With yesterday’s battle against in-state rival Iowa in its rear view mirror, No. 43 Drake is looking forward to two nearly back-to-back matches against the Saint Louis Billikens and the Marquette Golden Eagles.
The Bulldogs take on Saint Louis tomorrow at noon in the Roger Knapp Tennis Center. The Billikens will enter into the contest with a 5-4 record, but three of their five wins are against Division II opponents. Their two Division I victories came over Western Illinois and Eastern Illinois, both by a score of 5-2.
Saint Louis is 0-1 against Missouri Valley Conference opponents, as it suffered a 6-1 setback to the Bradley Braves on Sunday.
The Bulldogs are just one of two ranked opponents on the Billikens’ schedule, with the second being their Atlantic 10 conference rival, No. 32 Memphis.
Last year, Drake beat Saint Louis 4-0 at the beginning of its spring break road trip, and one can expect a similar result from the Bulldogs this time around.
With little time to rest, Drake will hit the road to Milwaukee for a Sunday matchup against Marquette. The Golden Eagles boast a 5-5 record on the season. Although Marquette has suffered more losses than Saint Louis, it has faced a considerably more daunting schedule. Three of its five losses have come at the hands of ranked opponents, with its most recent loss being a 6-1 thrashing, courtesy of No. 26 Notre Dame. All five of its wins have been either a 7-0 or 6-1 rout of the opponent.
Marquette is 1-0 against the MVC so far this year, as the Golden Eagles posted a 7-0 victory over Bradley on Feb. 5. They have a chance to push that to 2-0 on the season tomorrow when they take on the Southern Illinois Salukis.
Last year, Drake’s 7-0 win over Marquette sparked a 15-match winning streak that led the Bulldogs into the NCAA Tournament. Although the Golden Eagles are a perfect 5-0 on their home court, the Bulldogs have beaten three nationally ranked opponents away from the Roger Knapp Tennis Center. With a proven record both home and away, one can expect Drake to earn the victory on Sunday.
Drake will be led by No. 82 Anis Ghorbel at singles, while the doubles will likely be led by the 41st-ranked duo of Cesar Bracho and Alen Salibasic.
Drake’s next home match isn’t until March 23 when it takes on the University of Missouri – Kansas City.
