2014 OVC Tennis Tournament Info

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Eastern Illinois men's tennis dropped a tough 4-3 First Round match to open Ohio Valley Conference Tournament action versus Austin Peay on Thursday (April 17) afternoon.  The Panthers end the season at 7-10 overall after earning a spot in the post-season field for the first time since the 2009 campaign.

Down 3-0 early in the match, the Panthers battled back to knot the team score at three-all, before losing the final singles matchup, as the contest ultimately came down to the doubles point.  EIU fell behind 1-0 following consecutive 8-4 losses at the No. 1 and No. 3 duo spots.

Then in singles, the defending tourney champion Govs, as the No. 3-Seed this season, quickly nabbed consecutive straight wins at the top two spots in the lineup.  But the Panthers would earn three consecutive wins as senior Kevin Bauman and sophomores Robert Skolik and Rui Silva each hit past their respective No. 5, No. 4 and No. 6 opponents in straight sets to tie the match.

Unfortunately, fellow sophomore Ryan Henderson would drop a hard-fought No. 3 battle (7-6 [7-3] and 6-3) to account for the final team score, as the Govs will now advance to face the No. 2-Belmont Bruins in tomorrow's semifinal .

Bauman ends his fine Panther career with an overall 32-26 singles and 28-25 doubles record, as he lead EIU this season with an 11-5 overall singles tally, which included going 6-2 in OVC contests.

The Panthers are set to return seven players from this season's squad next year.

EIU Men vs. APSU Men
Apr. 13, 2014 at Paducah, Ky.
(Larry J. Heflin Tennis Center)

#3-Austin Peay 4, #6-Eastern Illinois 3

Singles
1. Jasmin Ademovic (APSU) def. Moritz Kandt (EIU) - 6-0, 6-0
2. Dimitar Ristovski (APSU) def. Grant Thompson (EIU) - 6-0, 6-2
3. Aleksas Tverijonas (APSU) def. Ryan Henderson (EIU) - 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
4. Robert Skolik (EIU) def. Iago Seffrin (APSU) - 6-1, 6-1
5. Kevin Bauman (EIU) def. James Mitchell (APSU) - 6-1, 6-3
6. Rui Silva (EIU) def. Manuel Montenegro (APSU) - 7-5, 6-1

Doubles
1. Ademovic/Tverijonas (APSU) def. Skolik/Bauman (EIU) - 8-4
2. Henderson/Silva (EIU) led Seffrin/Ristovski (APSU) - 7-4, unfinished
3. Mitchell/Montenegro (APSU) def. Kandt/Thompson (EIU) - 8-4

Match Notes:
Eastern Illinois 7-10
Austin Peay 13-6

Order of finish: Doubles (1,3*); Singles (1,2,5,4,6,3*)

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament - First Round
Official: Larry Sloan T-3:17 A-24

... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID