Alex Koca's Flight 3 Title Highlights Final Day For Men's Tennis at Drake Invitational

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Alex Koca claimed the Flight 3 singles crown to highlight the final day for Creighton men's tennis at the Drake Invitational on Sunday at the Roger Knapp Tennis Center.

Koca won in straight-sets, 6-4, 6-4 over Northern Illinois' Victor Spolidorio to earn the individual title. The senior knocked off Nate Ackert (Coe College) 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the championship.

Freshmen Stratton Brown and Joe Hoff also advanced to the championship match in their respective flights.

Brown earned a three-set win during the semifinal round of Flight 2. The Salina, Kan. native, defeated Georg Lundkvist (Northern Illinois) 6-4, 6-7, 10-5. During the championship, Brown claimed a 6-3 first-set win, before Drake's Ben Clark evened the match with a 6-2 win in the second set. The final set went down to the wire as Clark squeaked past Brown with a 10-8 victory.

Hoff also won in straight-sets during the semis but dropped a three-set championship match in Flight 4. The freshman defeated Northern Illinois' Eric Schuette 6-3, 6-4 to move into the finals. Hoff won the first set 6-2, but fell 6-3 and 10-8 during the final two against Marko Minic (Nebraska-Omaha).

Daniel Lopez-Rey reached the Flight 2 consolation final with a 7-6, 6-0 win during the consolation draw semifinals on Sunday morning. Lopez-Rey did not compete in a final match.

Michael Koch battled Tommy Entwistle (Gustavus) ot a three-set match during a consolation semifinals match but fell. Koch opened the match with a 6-3 win before losing 6-1 during the second. The senior dropped the deciding set 10-4.

"This was a great experience for our guys," head coach Tom Lilly. "Big congrats to Alex for his title to start his senior year, and to have two freshmen in the finals was fantastic. We hope to build on this at our home tournament next weekend."

Creighton is back in action when it hosts the Bluejay Invitational at the Koch Family Tennis Center next weekend (Sept. 29-Oct. 1).

Results
Flight 2
Stratton Brown def. Georg Lundkvist (Northern Illinois), 6-4, 6-7, 10-5
Ben Clark (Drake) def. Brown, 3-6, 6-2, 10-8

Lopez-Rey def. Davide Callegari (North Dakota), 7-6, 6-0

Flight 3
Alex Koca def. Nate Ackert (Coe College), 6-4, 6-4
Koca def. Victor Spolidorio (Northern Illinois), 6-4, 6-4

Flight 4
Joe Hoff def. Eric Schuette (Northern Illinois), 6-3, 6-4
Marko Minic (Nebraska-Omaha) def. Hoff, 2-6, 6-3, 10-8

Tommy Entwistle (Gustavus) def. Michael Koch, 3-6, 6-1, 10-4

Alex Koca's Flight 3 Title Highlights Final Day For Men's Tennis at Drake Invitational

Players Mentioned

Stratton Brown

Joe Hoff

Alex Koca

Michael Koch

Daniel Lopez-Rey

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