Wichita State men sweep their way into MVC tennis title match

Wichita State senior Tin Ostojic didn’t win his singles match and he didn’t need to win. He needed to play and test his sprained right ankle.

“No pain, just a little bit stiff,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a lot better (Sunday).”

The Shockers (16-10) didn’t need Ostojic at No. 1 singles to dispatch Illinois State 4-0 on Saturday at Coleman Tennis Complex in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Championships. They advance to Sunday’s 10 a.m. championship match against Drake and will attempt to win their first tournament since 2013.

WSU’s women also advanced to Sunday’s title match. They defeated Bradley 4-0 and will play Southern Illinois for their eighth consecutive tournament title at 1 p.m. The Shockers (26-3) tied the school record with their 16th straight victory.

Ostojic sprained his ankle in practice in early April, which limited him to one doubles match until Saturday. He led 5-2 in the first set before losing 6-7. He led the second set 2-0 when the match ended.

“I wasn’t extremely explosive,” he said. “It was a little bit of an adjustment not to rely as much on my legs. Serve a little bit smarter, focus on getting the ball exactly where I wanted.”

Because his teammates wrapped up the match while his No. 1 singles battle wore on, Ostojic wasn’t pushed too hard. Coach Brad Louderback saw it as the perfect blend of knocking off some rust without fatiguing the ankle.

“At times he looked really good, and at times not so good,” Louderback said. “He’s so talented, I expected him to come up with normal shots. They just weren’t as consistent.”

WSU won the doubles point, after losing it in the regular-season meeting with the Redbirds, with Miroslav Herzan and Haru Inoue needing 11 minutes to defeat Christoffer Greve and Dylan Steffens 6-0 at No. 2. Ostojic and Jocelyn Devilliers defeated Jakub Eisner and Andreas Boers 6-3 at No. 1.

While Ostojic and Herzan struggled on the championship courts in singles, the rest of the Shockers dispatched the Redbirds (10-14). Devilliers won No. 3 singles to clinch the match. Haru Inoue won No. 4 and Eddie Stoica at No. 5.

“Good energy from the start,” Louderback said. “And we’re going to have to do that again. No. 2 doubles just didn’t make a mistake, because their No. 2 doubles is good.”

WSU returns to the championship match for the seventh straight season. Last season’s 4-3 loss to Drake, decided by a 7-6 loss in the third set at No. 4 singles, sticks with many of the Shockers.

“It was something I’ve never seen, never been into before,” Herzan said. “It was really tough. It will make us stronger, because we want the title much more than before.”

Louderback will debate whether or not to mention last season’s heartbreak when he gathers the Shockers before Sunday’s match. Returning to that memory may not be necessary.

“I think it’s in our brain forever,” he said. “But I might rekindle that.”

This story was originally published April 30, 2016 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Wichita State men sweep their way into MVC tennis title match."