Terre Haute, Ind. - After splitting a pair of matches last Sunday to open up their spring season, the Illinois Tech men's tennis team took to the road Saturday afternoon for a matchup with Rose-Hulman, a team they had beaten twice last season, including in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championships. Despite dropping all three matches in the opening doubles competition, the Scarlet Hawks overcame their early deficit to come back and win the match 4-3 after Eduardo Lopez won his number five singles match in three sets to secure the comeback victory. The Scarlet Hawks improved to 2-2 on the young season. The Fightin' Engineers dropped to 2-2.

Doubles - Rose-Hulman 3 - Illinois Tech 0 (Rose-Hulman wins the lone doubles team point)
The Scarlet Hawks battled but could not secure a doubles match victory on this afternoon. The number three doubles team of Lopez and Tejas Sheth fell 6-3 as the first doubles match to complete. Pedro Caroa-Accino Roca and Hozumi Tada dropped their number two doubles match 6-4. The number one doubles team of Pol Dueso Guell and Avneet Singh extended their match deeper before finally falling in their match 7-5.

Singles - Illinois Tech 4 - Rose-Hulman 2 (Illinois Tech secures the four match wins required for victory)
The Scarlet Hawks split the first two matches to start singles play, with Singh falling in his number three singles match 6-2, 6-2, and Dueso Guell winning the number four singles match 6-1, 6-4. Roca won his number one singles match 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 to draw the Hawks even at 2-2. Sheth followed that up with a three-set victory in the number six singles match, 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-4 for his first career collegiate singles match victory, and moving the Hawks up 3-2. But Rose-Hulman would  respond, however, winning the number two singles match against Illinois Tech's Tada 4-6, 6-1, setting the stage for the match tie-breaker. Lopez started out strong in his number five singles match, winning the first set 6-4. Lopez battled in the second set but ultimately fell 6-7 (5-7). Lopez then won the third, deciding set in the match 6-3 to claim the fourth and final team point needed for the overall match victory.  

Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks return home this coming Friday, February 7th, when they host Roosevelt University at 8:00pm in a non-conference tilt at the XS Tennis Center.