JACKSONVILLE, Illinois—The Prairie Fire men's tennis team picked up a 5-4 victory over Illinois College to open up the conference season.
 
Ajay Gustafson and Arthur Batista teamed up to win 8-3 at #1 doubles. Gustafson lost a close #1 singles match 2-6, 6-2, 5-7. Batista edged his opponent at #2 singles 6-7, 6-3, 6-2.
 
"Throughout the meet, I focused on breaking down each match one point at a time, one shot at a time, and one step at a time," said Gustafson. "Through this I channeled my grit into my matches and focused on mental toughness."

Dobbin Pine and Eric Xu earned an 8-2 victory at #3 doubles. Pine then picked up a 6-2, 6-1 win at #5 singles and Xu won 6-4, 6-2 at #6 singles.
Senior Jared Schwarz lost a close 3-6, 4-6 match at #4 singles. "It feels good to finally get a conference win," said Schwarz. "And I'm grateful for how my teammates battled for the win."

"Today's win shows not only how hard these guys have worked this season but also reveals their true characters," said head coach Meredith Witherell. "While playing from behind, they dug in, found their "want to" and pushed forward."

Knox will travel to Florida for Spring Break to play matches on March 18 and 19.