An emphatic 7-0 trouncing of Saint Leo wrapped up a three-match road trip to end the regular season for the men's tennis team, but the team suffered a 6-1 loss to South Florida Friday and a 5-2 loss to Jacksonville Saturday, dropping its record to 11-12.

"There was good and bad in every match we played with the exception of the last one (against St. Leo)," head coach Steve Rodecap said.

Marquette rolled over St. Leo, sweeping every match in straight sets.

Marquette was so dominant that junior Ricky Servoss' 6-2, 6-1 victory over Mike DelPriore in the No. 6 singles match was the closest result in singles play.

The Golden Eagles' match against South Florida was more closely contested than the scoreline suggests.

Marquette opened the match by capturing the doubles point, winning all three doubles matches.

The momentum did not carry over, however. Junior Ian Kawas (6-0, 4-6, 6-2), freshman Brett Binkley (6-7, 6-4, 11-9) and freshman Pete Van Lieshout (1-6, 6-1, 6-0) all lost their singles matches in three sets.

Binkley's No. 4 singles match against Federico Barton lasted almost three hours and was decided by only the two point differential in the third set tiebreaker.

"It's really disappointing," Binkley said. "I lost a couple points here and there and that's what decided the match."

Rodecap said he thought the team played well in singles against South Florida and gave credit to the opposition.

"They're much better than their (8-11) record indicates. Part of the problem is they play such a darn tough schedule," he said. Seven of South Florida's losses have come at the hands of teams currently ranked in the top 50.

The Golden Eagles lost to Jacksonville Saturday in a match played outside in 35 mph winds.

Once again, Marquette captured the doubles point, but not without a few bumps in the road.

Marquette's No. 1 doubles team, senior Troy Delmege and junior Eigis Vedrickas, won eight straight games to rally from a 0-5 deficit in their match to defeat Jacksonville's Bjoern Behles and Christian Ritschka, 8-5.

Kawas and Servoss defeated Andrew Burks and Joe Hoenicke, 9-8, in the No. 3 doubles match.

"We were fortunate to win the doubles point," said Rodecap. "We probably should have lost it, but our guys at No. 1 doubles really fought hard and fought back."

Singles play was less kind to Marquette.

Freshman Greg Sirotek was Marquette's lone singles victor. He defeated Burks 6-4, 6-1 in the No. 6 singles match.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on April 5 2005.