April 15, 2012
Contact: Renee Adam
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VALPARAISO, Ind. - The Cleveland State men's tennis team continued its winning ways Sunday afternoon, posting a 7-0 victory over Valparaiso. With the win, the Vikings improve to 9-10 on the season and 3-2 in the Horizon League.
"Once again we came out and competed today, doing what we had to do to pick up our second win of the weekend," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "Ali got off the schneid by picking up a win at No. 4 singles, playing very well and creating shots and moving in the right direction. In all of the matches that were tight we won the big points, which was the difference today, including Yannick and Matt Kuelker."
For the second straight match Cleveland State swept the doubles matches, getting out to an early 1-0 advantage. Matt Kuelker and Jorg Van Der Vloet cruised to an 8-2 win at No. 3 doubles to pick up their team-best 13th victory of the season. Nolan Marks and Ali Shabib earned an 8-6 win at the No. 1 spot and Matt Ford and Yannick Goossens posted an 8-5 victory at No. 2 doubles.
For just the second time this season the Vikings were able to claim all six singles matches, earning their second sweep of the year. Ford, who has a team-high 17 wins, posted his sixth straight victory at No. 6 singles with a 6-1, 6-1 win. The win also kept Ford perfect in Horizon League play, as he enters the final week with a 5-0 record. Marks also extended his win streak, marking his fourth straight victory in a 6-1, 6-4 decision at No. 3 singles.
A trio of Vikings each posted their second straight victories Sunday against Valparaiso, including Goossens who battled for a 7-6 (4), 6-7 (9), 10-6 win at the No. 1 position. Kuelker picked up a 6-1, 7-6 (4) win at No. 2 singles and van der Vloet earned a 6-2, 6-1 win at the No. 5 spot. The final singles win came from Shabib at the No. 4 spot, as he posted a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 victory against the Crusaders.
"Nolan debuted at No. 3 singles for us today, picking up a win that really helped the team out," Etzkin said. "With our two wins this weekend it puts us in the hunt for a good seed in the tournament. We control our own destiny from here on out and next weekend's home matches will be huge for us."
Cleveland State will close out the regular season next weekend, hosting Butler and Wright State. CSU will face the Bulldogs on Saturday, April 21 and the Raiders on Sunday, April 22 with both matches set for a 3:00 p.m. start.
Cleveland State 7, Valparaiso 0
Doubles:
1. Marks/Shabib (CSU) def. Baum/Honert (VALPO), 8-6
2. Ford/Goossens (CSU) def. Whitmer/DeHerrera (VALPO), 8-5
3. Kuelker/van der Vloet (CSU) def. Woodson/Lyons (VALPO), 8-2
Singles:
1. Goossens, Yannick (CSU) def. BAUM, Chris (VU) 7-6 (4), 6-7 (9), 10-6
2. Kuelker, Matt (CSU) def. HONERT, Eric (VU) 6-1, 7-6 (4)
3. Marks, Nolan (CSU) def. DEHERRERA, Kevin (VU) 6-1, 6-4
4. Shabib, Ali (CSU) def. WHITMER, Adam (VU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
5. Van Der Vloet, Jorg (CSU) def. WOODSON, Michael (VU) 6-2, 6-1
6. Ford, Matt (CSU) def. LYONS, Carlton (VU) 6-1, 6-1
