Belleville, IL - McKendree University Men's Tennis rallied from an early deficit to earn a hard-fought 4-3 Senior Day victory over the UIS Prairie Stars. The Bearcats honored seniors Luka Kalenic, Ankit Nandal, Aimar Oregui, Arhaan Pahwa, and Bendix Schroeder in a pre-match ceremony, then responded to a doubles-point loss by winning four singles matches to complete the comeback.

In doubles, Illinois Springfield took the early advantage with wins at No. 1 and No. 3. Bendix Schroeder and Ignacio Paolini fell at the top spot. At the same time, Oregui and Pahwa were edged at No. 3. McKendree's lone doubles win came at No. 2, where Riccardo Ercolani and Felix Diedrichs secured a 6-4 victory.

Facing a 1-0 deficit, McKendree responded in singles with a strong push across the lineup. Paolini delivered a standout performance at No. 1, battling through a three-set match and winning a dramatic tiebreak to secure a key point. Schroeder followed with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 2, while Oregui and Ercolani added straight-set victories at No. 5 and No. 6.

UIS picked up wins at No. 3 and No. 4, but McKendree's depth proved enough to seal the 4-3 team victory on Senior Day.

RESULTS
Doubles
No. 1 – Pablo Herrera/Lin En Tan (UIS) def. Bendix Schroeder/Ignacio Paolini (MCK), 6-0
No. 2 – Riccardo Ercolani/Felix Diedrichs (MCK) def. Kai Van-Roon/Luke Pennington (UIS), 6-4
No. 3 – Lukas Pieringer/Antonio Ayerbe Streubel (UIS) def. Aimar Oregui/Arhaan Pahwa (MCK), 6-4

Singles
No. 1 – Ignacio Paolini (MCK) def. Pablo Herrera (UIS), 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6)
No. 2 – Bendix Schroeder (MCK) def. Antonio Ayerbe Streubel (UIS), 6-1, 6-1
No. 3 – Lin En Tan (UIS) def. Felix Diedrichs (MCK), 7-6, 6-3
No. 4 – Kai Van-Roon (UIS) def. Luka Kalenic (MCK), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
No. 5 – Aimar Oregui (MCK) def. Luke Pennington (UIS), 6-1, 6-0
No. 6 – Riccardo Ercolani (MCK) def. Lukas Pieringer (UIS), 6-3, 6-2

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE BEARCATS
@ Washington University-St. Louis
Monday, April 20th - 4:00 PM
St. Louis, Missouri