UIC concluded the opening weekend of competition with its second road match against top level opposition in as many days. The Flames fell to 0-2 on the young season as the experience of Western Michigan (1-0), defending MAC champions and NCAA participants a year ago, propelled the Broncos to a 7-0 victory at Sorensen Courts in Kalamazoo Sunday afternoon.
Head coach
Hans Neufeld knew the Broncos would pose a tough test for his young squad. "Western is a solid team and I'm proud of how the guys played," he said, "but we didn't match their intensity. We need to be able to step it up and press right from the start."
The Broncos got off to a good start by taking the doubles point via a sweep of the three matches.
Carl Hedstrom and
Niko Wasilewicz dropped a 6-3 decision at the number one position to Western's Steiner and Opitz in what turned out to be the most competitive of the doubles contests.
Marcelo Dib and
William Wale, the Flames' doubles victors Saturday at DePaul, couldn't replicate their success against the buzzsaw of Nouchi and Loebel, who rolled to a 6-0 win.
Nate Campanile and
Christian San Andres dropped the number three doubles match to Heckman and Schnoebel, 6-1.
Continuing the theme, all of Western Michigan's singles players came out with guns blazing in their respective first matches. Just two Flames won more than three games in any set. The number 3 singles match was the first to finish. A rested Matt Hamilton took down Dib, 6-2, 6-1, to set the tone for an afternoon in which the Broncos would win every match in straight sets. Wale had more success in his second set in the number 4 match, but couldn't overcome Opitz in a 6-0, 7-5 setback.
The next match to conclude was the #6 contest in which
Alvaro De La Fuente won the most games by any UIC player, but didn't have enough to overtake Loebel, 6-3, 6-3. With the match decided, Hedstrom's number 1 singles clash was wrapping up as Hedstrom made a late charge against Nouchi. He came up just short of forcing a second set tiebreaker in the 6-0, 7-5 match.
Wasilewicz, slotted in the #2 singles match, came out strong in the first set, but like his teammates, was unable to get to a tiebreaker and went down a set, 7-5. Steiner closed out the match with a 6-1 second set. The final match to wrap up, #5, featured UIC's lone singles victor in the opener Saturday, San Andres. Svjetlicic overpowered him, 6-3, 6-1 to complete the Broncos' sweep.
Following a couple of weeks off, the Flames will return to action Saturday, Jan. 28 with a doubleheader in Bloomington, Ind. against Eastern Illinois and the host Indiana Hoosiers.
