DE Assistant Sports Editor

SIUC’s men’s tennis team took the first step toward a winning season with a decent performance at the Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Individual Tennis Invitational Jan. 26-28.

Five SIUC players competed in the tournament, and while the Salukis did not win a flight championship, several players faired well in consolation play.

Advertisement

Sophomore Jack Oxler captured the flight three singles consolation title and freshman Mick Smyth advanced to the consolation finals at No. 2 singles.

SIUC tennis coach David Paschal said he was pleased with his players’ work on the court, and the tournament would help the squad prepare for future matches.

I think it’s a good start, he said. It’s a very individualized tournament. You just look at it as how each individual is playing, and what you need to work on.

Paschal said he expects Smyth to learn from his experience at the number two position and to improve upon it in conference play.

This was a big stepping stone for Mick because it showed him he can play with all the No. 2s in the conference.

Smyth, who played No. 4 singles last year, said the tournament helped him adjust to playing a new position.

I really gained a lot of confidence in the tournament, he said. It showed me I have a good shot this year, because I played No. 4 last year and it’s a big step.

Advertisement*

Sophomore Brian Etzkin lost in the first round in flight four singles, but advanced to the second round of consolation.

Paschal said Etzkin is much improved from the fall, and should have a good spring.

He’s working hard and has a good attitude, he said.

SIUC’s doubles teams did not finish well in tournament play. The pairs of senior Bojan Vuckovic and Oxler and Smyth and Etzkin were knocked out of competition in the first round.

Paschal said the team is weakest in its doubles play, and plans to stress doubles in February practices.

We’re definitely a better singles team than doubles team, he said. We’ve got to get back to the fundamentals of doubles. So that’s going to be one of our target areas for the month.

Oxler agreed with Paschal, and said the team will benefit from the month of practice.

We’ll be ready to start competition then.

The tournament also served as a showcase for MVC talent, Paschal said.

The biggest surprise is that most of the teams have three players that could be one or two players. There’s a lot of depth in the conference, he said. Also, with how well some of the lower teams are getting much stronger than they had been in the past.