The University of Illinois Springfield men's tennis team opens up GLVC Tournament play on Friday in Romeoville, Ill. The Prairie Stars will take on Drury in a first-round game at noon.
 
UIS finished the regular season last weekend with a 10-3 overall record. The Prairie Stars hit double-figure wins for the fourth time in their NCAA era, and had the best regular season winning percentage in that span. UIS went 4-2 in GLVC Division play, which tied for second out of seven squads.
 
The match will also have big NCAA implications. UIS is ranked sixth in the latest NCAA regional poll, one spot behind Drury. The three automatic qualifiers from the conference tournaments will make the field, as well as two at-large teams as determined by this ranking.
 
The Prairie Stars enter the GLVC Tournament on a three-game winning streak. Last week, they defeated Lindenwood by a 5-2 margin, and shut out Maryville by a 7-0 score.
 
In doubles, UIS is led by the duo of Menno Servaes and Tomas Martinez at the No. 1 position. That pair is 11-4 together, and they are nationally-ranked as a pair. Matthew Lapsley and Nick Revin are 9-4 on the year, with most at No. 2, and Alex Chan and Oscar Toro are 6-3. UIS won its doubles point in 10 of 13 games in 2020-21.
 
In singles, Lapsley is 11-1 this year in duals, with most of those at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions. Rafa Rojas is 11-2 in duals play, with most coming at No. 4. At No. 4 and No. 6, UIS is 22-3 on the year. Servaes is the team's No. 1 most matches, and he is 9-4 in duals this year. Also near the top are Martinez with an 8-4 singles duals mark, and Nick Revin with a 10-3 dual record. Oscar Toro typically rounds out the singles lineup. He is 4-4 on the year, including wins in three out of his last four.
 
UIS vs. Drury
Date/Time/Location: Friday, April 30, 12:00 p.m. – Romeoville, Ill.
All-Time Series (NCAA era): Drury leads 4-0
 
Drury enters the GLVC Tournament with a 10-5 overall record. It went 4-1 in GLVC Division play, and finished second in the West Division.
 
The Panthers are led by the top of their singles lineup. Nico Hadeler is 9-3 on the season, Augustin Diot is 9-1, and Sylvain Garin-Michaud is 7-3. Other players to watch are Marlon Wilkin who has an 8-4 mark, and Isaac Ogilvy with a 7-4 singles record.
 
In doubles, the team of Hadeler and Wilkin are 9-3 on the season, the best mark on the team. Diot and Garin-Michoud are 5-3 together, and Ogilvy and Lukas Stierling have five wins on the year.
 
UIS and Drury have not faced each other since 2013, and the Panthers are 4-0 against the Prairie Stars in UIS's NCAA era. Against common opponents this year, UIS and Drury both defeated McKendree, Missouri-St. Louis, and Quincy, and the two teams lost to William Woods.
 
UIS vs. Rest of the Field
The winner of the UIS and Drury match will move on to Saturday's semifinals to face the winner of Indianapolis and Rockhurst. UIS fell to Indianapolis by a 5-2 score, and it didn't face Rockhurst.
 
The rest of the field includes Southwest Baptist, McKendree, Lewis, and Missouri-St. Louis. UIS fell to Lewis, defeated McKendree and Missouri-St. Louis, and did not face Southwest Baptist. The championship match will take place on Sunday.
 
UIS Tournament History
UIS is making its third GLVC Tournament appearance. The Prairie Stars are looking for their first tournament win after falling to Northern Kentucky in 2011 and Missouri-St. Louis in 2019.