The 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Individual Tennis Championship is in the books, with host Drake claiming six overall titles, while Southern Illinois and Wichita State each crowned two champions. Drake became just the fourth team in the 17-year history of the event to sweep the doubles flights, joining Indiana State teams from 2000 and 2002 and Illinois State from a season ago. In singles action, the Bulldogs captured titles in three of the seven flights, while the Salukis and Shockers split hardware in the other four singles flights.

Drake equaled its school record six overall titles, tying the mark of the 1983 and 2008 teams, while Southern Illinois earned multiple MVC titles for the first time in school history.

At No. 1 singles, Drake’s Maor Zirkin became the seventh player to ever win three MVC individual titles, regardless of flight, adding this year’s win at No. 1 to his previous championships at No. 1 in 2008 and No. 2 in 2007. Zirkin earned his second-straight championship in the top flight as he knocked off Illinois State’s Filip Miljevic, 6-1, 6-4, behind a solid return of serve and a big service game.

Bulldog sophomore and reigning MVC Freshman of the Year, Mauricio Ballivian, used heavy ground strokes and big service to topple Wichita State’s Adrian Chermaci, 6-4, 6-0.

Southern Illinois’ freshman Eric West gutted out a victory after topping Illinois State’s Skip Span, 7-6, 6-3, in an impressive display at No. 3 singles.

Guilherme Marsiglia earned the final singles plaque for the Bulldogs at No. 4 singles, getting the best of Wichita State’s Jonathan Obrist, 6-3, 7-5, in the final.

Anton Leonenko of Southern Illinois was one of two winners in the championship match decided in three sets as he took down Drake’s Ricardo Lau, 7-6, 3-6, 7-5, at No. 5 singles.

Shocker freshman David Cavalcanti took down Drake’s Ivan Mendoza in an exciting three-set final, earning a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7) decision in the No. 6 flight.

Number seven singles featured Wichita State’s Scot McCormick and Drake’s Konrad Kamazelich, with the Shocker sophomore defeating DU’s Kamazelich, 6-4, 6-0, to secure the second title for Wichita State.

In doubles action, Drake’s three duos remained a force to be reckoned with, as the Bulldogs swept all three doubles titles, becoming the fourth team ever to win all three doubles positions at the same championship.

The biggest of the three wins came off the rackets of Maor Zirkin and Evgeny Silitski, as they knocked off Illinois State’s Filip Miljevic and Timon Reichtel, 8-2.

The Bulldogs’ Guilherme Marsiglia and Ricardo Lau made it two-for-two over Illinois State in doubles play with an 8-3 win of over the Redbirds’ No. 56 ranked pair of Daniel Tobar and Skip Span, 8-5.

Mauricio Ballivian and Ivan Mendoza were 8-3 winners over Wichita State’s Matt Teivans and Jonathan Obrist at the No. 3 doubles position.

2009 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Individual Tennis Championship - Des Moines, Iowa 

Sunday, January 25, 2009 - 9:00 a.m.
Doubles Championship Matches
Flight	Match	Doubles Team	Doubles Team	Winner
1	F	Zirkin/Silitski, DU	Miljevic/Reichelt, ILS	DU, 8-2
2	F	Tobar/Span, ILS	Marsiglia/Lau, DU	DU, 8-5
3	F	Mendoza/Ballivian, DU	Teivans/Obrist, WSU	DU, 8-3
Singles Championship Matches
Flight	Match	Player	Player	Winner
1	G	Maor Zirkin, DU	Filip Miljevic, ILS	DU, 6-1, 6-4
2	G	Adrian Chermaci, WSU	Mauricio Ballivian, DU	DU, 6-4, 6-0
3	G	Skip Span, ILS	Eric West, SIU	SIU, 7-6, 6-3
4	G	Guilherme Marsiglia, DU	Jonathan Obrist, WSU	DU, 6-3, 7-5
5	G	Ricardo Lau, DU	Anton Leonenko, SIU	SIU, 7-6, 6-3, 7-5
6	G	Ivan Mendoza, DU	David Cavalcanti, WSU	WSU, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7)
7	F	Konrad Kamizelich, DU	Scott McCormick, WSU	WSU, 6-4, 6-0
Singles Third-Place Matches
1	H	Vlad Marinescu, WSU	Milos Romic, BU	WSU, 6-0, 6-0
4	H	Felipe Villasenor, SIU	Michel Macara-chvili, BU	SIU, 6-2, 6-2