DePaul University Athletics
Monday, April 26
Cayce, S.C.
12:00 P.M. CT
DePaul University
4
vs
3
St. John's
'Band of Brothers' Makes History With First BIG EAST Title
4/26/2021 5:25:00 PM | MEN'S TENNIS
Wassenaar's riveting comeback performance sparks 4-3 win over St. John's
CAYCE, S.C. – Facing quadruple match point with zero degree margin for error, Luuk Wassenaar brought DePaul back from the brink of elimination with a comeback that will live on for the ages in the annals of the Blue Demon men's tennis program.
Wassenaar's dramatic 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 victory over St. John's Evan Felcher in a riveting performance at No. 5 singles captured by the BIG EAST Digital Network catapulted DePaul to a nerve-wracking 4-3 triumph and the first BIG EAST title in program history.
What happened on a warm and sunny Monday at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center not only secured a berth in the NCAA Championship, but also resonated with all the close calls and previous near misses coach Matt Brothers and his teams have endured.
Three times before---in 2009, 2014 and 2018---Brothers had guided his guys to the BIG EAST title match---only to be turned away each time.
But Monday was different. It was as if with each bold and gutsy shot, with every one of his high-heat service aces---Wassenaar was proclaiming to the college tennis world: It's our turn.
This senior from the Netherlands responded to the dire situation facing quadruple match point with four blow-you-away serves including an ace that locked Felcher up. All of a sudden the loud screaming from the St. John's players died down as the Blue Demons came to life sensing the turnaround.
"Even when I was down 0-40, I remember visualizing in my head this exact scene," Wassenaar said. "I thought about everything we had gone through in my four years here and still had confidence I could come back.
"It's a brotherhood we have with one another, always ready to fight for each other. That's what got us through the tough times today and why I was so confident we could do it again."
The journey to a milestone began with Fran Tonejc and Tripp Tuff winning their doubles match at No. 3. After St. John's won at No. 2, Boris Spanjaard hit a number of huge shots in teaming with Christopher Casati to clinch the crucial doubles point.
No. 1 singles player Vito Tonejc provided a rare break from an afternoon of Alfred Hitchcock suspense with a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 1 singles and a 2-0 DePaul lead.
Spanjaard continued the run with a 7-5, 7-5 win at No. 3. One more point was all that separated the "Band of Brothers" from a glorious celebration.
St. John's (16-2) showed why it is the defending BIG EAST champion, cutting its deficit to 3-2 after victories at No. 4 and No. 6.
The Red Storm refused to capitulate and prevailed at No. 2 singles, setting the stage for Wassenaar's heroics and an automatic berth for the 15-6 Blue Demons in their first NCAA Championship.
"It was amazing what Luuk did being down 0-40 twice," Brothers said about the BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Player who overcame problems earlier in the match with his high-velocity serve---including three consecutive faults.
"I'm still in shock about winning our first BIG EAST title. This is for all our alumni as we stood on their collective shoulders today. This is for the great leadership from athletics director DeWayne Peevy, men's tennis administrator Taylor Stapleton and everybody in our athletics department who work so hard to support us.
"Most of all, it's about this group of guys. I'm so happy for them. The NCAA transfer portal is full of student-athletes looking for someplace else, and we have four graduate students (Casati, Spanjaard, Fran Tonejc and Tamas Zador) who came back here to help us realize a dream. DePaul is about family---and they couldn't leave their family."
Hopefully this incredible journey still has a few stops to go.
"From the very beginning on all our Zoom calls, the NCAA tournament has been on our minds," Wassenaar said. "We're going to celebrate for a couple of days and then focus on the NCAA.
"We are not done yet."
DePaul 4, St. John's 3
Cayce, S.C.
April 26, 2021
Singles
1. Vito Tonejc (DPU) def. Djuro Opacic (SJU) 6-0, 6-1
2. Ignacio Garcia (SJU) def. Christopher Casati (DPU) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2
3. Boris Spanjaard (DPU) def. Charlie James (SJU) 7-5, 7-5
4. Louis-nils Michel (SJU) def. Fran Tonejc (DPU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Luuk Wassenaar (DPU) def. Evan Felcher (SJU) 7-5, 2-6, 7-5
6. Giuseppe de Camelis (SJU) def. Tripp Tuff (DPU) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
1. Boris Spanjaard/Christopher Casati (DPU) def. Charlie James/Ignacio Garcia (SJU) 7-5
2. Djuro Opacic/Evan Felcher (SJU) def. Vito Tonejc/Luuk Wassenaar (DPU) 6-4
3. Fran Tonejc/Tripp Tuff (DPU) def. Giuseppe de Camelis/Louis-nils Michel (SJU) 6-2
Wassenaar's dramatic 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 victory over St. John's Evan Felcher in a riveting performance at No. 5 singles captured by the BIG EAST Digital Network catapulted DePaul to a nerve-wracking 4-3 triumph and the first BIG EAST title in program history.
What happened on a warm and sunny Monday at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center not only secured a berth in the NCAA Championship, but also resonated with all the close calls and previous near misses coach Matt Brothers and his teams have endured.
Three times before---in 2009, 2014 and 2018---Brothers had guided his guys to the BIG EAST title match---only to be turned away each time.
But Monday was different. It was as if with each bold and gutsy shot, with every one of his high-heat service aces---Wassenaar was proclaiming to the college tennis world: It's our turn.
This senior from the Netherlands responded to the dire situation facing quadruple match point with four blow-you-away serves including an ace that locked Felcher up. All of a sudden the loud screaming from the St. John's players died down as the Blue Demons came to life sensing the turnaround.
"Even when I was down 0-40, I remember visualizing in my head this exact scene," Wassenaar said. "I thought about everything we had gone through in my four years here and still had confidence I could come back.
"It's a brotherhood we have with one another, always ready to fight for each other. That's what got us through the tough times today and why I was so confident we could do it again."
The journey to a milestone began with Fran Tonejc and Tripp Tuff winning their doubles match at No. 3. After St. John's won at No. 2, Boris Spanjaard hit a number of huge shots in teaming with Christopher Casati to clinch the crucial doubles point.
No. 1 singles player Vito Tonejc provided a rare break from an afternoon of Alfred Hitchcock suspense with a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 1 singles and a 2-0 DePaul lead.
Spanjaard continued the run with a 7-5, 7-5 win at No. 3. One more point was all that separated the "Band of Brothers" from a glorious celebration.
St. John's (16-2) showed why it is the defending BIG EAST champion, cutting its deficit to 3-2 after victories at No. 4 and No. 6.
The Red Storm refused to capitulate and prevailed at No. 2 singles, setting the stage for Wassenaar's heroics and an automatic berth for the 15-6 Blue Demons in their first NCAA Championship.
"It was amazing what Luuk did being down 0-40 twice," Brothers said about the BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Player who overcame problems earlier in the match with his high-velocity serve---including three consecutive faults.
"I'm still in shock about winning our first BIG EAST title. This is for all our alumni as we stood on their collective shoulders today. This is for the great leadership from athletics director DeWayne Peevy, men's tennis administrator Taylor Stapleton and everybody in our athletics department who work so hard to support us.
"Most of all, it's about this group of guys. I'm so happy for them. The NCAA transfer portal is full of student-athletes looking for someplace else, and we have four graduate students (Casati, Spanjaard, Fran Tonejc and Tamas Zador) who came back here to help us realize a dream. DePaul is about family---and they couldn't leave their family."
Hopefully this incredible journey still has a few stops to go.
"From the very beginning on all our Zoom calls, the NCAA tournament has been on our minds," Wassenaar said. "We're going to celebrate for a couple of days and then focus on the NCAA.
"We are not done yet."
DePaul 4, St. John's 3
Cayce, S.C.
April 26, 2021
Singles
1. Vito Tonejc (DPU) def. Djuro Opacic (SJU) 6-0, 6-1
2. Ignacio Garcia (SJU) def. Christopher Casati (DPU) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2
3. Boris Spanjaard (DPU) def. Charlie James (SJU) 7-5, 7-5
4. Louis-nils Michel (SJU) def. Fran Tonejc (DPU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Luuk Wassenaar (DPU) def. Evan Felcher (SJU) 7-5, 2-6, 7-5
6. Giuseppe de Camelis (SJU) def. Tripp Tuff (DPU) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
1. Boris Spanjaard/Christopher Casati (DPU) def. Charlie James/Ignacio Garcia (SJU) 7-5
2. Djuro Opacic/Evan Felcher (SJU) def. Vito Tonejc/Luuk Wassenaar (DPU) 6-4
3. Fran Tonejc/Tripp Tuff (DPU) def. Giuseppe de Camelis/Louis-nils Michel (SJU) 6-2
Players Mentioned
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