The Saint Louis University men’s tennis team defeated Illinois
State 4-3 in a non-conference match on Saturday, March 27, at the
Billiken Tennis Center.

Ikaika Jobe, Lance Vodicka and Taylor Curran won in singles
competition, while Jobe and senior Sanjeev Paramanathan found
success in doubles action, defeating Usokovic/Gomez (8-6). Vodicka
and Curran also won in doubles action, defeating Link/Renard
(8-4).

The Billikens (7-14, 0-2 Conference USA) owe their success to
experience.

“In singles, I had to use my experience and strategy for playing
in windy conditions to succeed. One side was easy to serve and
set-up your points on.

The side against the wind was difficult and you had to scrape
and claw for every point,” Vodicka said. “In doubles, Taylor Curran
and I played smart tennis early in the match and played resiliently
and patiently in the latter part of the match leading us to
victory. A good first serve percentage and aggressive net play also
were crucial to our victory.”

The Billikens got off to a slow start this year, but have won
three straight matches after defeating Creighton and Oral Roberts
in the past few weeks. Vodicka believes the Billikens’ recent
success is due to being “hungry for victories more so now than
ever. We were tired of losing close hard-fought matches; when you
are hungry for something you are willing to put in the extra work.
Our on-court and off-court training have been more efficient and
intense as of late. We are all assuming more personal
responsibility for what we bring to the entire team.”

Vodicka hopes that the Billikens continue their success against
Wright State, a college from Dayton, Ohio, on Senior Day, on
Saturday, April 9th.

“It is essential that we improve our speed, quickness, and
conditioning. We possess solid talent but we must work hard on the
little things that in turn make a big difference. Patience, having
a positive image and attitude and determination for success will
help our cause,” Vodicka said. Match play begins at 9 a.m. at the
Billiken Tennis Center.

On the women’s side, after three losses this weekend the women’s
tennis squad fell to 1-17. Despite this tumultuous record, all is
not lost.

The Billikens played recent matches much closer, and look to
knock off Wright State University, this Saturday in St. Louis.
After the match on Saturday, the Billikens will begin preparations
for the Conference USA tournament, which starts on April 15.

The Billikens proved overmatched in their previous contest
against Big XII powerhouse Nebraska as they fell to defeat, 7-0.
However, they previously took another Big XII school, Iowa State,
and Creighton down to the wire 4-3, in both matches.

Junior Melissa Cutler feels good about the team heading into the
match against the Raiders. “I am really confident going into this
match. We are really playing a lot better as a team and I feel
better individually too,” Cutler said. The Billikens go into this
match with a new lineup, which features three freshmen in the top
three slots.

Conversely, this Saturday’s match is the last at home for two
players, Rebecca Steer and Cutler, who is in her last year of
eligibility. Steer has been a varsity mainstay for the Billikens
throughout the past three seasons. She has been slotted mainly at
the no. 6 singles spot, as well as playing third doubles.

Steer said this has been one of her most enjoyable years of
tennis and her favorite part was getting to watch the freshmen
mature and take the top spots.

The other senior to be honored on Saturday will be Melissa
Cutler. Cutler, too, has been a mainstay since the 2001 season, but
she joined the Billikens late after transferring from Old Dominion
University. She has done solid work in holding down the number four
singles spot for the Billikens. Cutler believes the team has a lot
of momentum going into the match Saturday. She said the Billikens
are gaining confidence every week. She also feels secure about
leaving the team in its current state. “There is a great foundation
laid down, and we are really building momentum for the coming years
in this program,” assured Cutler.

Coach Jonathan Zych’s program will miss the veteran leadership
that Cutler and Steer have provided this season.

They have been instrumental in guiding the younger players into
the scary water that is college tennis. But, the girls feel they
are ready to move on, even though they both feel their time on the
team was far too short.

They both plan on trying to be graduate assistants with a tennis
program in the future. Cutler plans on attending medical school,
and Steer hopes to always play tennis in addition to becoming a
tennis coach at some point.

The tennis team will pay tribute to these two during their last
home match Saturday.