Eastern Illinois men's and women's tennis continue this early season competition this weekend as both teams will be on the road for matches at Chicago State on Friday, North Dakota on Saturday and at Marquette on Sunday. The neutral site Saturday matches against North Dakota will be played in Milwaukee.
The EIU men are in their third week of the season entering the weekend with an 0-4 record. On Tuesday the Panthers played a pair of matches against UIC and Northern Illinois.
Thomas Wallace picked up a pair of wins at No. 5 singles in both matches. Wallace is currently the only EIU men's player with any singles wins this spring. In the season opener at Michigan State
Leighton Brandon pushed his match at No. 1 singles to three sets. On Tuesday
Pau Riera lost his No. 4 singles match to UIC in three sets.
In doubles play, EIU won the point against UIC winning at No. 1 doubles with Brandon and Riera and at No. 3 doubles with
Charles Courteau and
Max Pilipovic-Kljajic.
This will be the second weekend of action for the EIU women's team after losing a pair of matches last week at Ball State and at Illinois.
In the opener at Ball State, EIU lost 7-0 the Cardinals. Returning All-OVC performer
Elizaveta Bukraba-Ulanova lost at No. 2 singles 7-6 (4), 7-5. Burkraba-Ulanova was a second team All-OVC selection last spring. Senior
Rachel Papavasilopoulos was a first team All-OVC selection last spring and played at the No. 1 singles position in both matches.
Chicago State enters the weekend with a record of 1-3 on the men's side, 0-3 on the women's side. North Dakota and Marquette will play on Friday before facing EIU during the weekend. The North Dakota men are 0-2 while the women are 0-3. The Marquette men enter at 1-1 with the women holding a 1-3 record.
