4/19-Kalmanovich, Illini top Spartans 6-1

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The No. 11 Illinois men’s tennis team ended the regular season on a high-note this afternoon, downing the Michigan State Spartans, 6-1 in East Lansing at the MSU Indoor Tennis Complex. The Illini swept all three doubles matches for the early 1-0 lead, and maintained the momentum in singles. “We had a better effort today on all courts,” Illinois head coach Brad Dancer said. “The guys came out with a sense of urgency and that’s what we need as we head to the postseason next weekend.” The Illini were a force in doubles, as all three Illini tandems took victories on their respective courts. The 49th-ranked Illinois duo of Marek Czerwinski and Marc Spicijaric started the ball rolling with an 8-4 win at No.1 doubles over MSU’s John Allare and Jason Norville. The Illini clinched the pivotal point as the Illini tandem of Brian Livingston and Dennis Nevolo notched another 8-4 victory at No. 2 doubles over the Spartans Alex Forger and John Stratton. With the point decided, the final doubles match was decided in a tiebreaker with the Illini duo of Meedo El Tabakh and Ruan Roelofse edging out the Spartans’ Austin Brooks and Brendan Kinkopf 8-7 (5) at No. 3 doubles. In singles, four of the six matches ended within 12 minutes of each other as the Illini won at Nos. 1,3,4, and 5 to clinch the victory. Livingston was the first to strike with a straight sets, 6-4, 6-1 win over Austin Brooks (MSU) at No. 5 singles. Junior Marek Czerwinski (ILL) defeated Scott Rasmussen (MSU) 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3 singles, while sophomore Abe Souza clinched the win for Illinois with a victory over Ronnie Hulewicz (MSU), 6-4, 6-1 at No. 4 singles. Sophomore Roy Kalmanovich, ranked 48th in the latest Campbell/ITA rankings, cruised to a straight sets 6-1, 6-4 win over Michigan State’s John Allare at No. 1 singles. At No. 6 singles, junior Meedo El Tabakh got the final Illini win of the afternoon, with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Michigan State’s John Stratton. Michigan State got on the board with a win at No. 2 singles in the final minutes of the match. The Illini now head to the 2009 Big Ten Tournament, hosted by the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, April 23-26, as the No. 2 seed and will face the winner of the #7/#10 match on Friday, April 24. Match Results April 19, 2009 (East Lansing, Mich.) #11 Illinois 6, Michigan State 1 Singles competition 1. #48 Roy Kalmanovich (ILLINOIS) def. John Allare (MSU-M) 6-1, 6-4 2. Alex Forger (MSU-M) def. #68 Marc Spicijaric (ILLINOIS) 6-4, 7-5 3. Marek Czerwinski (ILLINOIS) def. Scott Rasmussen (MSU-M) 6-3, 6-1 4. Abe Souza (ILLINOIS) def. Ronnie Hulewicz (MSU-M) 6-4, 6-1 5. Brian Livingston (ILLINOIS) def. Austin Brooks (MSU-M) 6-4, 6-1 6. Meedo El Tabakh (ILLINOIS) def. John Stratton (MSU-M) 6-3, 6-2 Doubles competition 1. #49 Marek Czerwinski/Marc Spicijaric (ILLINOIS) def. John Allare/Jason Norville (MSU-M) 8-4 2. Brian Livingston/Dennis Nevolo (ILLINOIS) def. Alex Forger/John Stratton (MSU-M) 8-4 3. Meedo El Tabakh/Ruan Roelofse (ILLINOIS) def. Austin Brooks/Brendan Kinkopf (MSU-M) 8-7 (8-5) Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,3,4,1,6,2)