The Gustavus Adolphus men’s tennis team, rated fourth in NCAA Division III, fell 7-0 to Drake University Sunday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa. Drake is rated 53rd in the most recent NCAA Division I rankings. Gustavus’ No. 1 doubles team of Andy Bryan (Jr., Edina, Minn.) and Jesse Brauer (Sr., Mankato, Minn./West) pushed Maor Zirkin and Dalibor Pavic, rated 17th in Division I, into a tie-breaker but fell in the end 9-8 (7-3).
At No. 2 doubles, Mike Burdakin (So., Bettendorf, Iowa) and Charlie Paukert (So., Grand Forks, N.D.) fell to Guilherme Marsiglia and Bokang Setshogo 8-2, while the Bulldogs swept doubles and took the doubles point with an 8-5 win by Sergi Vila and Ivan Mendoza over Ben Tomasek (So., Oakdale, Minn./North St. Paul) and Nick Hansen (So., Duluth, Minn./East).
In singles play, Vila topped Bryan 6-3, 6-2 at No. 1, Zirkin defeated Brauer 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2, and Pavic downed John Kauss (So., St. Paul, Minn./Harding) at the No. 3 position. Burdakin gave Marsiglia a match at No. 4, but fell in the end 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), while Setshogo defeated Paukert 6-1, 6-3 at the No. 5 spot and Mendoza downed Tomasek 6-2, 6-1 at No. 6 singles.
The Gusties are off until Saturday, March 17 when they host University of Nebraska-Kearney, St. Cloud State University, and MIAC foe Saint Mary’s at the Swanson Tennis Center in St. Peter.