Spring is the time for cleaning, and this past Wednesday the Saint Louis University men’s tennis team was swept. The Billikens were handed one of their most lopsided losses of their season, falling to the Salukis of Southern Illinois 7-0.
The Bills were dominated from the start of the match. Senior Mike Leise was the only Billiken to win a singles set at the No. 4 spot.
The senior team of Bill Tanurchis and G.T. Cozad were the only Billikens to post a win in the route. They held down the No. 1 doubles spot by winning 9-8.
The rest of the Billikens did not fare so well. Tanurchis went down in the No. 1 singles match in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1.
Cozad tried to defend the No. 2 spot but fell hard, losing 6-2, 6-2. Freshman Michael Hoosien also took a tumble trying to win at the No. 3 spot, losing 6-3, 6-4. Freshman Eric Sasser also suffered a tough loss at the final singles spot, 6-1, 6-4.
The No. 2 doubles team of Hoosien and Leise played tough but couldn’t come up with a win, falling 9-7. The final doubles team of Sasser and Andrews absorbed the toughest defeat, not winning a point, 8-0.
The men’s and women’s tennis teams now have to prepare for Northwest Missouri State. The Billikens will take the court at 3 p.m. at the Billiken Tennis Center.
In other tennis news, junior Ingrid Habony was named women’s tennis Athlete of the Week. Her stellar performance against the University of Evansville last week earned her the honor.
Habony won her No. 5 singles match 6-2, 6-3. Then in doubles competition Habony and senior Courtney Hague won 9-7 in the No. 1 match. Her victories pushed her overall record to 4-1.