April 19, 2012
Contact: Renee Adam
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Complete Cleveland State Notes
QUICK SETS
Cleveland State will close out the regular season with a pair of Horizon League contests this weekend, hosting Butler on Saturday, April 21 and Wright State on Sunday, April 22. Saturday's match is set for a 4:00 p.m. start, while Sunday's action will begin at 3:00 p.m. The Vikings enter the week at 9-10 on the season and 3-2 in Horizon League action, after topping UIC (6-1) and Valparaiso (7-0) last weekend.
THE OPPONENTS
Butler enters Saturday's contest at 3-18 (2-3 HL) on the season and on a five-match losing skid, which includes three league matches against Green Bay, Wright State and Detroit. Butler's two wins in league play came as 5-2 decisions against Valparaiso and UIC earlier this season.
Wright State enters the weekend as the only undefeated team left in Horizon League play, posting a 5-0 record in league action. The Raiders, who are 16-4 overall this season, have gone 5-2 over the past three weeks with their two losses coming against No. 38 Louisville and Xavier. Wright State will play at Youngstown State prior to Sunday's match.
Under head coach Brian Etzkin the Vikings own an 8-2 record against Wright State and a 4-7 mark against Butler. Over the past three seasons CSU holds a perfect 7-0 record against the Bulldogs and Raiders combined, with the most recent loss to either team coming during the 2007-08 season.
FORD REMAINS PERFECT IN HL PLAY
Matt Ford enters the weekend with a 5-0 record in Horizon League matches, one of just seven players to be undefeated in league play (GB; Craig Cox, UDM; Chris Cheung, WSU; Martin Arguello, Lauri Makikalli, Jamison Clark, YSU; Zeeshan Ismail). Ford, who has posted all five of his wins at No. 6 singles, is the sixth Viking to hold a perfect record over the past five seasons.
...LOOKING TO CONTINUE WIN STREAK
Not only does Matt Ford enter the weekend with a perfect record in league play, he also enters Saturday's contest on a six-match win streak. Ford's win streak marks the longest of the season for Cleveland State and dates back to the March 23 contest at Detroit. During that stretch three of his victories have been three-set battles.
GOING FOR THE SWEEP
Last Sunday's 7-0 victory at Valparaiso marked the second sweep of the season for the Vikings, while also marking Cleveland State's fourth win out of its past six matches. CSU's first sweep of the season came against St. Bonaventure back in February.
MOVING UP THE LINEUP
After playing the first 11 weeks of the season at No. 4 and No. 5 singles, freshman Nolan Marks made his debut at the No. 3 spot against Valparaiso, picking up a 6-1, 6-4 victory. Marks is the fifth Viking to play at No. 3 singles this season and the fourth to pick up a win.
BACK ON THE WINNING TRACK
After dropping back-to-back Horizon League matches for the first time in seven seasons, the Vikings rebounded with a pair of league victories last weekend. The consecutive wins marked the third time this season that CSU has been able to string together multiple wins, improving its league record to 3-2.
2011-12 SENIOR DAY
Sunday's match against Wright State will be Yannick Goossens' final regular season contest in a Viking uniform. During his four years at CSU he:
-Ranks fourth all-time with 80 career singles wins
-Is one of three Vikings to record 20 or more wins in at least three seasons
-Was a two-time First Team All-Horizon League selection
-Was a two-time Horizon League Men's Tennis Player of the Week honoree
-Has led the Vikings to an overall record of 65-31, including a 24-2 mark in league contests
-Has led CSU to three straight Horizon League Championships and three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament
GOOSSENS ON WIN LIST
Yannick Goossens enters the week with 80 career singles wins, ranking fourth all-time at Cleveland State. Goossens needs eight more wins to move into third place on the all-time singles wins list which is currently held by Ryan Hamning (2006-10), who posted an 87-45 record during his career.
FAN APPRECIATION WEEKEND
The final regular season homestand will serve as Fan Appreciation weekend for Viking tennis, with the following events happening at the Butler and Wright State matches this weekend:
Saturday vs. Butler - April 21
-FREE Jimmy John's sandwich, Ballreich's chips and a cookie to the first 30 fans at the women's contest against Butler
-Tennis BINGO during the men's contest against Butler - make sure to pick up your playing card at the marketing table for your chance to win a CSU prize while cheering on the Vikings
Sunday vs. Wright State - April 22
-FREE Jimmy John's sandwich, Ballreich's chips and a cookie to the first 30 fans at the men's contest against Wright State
-Tennis BINGO during the women's contest against Wright State - make sure to pick up your playing card at the marketing table for your chance to win a CSU prize while cheering on the Vikings
NEXT UP
Next weekend the Vikings will participate in the 2012 Horizon League Championship in Indianapolis, Ind. Action at the championship begins with quarterfinals on Friday, April 27, continues with the semifinals on Saturday, April 28 and concludes with the championship match on Sunday, April 29. This weekend's results will determine CSU's seed for the upcoming tournament.
