus Bolin has the best record in singles play for the Bulldogs, sitting at 9-3. As a team in 2024, the Bulldogs are 36-37 in singles play and 20-17 in doubles.
Scouting the Competition
The Illinois State Redbirds are 12-10 overall and 1-0 in conference. From Mar. 22 to 23, the Redbirds competed in the Boise State Spring Fling in Boise, Idaho where they won one match and lost two. Their lone win was a 4-0 rout of Eastern Washington. The Redbirds were picked to finish fourth in the Summit League in the preseason poll.
Illinois State pencils in Tin Ostro and Emiliano Gonzalez in its top doubles spot. In the Boise State Spring Fling, the duo lost one match and had two go unfinished. The Redbirds' top singles competitor is former Summit League Player of the Year Nam Phan. Against Eastern Washington, Phan defeated his opponent in straight sets.
Drake is 22-4 historically against Illinois State men's tennis, and the teams have consistently played each other since 2004. The Bulldogs are on an eight-game winning streak against the Redbirds.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will host two matches in Des Moines at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center against Denver on Friday, April 5, and Oral Roberts on Saturday, April 6. Both opponents are Summit League opponents.
