GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Four players from the University of Illinois Springfield men's tennis team picked up eight victories at the ITA Midwest Regional Tournament on Saturday and Sunday in several sites in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The eight wins are the best showing for the Prairie Stars at an ITA regional. In 2013, UIS picked up just two victories. Overall the Stars went 8-10 with a 7-7 record in singles action and a 1-3 mark in doubles.

Despite dropping all four matches in the singles flight, the Prairie Stars bounced back in the consolation brackets to pick up some victories. Junior Cole Buehnerkemper defeated Davis & Elkins' Thomas Judd, 6-4, 6-4 in the round of 32. Freshman Sam Clarke came up with a 6-4, 7-5 victory in the same round against Findlay's Carlos Blanco. The next win was from Logan Burgess Hayes as he knocked off a familiar foe in Paul Province from Truman, 6-1, 6-1.

All three then advanced to the quarterfinals with wins in the round of 16. Bugess Hayes earned a defaul win as his opponent withdrew, while Clarke's foe retired after one set. Buehnerkemper grabbed a three-set victory, 4-6, 6-4, 10-7, against Wayne State's Mohamed Fazyl Kecai.

In the B round of singles, Santiago Pedraza dropped his opening match before picking up a 6-3, 6-2, win against Griffen Turnage. Unfortunately in the consolation round of 16, Pedraza could not overcome Jack Lipchik from Southern Indiana as Lipchik advanced to the quarterfinals.

In doubles play, Buehnerkemper and Burgess Hayes paired up to dismantle the Lake Superior State duo, 8-1. They advanced to the round of 16, but could not overcome the strong play of Sebastian Equez and Kostantin Zhukov from Northwood and dropped a tight 9-7 decision.

Pedraza and Clarke dropped their first match in doubles play, but in the consolation bracket, they advanced to the semifinals due to several default wins. In the semifinals, Jack Clifton and Judd from Davis & Elkins pulled out an 8-6 win.

UIS now has a bit of a break before returning to the court at Lindenwood Belleville on Thursday, Oct. 1.