GoFrogs: Horned Frogs Topple Illinois, 5-2

Final Stats

FORT WORTH, Texas – Another strong performance in doubles and singles action propelled the No. 8 TCU men’s tennis team to a 5-2 victory over No. 11 Illinois on Sunday afternoon at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Ill.

The Horned Frogs (8-2) earned their second victory of the season over the Illini (7-5) after taking the doubles point and then scoring four straight-set victories in singles action.

After dropping the doubles match on court one, TCU rebounded with Alex Rybakov and Guillermo Nuñez nabbing their fifth victory over the season with a 6-2 win on court three. Hudson Blake and Reese Stalder completed the doubles point with their fourth victory in dual match action with a 6-4 win on court two.

Jerry Lopez quickly put TCU up 2-0 by claiming a team-best 15th win of the season by defeating Pablo Landa, 6-2, 6-1. Illinois then scored its first point with a win at the top spot, but the Frogs came right back with wins on courts two and three to clinch the overall match victory. No. 2 Cameron Norrie grabbed his ninth win of the season over a ranked foe with a 6-4, 7-5 win over No. 9 Aleks Vukic, while No. 49 Nuñez defeated No. 66 Aron Hiltzik, 7-6(6), 6-3.

Quotes of the Match
Head Coach David Roditi
Opening Statement
“It was very nice to get that doubles point today. There was a great comeback from Hudson Blake and Reese Stalder to clinch the doubles point for us. In singles, there was a battle all the way around. Beating Aleks Vukic is something to be proud of for Cameron Norrie because he doesn’t lose to just anybody. There was also a very mature performance today by Nunez to beat Aron Hiltzik andJerry Lopez did what he needed to do and got off the court quickly. I’m very proud of the way we handled the good crowd and stayed focused in our match. Illinois had a great win last night over No. 2 Virginia and it’s not easy to bounce back the next day and play another top team. We now get to be outdoors and be ready for another tough road trip to USF and UCF.”

Match Results
TCU vs Illinois
Feb 28, 2016 at Urbana, Ill.
(Atkins Tennis Center)
#8 TCU 5, #11 Illinois 2

Singles competition
1. #11 Jared Hiltzik (ILL) def. #24 Alex Rybakov (TCU) 6-4, 7-6 (7-1)
2. #2 Cameron Norrie (TCU) def. #9 Aleks Vukic (ILL) 6-4, 7-5
3. #49 Guillermo Nuñez (TCU) def. #66 Aron Hiltzik (ILL) 7-6 (8-6), 6-3
4. #99 Eduardo Nava (TCU) def. Julian Childers (ILL) 7-5, 1-6, 7-5
5. Jerry Lopez (TCU) def. Pablo Landa (ILL) 6-2, 6-1
6. Asher Hirsch (ILL) def. Trevor Johnson (TCU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Jared Hiltzik/Alex Jesse (ILL) def. Cameron Norrie/Trevor Johnson (TCU) 6-0
2. Hudson Blake/Reese Stalder (TCU) def. Aron Hiltzik/Aleks Vukic (ILL) 6-4
3. Alex Rybakov/Guillermo Nuñez (TCU) def. Julian Childers/Brian Page (ILL) 6-2

Match Notes:
TCU 8-2; National ranking #8
Illinois 7-5; National ranking #11
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,1,2,3,6,4)
T-2:30 A-407

Up Next
TCU will continue action on the road, as they travel to Florida to face USF and UCF. The team will take on USF on Saturday, March 5 in Tampa, Fla., before heading to Orlando, Fla., to face UCF on Sunday, March 6.