Royal Purple

Issue date: 2/6/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Alison Wisneski UW-Whitewater senior David Stefanik prepares to serve to an opponent duringSunday's 9-0 victory against Concordia University in the Kachel Fieldhouse.

After losing for the first time last weekend against nationally ranked Division I UW-Madison, the men's tennis team cruised to three 9-0 dual victories in the Warhawk Invitational during the weekend.

The 'Hawks began the weekend by downing the No. 17 Wheaton College Thunder at the Four Lakes Athletic Center in Elkhorn and continued its success Sunday with clean sweeps over Michigan Tech and Concordia University in Kachel Fieldhouse.

The Thunder proved to be UW-Whitewater's stiffest challenge. The No. 1 doubles team of junior Alex Lowe and sophomore Robin Borg fought off two match points, before winning five consecutive games for a 9-7 win over highly touted players Josh Williams and Justin Miller. Senior Johnny Reed and junior Erich Palecek were part of an exciting tiebreaker that ended in a 9-8 triumph.

"We knew Wheaton would offer a tough test, and I believe our players responded well," Barnes said. "We had to overcome adversity, as we fought through many difficult matches and Borg had to work past an injury to earn his victory."

Borg, who along with Lowe is ranked No. 8 in doubles, finished the invite with an impressive 4-0 record, but was nagged by an ankle injury in all of his matches.

"I have a minor ankle sprain and it was definitely a factor this weekend, but the trainers, who have been great with me, will re-evaluate it this week and I hope to be ready for the next match," Borg said.

Lowe, who is ranked No. 21 in the Midwest Region, explained that mental toughness and his improved serving ability were the keys in his wins.

"Overall, all parts of my game were clicking in the Wheaton singles match, and in the doubles match, Robin and I stayed strong and were really pumped after the big comeback," Lowe said.

Against Michigan Tech and Concordia, Barnes decided to give all 13 team members the opportunity to play in the varsity line-up and gain valuable match experience.

"We achieved our goals this weekend and I was pleased we never lost focus, because we have to take every match seriously and come out with great intensity if we want to continue to win," Barnes said.

The No. 7 'Hawks will battle the No. 13 University of Chicago Maroons Sunday in Elkhorn.

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