Saturday, February 8
Des Moines, Iowa
5:00 p.m.
Creighton University
6
at
1
Drake
Photo by: Patrick Davis
Strong Singles Play Carries Men’s Tennis To 6-1 Win at Drake
2/8/2025 8:13:00 PM | Men's Tennis
DES MOINES, Iowa – The Creighton men's tennis team used a dominant singles performance to propel the Bluejays to a 6-1 victory over Drake on Saturday night at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
With the win, the Jays improved to 6-1 on the season and matches its best start since the 2014-15 campaign. Drake, however, fell to 3-5 on the year with the loss.
"I am very happy for our guys," said head coach Gerhard Posch. "They really deserved to win tonight. Our singles play was incredible, and we continue to improve every day. We hope to be able to play Drake at home next for what will be the first time since 2013."
Creighton grabbed the momentum early, securing the doubles point for the sixth time this season with wins on the No. 2 and No. 3 courts. Senior Alejandro Gandini and junior Yuma Daijima opened up play with a 6-2 win on the No. 2 doubles court, before Drake broke even with a 6-3 win at the top doubles position. Junior's Kirtan Patel and Zachary Kuo then clinched the doubles point and their third consecutive win with a 6-4 victory on court No. 3.
The Bluejays carried their momentum into singles play, clinching the overall dual with wins at the top five singles positions.
Kuo gave the Bluejays a 2-0 advantage with a quick 6-2, 6-0 victory at the No. 3 spot, while Gandini followed closely behind with a 6-2, 6-3 straight-sets win on the No. 1 singles court. Freshman Rocky McKenzie would then clinch the match for the Bluejays with a 7-5, 6-3 triumph at the No. 5 singles position.
With the match in hand, Patel gutted out a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 win on the No. 4 court, while Daijima remained perfect in singles play this season with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 win at the No. 2 singles spot.
Drake's Will Ecklund picked up the lone point of the day for the Bulldogs, battling out a 6-2, 0-6, 6-1 three-set win at the No. 6 singles position.
Creighton returns to action on Tuesday, February 11, when they begin a four-match homestand against Nebraska-Kearney at 6:30 p.m. at the Hanscom Tennis Center.
With the win, the Jays improved to 6-1 on the season and matches its best start since the 2014-15 campaign. Drake, however, fell to 3-5 on the year with the loss.
"I am very happy for our guys," said head coach Gerhard Posch. "They really deserved to win tonight. Our singles play was incredible, and we continue to improve every day. We hope to be able to play Drake at home next for what will be the first time since 2013."
Creighton grabbed the momentum early, securing the doubles point for the sixth time this season with wins on the No. 2 and No. 3 courts. Senior Alejandro Gandini and junior Yuma Daijima opened up play with a 6-2 win on the No. 2 doubles court, before Drake broke even with a 6-3 win at the top doubles position. Junior's Kirtan Patel and Zachary Kuo then clinched the doubles point and their third consecutive win with a 6-4 victory on court No. 3.
The Bluejays carried their momentum into singles play, clinching the overall dual with wins at the top five singles positions.
Kuo gave the Bluejays a 2-0 advantage with a quick 6-2, 6-0 victory at the No. 3 spot, while Gandini followed closely behind with a 6-2, 6-3 straight-sets win on the No. 1 singles court. Freshman Rocky McKenzie would then clinch the match for the Bluejays with a 7-5, 6-3 triumph at the No. 5 singles position.
With the match in hand, Patel gutted out a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 win on the No. 4 court, while Daijima remained perfect in singles play this season with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 win at the No. 2 singles spot.
Drake's Will Ecklund picked up the lone point of the day for the Bulldogs, battling out a 6-2, 0-6, 6-1 three-set win at the No. 6 singles position.
Creighton returns to action on Tuesday, February 11, when they begin a four-match homestand against Nebraska-Kearney at 6:30 p.m. at the Hanscom Tennis Center.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1,3
#1 Singles Match
12
66
Jose A. Hernandez / 0 [DRK]
23
#2 Singles Match
12
76
Ben Johnson / 0 [DRK]
62
#3 Singles Match
12
66
Christian Winstead / 0 [DRK]
20
#4 Singles Match
12
76
Aaron Dawson / 0 [DRK]
63
#5 Singles Match
12
76
Adan Tarquino / 0 [DRK]
53
#6 Singles Match
123
261
Will Ecklund / 0 [DRK]
606
Order of Finish:
3,1,5,6,4,2
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Creighton Men's Tennis Final Point and Celebration vs. Xavier, 4/19/25
Saturday, April 19
Creighton Men's Tennis Postgame vs. North Dakota, 3/30/25
Sunday, March 30
Creighton Women's Tennis Postgame vs. North Dakota, 3/29/25
Sunday, March 30
Crieghton Men's Tennis Postmatch vs. Butler, 2/16/25
Sunday, February 16
