Northwestern
Butler
Northwestern Blanks Butler, 7-0
1/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 18, 2009
Results
EVANSTON, Ill. -- In the first of two Sunday duals, Northwestern defeated Butler to kick off its 2009 spring season. The Wildcats picked up two of three doubles matches and all six singles matches en route to a 7-0 victory.
Alex Sanborn (Houston, Texas/Kinkaid) and Joshua Graves (Milwaukee, Wis./Nicolet) dominated at No. 2 doubles against Butler's Lenz Theodor and Stephen McLoughlin, going up an early break and then reeling off five straight points to win 8-3.
The duo of Alexander Thams (Stockholm, Sweden/Enskilda Gymnasiet) and Eric Spector (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) sealed the point for Northwestern at No. 3 doubles over the Bulldogs' Brandon Bayliss and Ben Raynauld. The match included seven combined breaks of serve, capped off by a final Northwestern break of the Butler serve for an 8-6 victory.
Even though the doubles point was already decided in Northwestern's favor, all eyes were on Court 3 as the pair of Tobias Reitz (Reinbeck, Germany/Sachsenwaldschule Reinbeck) and Marc Dwyer (Peachtree City, Ga./University of Nebraska - Independent Study H.S.) fought back from two break points down to force a tiebreak against Butler's Chris Herron and Bryce Warren. The 'Cats were in a 3-7 hole and clawed back to even it up at 7-7, but the Bulldogs proved too tough and won the tiebreak 7-4.
The first singles match off the courts was Thams' dismantling of Butler's Theodor, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 2. The Wildcat picked up match point with a cross-court drop volley winner and sealed the victory off a Bulldog error.
NU freshmen Eric Spector and Josh Graves excelled in their dual match debuts, coasting to easy straight-set victories to pick up the dual victory for Northwestern, 4-0.
Spector defeated the Bulldogs' Warren at No. 4 singles, 6-2, 6-1. The freshman dominated the second set and wrapped up the match by breaking Warren's serve with a backhand volley winner.
Graves' 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 5 singles over Butler's Brandon Bayliss was equally as convincing. After an easy first set, the second set started off tight as the two players each broke serve twice. It was level at 3-3 before Graves picked it up and won the next three points to win the set.
At No. 3 singles, junior captain Sanborn blanked the Bulldogs' Chris Herron in the first set and also dominated the second set for a 6-0, 6-3 victory. Sanborn's victory put the 'Cats up 5-0 for the dual.
Senior Marc Dwyer at No. 1 singles was the next to finish, posting a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Butler's Raynauld. After a tight first set in which he was broken once serving for the set, Dwyer dominated the second set.
The last match on the courts at No. 6 singles, sophomore Peter Rispoli (Naples, Fla./St. Stephen's (Texas)) won his match, 7-6(5), 6-4.
Final Results
Doubles
1.Herron/Warren(BU) def. Dwyer/Reitz(NU), 8-7(4)
2.Sanborn/Graves(NU) def. McLoughlin/Theodor(BU), 8-3
3.Spector/Thams(NU) def. Bayliss/Raynauld(BU), 8-6
Singles
1.Dwyer(NU) def. Raynauld(BU), 6-3, 6-1
2.Thams(NU) def. Theodor(BU), 6-0, 6-0
3.Sanborn(NU) def. Herron(BU), 6-0, 6-3
4.Spector(NU) def. Warren(BU), 6-2, 6-1
5.Graves(NU) def. Bayliss, 6-1, 6-3
6.Rispoli(NU) def. Ervin(BU), 7-6(5), 6-4
Players Mentioned
