Mladenovic and Kabacy Play 3-Set Thrillers for Second Day in a Row

Velibor Mladenovic hit a return shot during a tennis match. — Velibor Mladenovic (Fy., Belgrade, Serbia/First Belgrade Grammar School)

March 5, 2023

Team Stats

Game Statistics	Willamette	Lewis and Clark
Score	0	9

Doubles

Peev, Kristian / McDermott, Wade def. Kabacy, Andrew / Mladenovic, Velibor 8-4
Chio, Matt / Wills, Kai def. Kropp, Andrew / Nigbur, Quentin 8-0
Stone, Miles / Gazor, Bennett def. Lief, Andre / Casano, Luca 8-2

Singles

Peev, Kristian def. Kabacy, Andrew 6-2 , 6-7 (6-8) , 1-0 (10-5)
Chio, Matt def. Mladenovic, Velibor 4-6 , 6-3 , 1-0 (10-6)
McDermott, Wade def. Nigbur, Quentin 6-3 , 6-2
Wills, Kai def. Kropp, Andrew 6-0 , 6-3
Stone, Miles def. Allen, Trey 6-0 , 6-0
Gazor, Bennett def. Lief, Andre 6-2 , 6-3

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. -- For the second consecutive day, Willamette University men's tennis players Velibor Mladenovic (Fy., Belgrade, Serbia/First Belgrade Grammar School) and Andrew Kabacy (Grad., Vancouver, WA/Skyview HS) each played in a three-set singles match. In Sunday's action at Lewis & Clark College, Kabacy lost at #1 singles to Kristian Peev, while Mladenovic fell at #2 singles to Matt Chio. L&C won the overall match, 9-0, at the LC Tennis Dome.

At #1 singles, Peev won the first set 6-2 and Kabacy grabbed the second set 7-6 by winning 8-6 in the tie-breaker. With the sets split, the match was decided in a super tie-breaker played instead of a third set. Peev won the super tie-breaker, 10-5. At #2 singles, Mladenovic took an ealry lead by winning the first set 6-4, but Chio prevailed in the second set, 6-3. Chio outscored Mladenovic in the super tie-breaker, 10-6.

In the #3 singles match, Wade McDermott of L&C downed Quentin Nigbur (Sr., Newberg, OR/Newberg HS) of Willamette, 6-3, 6-2. The #4 match went to Kai Wills of the Pioneers as he defeated Andrew Kropp (Sr., Bend, OR/Summit HS), 6-0, 6-3. Other winners for L&C were Miles Stone at #5 and Bennett Gazor at #6. Gazor held off Andre Lief (So., Anchorage, AK/West Anchorage HS) in the second set for a 6-2, 6-3 victory.

The #1 doubles match placed WU's Kabacy and Mladenovic against Lewis & Clark's Peev and McDermott. The Lewis & Clark pair downed Kabacy and Mladenovic, 8-4. At #2 doubles, Chio and Wills defeated Kropp and Nigbur, 8-0. At #3 doubles, Stone and Gazor won against Lief and Luca Casano (Fy., Honolulu, HI/Punahou School), 8-2.

L&C improved its record to 2-8 overall, 1-1 in the NWC. Willamette dropped to 0-7 on the season, 0-3 in the NWC.

Willamette is set to take on the University of Puget Sound on Saturday, March 11 in Tacoma, Washington. Match time is scheduled for 11 a.m. (PST).