After posting a nearly identical record to last season, the Cyclones added to their successes and competed at the national tournament to end the season.
Competing at the national tournament is something few student-athletes experience, but the four men from the Cyclone tennis team tasted the high-level competition May 13 to 17 in Tucson, Arizona, finishing 26th overall.
After completing another winning season on the courts, Cyclone men’s tennis is sending four players to the national championship after the team finished third at the NJCAA Region IV tournament.
With one more regular season match to go, the Cyclones are rolling through teams. They took down McHenry County College 9-0 to go 8-1 overall on the year.
The Cyclones faced another tough opponent in Milwaukee Area Technical College. Although they were without one of their top players, they still edged out the Stormers 6-3 through five tiebreaker sets.
The Cyclones may be 6-1, but their latest win didn’t come without a fight. They faced College of Lake County, which finished second to the Cyclones’ third at last year’s region tournament. Moraine Valley eked out the Lancers 5-4.
The Cyclones moved up to 5-1 with their latest sweep of Sauk Valley Community College. They took a 9-0 victory without allowing the Skyhawks any set wins.
Last year the Cyclones lost one match during the regular season to eventual conference and region champs, Prairie State College. Today the teams faced each other again, and although Moraine Valley suffered another defeat, they found a silver lining and won a few more games this time around.
There’s no better way to start a season than with a win. That’s how the Cyclones opened their 2019 contest, taking a 7-2 victory from the visiting Illinois Valley Community College Eagles.
After a 2018 season of newcomers, surprises and success, this year’s Cyclone squad is better prepared and ready to play with their sights set on a national berth.