McLean County Times

The Illinois State men's tennis team faced a challenging match against Grand Canyon University, resulting in a 4-0 defeat. The competition took place at the Colter Tennis Facility in Phoenix, Arizona. The Redbirds, holding a record of 4-10, struggled against the nationally-ranked No. 62 team, now boasting an 8-3 record.

In doubles play, Grand Canyon University secured victories across all three matches. Patoux and Da Silva defeated Tomas Valencia and Adrian Dibildox with a score of 6-4. Volonski and Macababbad won against Tin Ostro and Caden Scarlett by a close 5-4 margin. Lastly, Lugari and McGarvey triumphed over Tom Bevan and Manuel Pavia with a decisive 6-2.

The singles matches saw similar outcomes for Illinois State. In the top singles match, Volonski from GCU was up against Tomas Valencia; however, their match remained unfinished at 1-6, 6-2 before it concluded as "UF." Patoux overcame Adrian Dibildox with scores of 6-4 and 6-2. Another unfinished match involved Lugaei versus Tin Ostro, ending at 3-6, 4-3 as "UF." McGarvey's encounter with Jett Leong also ended as "UF" at scores of 4-6, 2-3. Meanwhile, Da Silva defeated Caden Scarlett decisively at 6-1, 6-2. Finally, Macababbad won against Tom Bevan with scores of 6-2 and 6-4.

The Illinois State team will continue its tour on Saturday with a match against Saint Mary's Gaels at Grand Canyon University's campus.

For updates on Illinois State men's tennis events and activities, fans can visit GoRedbirds.com or follow the team on social media platforms "X" (RedbirdMTEN) and Instagram (redbirdmtennis).