A road trip to Central Illinois proved productive on Saturday, April 13 for the regionally ranked Augustana men's tennis team. The Vikings of head coach Jon Miedema, ranked 11^th in the latest NCAA Division III Central Regional polls, picked up victories over Millikin (9-0) and Illinois Wesleyan (8-1).
 
With the wins Augustana moves to 17-5 overall and 3-0 in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. The Vikings will have another road trip in league play this coming week as they travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin on Thursday, April 18 for a match with Carthage and then go to Waukesha, Wisconsin on Friday, April 19 for a battle with Carroll.
 
AUGUSTANA 9, MILLIKIN 0
 
DECATUR, Ill. - In the first match of the day, in Decatur, Illinois at the Fairview Tennis Center, the Vikings handled Millikin 9-0. The Big Blue were a glossy 12-3 overall and 4-0 in the CCIW coming into the match but Augustana jumped in front early with a 3-0 run in doubles and never let up.
 
The number three doubles team of senior Jack Morkin (University HS, Bloomington, Ill.) and sophomore Caio DeRezende (Colegio Itoca; Sao Paulo, Brazil) got off the court first with an 8-2 win over Holden Owens and Nick Laramee. Then the number two team of sophomore Alvaro Leal (Marista Valencia; Valencia, Spain) and freshman Leonardo Panosso (La sal Caxias; Caxias do Sul, Brazil) battled to an 8-6 win over Greg Schwoeppe and Logan Bennett. The number one team of sophomores Sriram Sugumaran (Pleasant Valley HS, Bettendorf, Iowa) and Peter Alex (Hinsdale South HS, Darien, Ill.) beat Jacob Palley and Colin Sandgren 8-3.
 
With the 3-0 lead heading into singles, there was no letdown for the Vikings and once again, Morkin was the first person off the court. He defeated Laramee 6-2; 6-1 at number six and then Alex defeated Bennett 6-2; 6-2 at number four to clinch the team's victory.
 
Sophomore Guilherme Calixto (Calegria; Presidente Prudente, Sao Paulo, Brazil) beat Owens at number five 6-3; 6-1 and Leal took care of Sandgren 6-2; 7-5 at number two. DeRezende beat Palley6-4; 6-2 at number one and Sugumaran had to work three sets before dispatching of Schwoeppe 6-4; 6-7 (9-11); 10-5.
 
AUGUSTANA 8, ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 1
 
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - It was a reunion of sorts when the Vikings and the Titans clashed at Beadles-Morse Courts in Bloomington, Illinois. Sam Totten, who was an Academic All-American, an NCAA Postgraduate Scholar, the number one player and the CCIW's "Man of the Year" for Augustana just a year ago, is now the head coach at Illinois Wesleyan.
 
The mentor, Jon Miedema, was a little rough on his former pupil as the Vikings rolled to an 8-1 win over the Titans.
 
Miedema shook up his lineup a bit, especially in the doubles portion. Alex teamed with Panosso at number one and came away with an 8-3 win over Demetrios Triantafel and Ryan Yoo. The number three team was freshman Justin Cassens (Emerald Ridge HS, Puyallup, Wash.) and Rodrigo Medeiros (Colegio Reino; Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) beat M. Behrensmeyer and Cole Hundman 8-0.
 
The lone loss for the Vikings came at number two doubles where freshman Kyle Boudreau (Antioch HS, Antioch, Ill.) and junior Scott Daluga (Libertyville HS, Libertyville, Ill.) fell 8-6 to Justin Piotrowski and Tim Hughes.
 
DeRezende defeated Triantafel 6-2; 6-1 at number one singles and Leal beat Yoo 6-0; 6-2 at number two. Calixto defeated Piotrowski 6-3; 6-0 at number three and Medeiros won 6-0; 6-2 over Hughes at number four.
 
Senior Alex Riddle (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) fought his way to a three set victory (1-6; 6-3; 10-5) at number five over Behrensmeyer. Junior Ryan Sullivan (The Gow School; Winnetka, Ill.) beat Hundman 6-0; 6-0 at number six.