March 19, 2007

Contact: Josh Rattray

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Cleveland State Men's Tennis

at Youngstown State

Date: March 23, 2007

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: Youngstown, Ohio

FIRST SERVE: The Cleveland State men's tennis team (11-5) returns to Horizon League play with match at Youngstown State on Friday (March 23) at 7:00 p.m. before concluding the weekend at home against St. Bonaventure on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at River Oaks Racquet Club. The Viking women (10-8) are idle for the rest of March.

PREVIEWING THE VIKING MEN: The Viking men won 10 of their first 12 matches before going 1-3 in Hawaii over spring break last week. Led by two freshmen and two sophomores with just one senior, the squad overcomes its inexperience with talent. Freshmen Ryan Hamning and Phil Orno have seen the most success this season in the top half of the lineup, with Hamning posting a 21-9 record playing mostly at No. 3 singles. Orno is 15-13 at Nos. 1 & 2 singles. Together, the freshmen are 20-5 at No. 1 doubles. Junior Brad Groleski (13-15) switches with Orno at the top of the lineup, followed by Hamning, senior Dan Singer (11-11) and sophomores Rob West (17-6 at No. 5) and Steven Wipprecht (10-13 at No. 6). The Vikings have made their mark in doubles play all season, having won the doubles point in all 11 of their victories.

PREVIEWING THE VIKING WOMEN: The CSU women (10-8) rebounded from a 1-4 start, battling through various injuries that have forced multiple lineup changes. One constant has been senior all-league performer Sarah Galon, who is 21-9 at No. 1 singles. Galon went 8-3 in the top doubles spot with fellow senior Morgan Ungerott but now teams with freshman Denisa Muntean as Ungerott has been out with an injury. Last year's No. 2 & 3 players, juniors Jenn Myers and Lindsay Sellers, have missed a lot of time due to injury but Muntean (10-14) and freshman Charlotte Gibbons (16-10) have stepped up to fill the middle of the lineup. Sellers (4-11) starts at No. 4 singles followed by Myers (10-7) at No. 5 singles with sophomore Kristin Chamberlain (12-10) at No. 6 singles.

THE HEAD COACH

Brian Etzkin (Southern Illinois, `98)

Men's Record: 56-60

Women's Record: 54-62

CSU's all-time coaching wins leader, Etzkin has led both the men's and women's team to three straight seasons with 10 wins or more. Six Vikings have garnered All-Horizon League recognition under Etzkin's tutelage and two players have earned Horizon League Newcomer of the Year honors. Last year, Etzkin guided both the men's and women's teams to new heights, with the men tying for the best league tournament finish in school history (third) and the women winning a school-record 18 dual matches.

...ETZKIN PASSES 100 WINS: Cleveland State's 6-1 men's win over IUPUI on Feb. 10 was Brian Etzkin's 100th victory at the helm of the Viking program. Etzkin, CSU's all-time leader in wins in both men's and women's tennis, now has a combined record of 109-122.

FRESHMEN IMPACT: Newcomers Ryan Hamning (21-9) and Phil Orno (15-13) are a combined 36-22 in singles play with Orno playing in the top two singles spots and Hamning playing at No. 3. Hamning, who has been named Horizon League Athlete of the Week twice this season (Jan. 22 and Feb. 13), owns a 12-4 mark in dual matches.

...FRESHMEN DOUBLE PLAY: Hamning and Orno are 20-5 as a team at No. 1 doubles, with a 12-4 duals mark. The duo went 7-1 in tournament play in the fall and at one point won 10 straight before losing to a team from Marquette on Oct. 21 at the ITA Regional Tournament.

GOING, GOING, GALON: Three-time first team All-Horizon League selection Sarah Galon is leading CSU for the fourth straight year. Galon is 21-9 at the top of the lineup, improving her career mark to 75-46. Additionally, the Waianae, Hawaii native is 15-9 in doubles play with three different partners.

...LEAGUE HONORS FOR GALON: Sarah Galon has been named Horizon League Athlete of the Week twice this season. Her first league accolade came on Jan. 31 after winning No.1 singles matches against Akron and St. Francis (PA). She then captured the award on March 1 after posting wins against Youngstown State and Robert Morris.

WEST IS THE TEAM'S BEST: Rob West is 17-6 in singles play, and his .739 winning percentage is the highest among all CSU players. West started the year by winning the St. Bonaventure Fall Classic on Sept. 10 and he has continued his strong play in the dual season, winning 12 of his 16 matches at Nos. 5 and 6 singles. The Guernsey, U.K. native has won at least one match at all six singles spots during his Viking career.

FINDING THE RIGHT COMBO: The women's team won six straight matches before its trip to Hawaii, and improved doubles play may be the reason. CSU won the doubles point in five those six contests. Denisa Muntean was moved to No. 1 doubles with Sarah Galon against Niagara and St. Bonaventure and the duo is now 6-3. Charlotte Gibbons has been a fixture at No. 2 doubles with Kristin Chamberlain or Lindsay Sellers and Jenn Myers and either Christine Vogelgesang or Chamberlain have played in the third spot.

...DOUBLES TAKE: The CSU men have won the doubles point in 11 of their 16 dual matches. Prior to the team's trip to Hawaii, CSU had failed to capture the doubles point just twice, in a 6-1 loss at Michigan State on Jan. 20 and the 7-0 loss at Toledo on Feb. 24.

FRESHMAN IMPORTS: Denisa Muntean and Charlotte Gibbons have emerged as consistent winners in their first year in collegiate play. Gibbons, a native of England, has won seven of her last 11 matches at Nos. 2 and 3 singles to improve to 16-10, while Muntean, a Toronto native, owns a 10-14 mark with seven wins at No. 2 singles.

GOOD WINNERS AND GOOD SPORTS: Not only are Sarah Galon and Brad Groleski consistent winners on the court, they do so while showing exemplary sportsmanship. The two Vikings swept the Horizon League's inaugural Herb Foster Sportsmanship Awards last season, with Groleski winning the men's award and Galon claiming the women's trophy. The award, given to a player who exemplifies good sportsmanship on and off the court, is named in honor of the late Wright State coach who was at the helm of the Raiders from 1996-2004.

UP NEXT: The men's team hosts Walsh on March 29 at 1:00 p.m. and then travels to Duquesne for a 6:00 p.m. contest the next day.