Men's tennis takes second in region to top season

After all the hard work and hammering practices were done, the hard matches lost and won, the Cyclones came out in the end with a trophy in the NJCAA Region IV tournament, not a bad way to finish the 2016 tennis season.

At the end of regions (April 28-30), the Cyclones edged past College of DuPage to claim second place to match their second place finish in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference. Earlier in the season, Moraine Valley was dealt a 5-4 loss from DuPage and avenged themselves at regionals. Freshman Steven Leavy (Oak Forest) did just that by winning 6-0, 6-3 in the semi-finals to a Chaparral. A team they just couldn’t get past was eventual region and conference champion, Prairie State College.

“When we played Prairie State the first time, we weren’t as sharp. Throughout the year we felt more comfortable on the court, and that team became a beacon. Even in the losses, we were fighting through it. We were in the right frame of mind competitively. They didn’t give up,” said head Coach Robert Gates, who finished his second season at the helm. “Our guys gained confidence to face them again. They played them the right way and did what they could outside of going back in time to gain more experience. No one went away disappointed. We were excited and proud to show our faces with a trophy.”

The Cyclones finished with an overall 6-3 record and 5-1 conference record. The only shutout loss was 9-0 to Prairie State, the other two losses were close (6-3 to Illinois Valley Community College and 5-4 to DuPage). Otherwise the Cyclones dominated victories. Freshman Jesse Myles (Homewood-Flossmoor) had a solid opening season at No. 3 singles (going 8-1) and No. 2 doubles while advancing to the finals match for singles and doubles in the region tournament. Sophomore Gregorio Illner (Colégio Santo Inácio) went from a No. 3 singles player last season to No. 1 this year after putting in work during the off-season.

“Greg had tremendous improvement and had a better record at No. 1 than at No. 3. He went home over the summer and worked his way to No. 1 and as a result won most of his matches. I think he really focused,” Gates said.

Leavy also had a good year at No. 5, persevering through many a tough match. “There were a couple matches he lost and hard ones he pulled out. When things were bad, he responded well the next day. He showed a lot of heart,” Gates said.

Compared to last year in his first season coaching the Cyclone tennis team as well as first time coaching at the college level, Gates is happy with results. “It was a big improvement. We finished in higher spots, higher in region and had more wins overall. I understand how to move the group more cohesively,” he said. “This season, we left some things on the table, but several guys will be back. There were only a couple matches where we were a point or two out in a loss. Overall, it was a good year.”

Gates encouraged his guys to play against higher level athletes over the summer “to get used to being in uncomfortable situations.” Learning to deal with pressure and gaining experience will help the Cyclones better prepare for 2017 along with continued recruitment.