McLean County Times

On a challenging day at Evergreen Racquet Club in Bloomington, Illinois, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's tennis team faced a formidable opponent in North Central College. The match concluded with a 9-0 defeat for IWU against the 24th-ranked Cardinals on Friday, April 12. This result leaves IWU with an overall record of 9-5 and marks their first loss in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), dropping to 2-1 in league play. North Central College improved its season record to 18-3 and maintained an unbeaten streak in CCIW matches, advancing to 4-0.

The competition began with doubles matches where IWU's athletes showed determination. At No. 1 doubles, sophomore Ian Turnbull and senior Ryan McCoy forced a tiebreaker but ultimately fell short, losing 8-7(4) to their opponents from NCC. In the No. 2 doubles match, sophomore Ben Vigneri and junior Zeke Cross were defeated with a score of 8-4. Freshman Thad Dillow and sophomore Griffin Hammond played at No. 3 doubles but lost their match 8-5.

In singles play, Turnbull put up a strong effort at the top position but was narrowly defeated in his first set before losing the second set more decisively. McCoy also faced tough competition at No. 3 singles; after dropping his first set, he made significant efforts in the second but eventually succumbed to his NCC rival.

The Titans will quickly return to action as they travel to Rock Island, Illinois, for another conference matchup against Augustana College on Saturday, April 13. The game is scheduled for a start time of 4 p.m., with live stats available online and results posted on iwusports.com following the event.

Singles competition results:

1. Ramon Vilarroig (NCCM) defeated Ian Turnbull (IWU) - scores: 7-5, 6-2

2. M Sengphommachanh (NCCM) defeated Ben Vigneri (IWU) - scores: 6-2, 6-3

3. Justin Penados (NCCM) defeated Ryan McCoy (IWU) - scores: 6-3, 7-5

4. Rafael Lessa (NCCM) defeated Thad Dillow (IWU) - scores: 6-2, 6-2

5. Daniel Estanislao (NCCM) defeated Zeke Cross (IWU) - scores: 6-3, 6-4

6. Henry Ros (NCCM) defeated Griffin Hammond (IWU) - scores: 6-0, 6-1

Doubles competition results:

1. Ramon Vilarroig/M Sengphommachanh (NCCM) defeated Ian Turnbull/Ryan McCoy (IWU) - score:8–7(7–4)

2. Wyatt Crowell/Henry Ros(NCCM)defeated Ben Vigneri/Zeke Cross(IWU)-score:8–4

3.Rafael Lessa/Daniel Estanislao(NCCM )defeated Thad Dillow/Griffin Hammond(IWU)-score :8–5