ROMEOVILLE, Ill.—The No. 39 Screaming Eagles were defeated by No. 21 the University of Indianapolis, 5-2, in the Championship Match of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Men's Tennis Tournament.
USI (17-5) trailed, 2-1, after doubles play despite two close matches. The Eagles' duo of junior
Aaron Barris (Marietta, Georgia) and freshman
James Hardiman (Blackwell Bristol, United Kingdom) were the only USI doubles winners. The team picked up an 8-2 win to improve their season record to 16-0. Their 16
th-straight win puts the duo one win away from tying USI's all-time record for consecutive doubles wins.
The senior duo of
Jack Joyce (Bournemouth, England) and
Joel Stern (Mjoelby, Sweden) fell at number-two despite holding a 4-1 lead during the match. The team eventually lost their match 8-4. The comeback attempt for sophomore
Samuel Kiladejo (London, England) and junior
Paul Forichon (Nimes, France) fell short, losing the match 8-6.
Picking up the lone singles win for USI was Joyce at number-two. The senior avenged a regular season loss to the Greyhounds' Christoph Drechsler with a 6-4, 6-3 win. With Indianapolis having four wins, Hardiman was tasked with keeping the Eagles alive in the championship match. The freshman dropped the first set 6-4 before sweeping the second set 6-0. In the third set, Hardiman fell just short, losing 6-4 as Indianapolis sealed a GLVC Championship.
The Screaming Eagles now await word on their NCAA Tournament hopes. In the most recent Midwest Region Rankings, USI was fourth with the top six teams earning a bid to the tournament. The NCAA Selection Show will be broadcast on NCAA.com Tuesday at 7 p.m.
