Lake Forest College Sports Information
April 10, 2004
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Foresters Win the Most Important Match of the Weekend
Team defeats Knox, falls to St. Norbert and Beloit
  

Sebastian Bienia won five of six matches on the weekend.
LAKE FOREST, IL - The Forester men’s tennis team came out on top of just one of three close decisions over the weekend (April 9-10), but the lone victory was extremely important. St. Norbert College won 4-3 at Lake Forest on Friday, visiting Knox College fell to the Foresters by the same score Saturday morning, and Beloit College defeated the home team, also by a 4-3 margin, Saturday evening. Lake Forest is now 7-10 on the season and 2-1 in Midwest Conference South Division play.

Senior Luke Figora (Yorkville, IL/Yorkville) and sophomore Sebastian Bienia (Lemont, IL/Lemont) teamed up for an 8-5 victory at number three doubles against St. Norbert, but the Green Knights earned the doubles point with wins at numbers one and two. The teams split the six singles matches. Freshmen Michael Jolly (Jacksonville, IL/Jacksonville) prevailed 6-3, 6-0 at number two, classmate Alex Godin (Northbrook, IL/Glenbrook North) triumphed 6-2, 7-5 at number five, and Bienia claimed his second win of the match, a 6-2, 6-2 decision at number six.

Saturday morning’s victory against Knox College was the Foresters’ only match of the weekend to count in the MWC South Division standings. The win puts the team in position to join division-leading Grinnell College as the South’s two representatives in the four-team conference championship tournament.

The Prairie Fire swept the three doubles matches to claim the first team point of the contest. Jolly won again (6-1, 6-0) at number two singles and Figora recorded a 6-1, 6-2 victory at number four. Godin needed a second set tiebreak victory to triumph 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) at number five, as did Bienia in his grueling 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) win at number six.

After Beloit defeated Knox 4-3 in an early-afternoon match, the Buccaneers took two of the three doubles matches from Lake Forest to begin the early-evening match-up. Figora and Bienia won 8-3 at number three to prevent the doubles sweep. Four of the six singles matches were decided by a tiebreaker in place of a third set and the Foresters claimed three of them. Jolly won 6-4, 5-7, (11-9) at number two to finish the weekend 3-0 in singles. Godin joined him with a 6-2, 4-6, (10-7) win at number five and sophomore Rob Burda (Meridian, ID/Meridian) outlasted his opponent at number three, 6-3, 1-6, (11-9).

Lake Forest will play twice at home in the next seven days. The team will host Milwaukee School of Engineering on Thursday (April 15) at 4:00 p.m. and may be able to clinch an MWC Team Tournament berth with a victory over Monmouth College in Saturday (April 17) morning’s 8:30 match.

Lake Forest - St. Norbert Match Results
Lake Forest - Knox Match Results
Lake Forest - Beloit Match Results