Both Viking Tennis Teams Hit League Schedule

Both Viking Tennis Teams Hit League Schedule

April 2, 2007

Contact: Josh Rattray

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Cleveland State Women's Tennis

vs. UIC

Date: April 6, 2007

Time: 3:00 p.m.

Location: Malaga Tennis Center - Cleveland, Ohio

 

vs. Wright State

Date: April 7, 2007

Time: 2:00 p.m.

Location: Malaga Tennis Center - Cleveland, Ohio

 

Cleveland State Men's Tennis

vs. Wright State

Date: April 7, 2007

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Location: Malaga Tennis Center - Cleveland, Ohio

 

 

FIRST SERVE: League play gets into full swing this week as the Cleveland State men's and women's tennis teams host Horizon League foes. The Vikings women host defending league champion UIC on Friday (April 6) at 3:00 p.m. and Wright State at 2:00 p.m. the next day. The CSU men host Wright State on Saturday at 10:00 a.m.

 

PREVIEWING THE VIKING MEN: Other than a 1-3 stretch over spring break in Hawaii, the Vikings have won 13 of 16 contests this season. The Vikings (14-6) are led by freshman Ryan Hamning and sophomore Rob West. Hamning is 24-10 at No. 3 singles while West is 19-8 playing mosting in the fifth spot. Junior Brad Groleski is 16-16 at the top of the lineup, followed by freshman Phil Orno who is now 17-15 after starting the year 11-5.  Senior Dan Singer (15-11) starts in the fourth spot, followed by West and sophomore Steven Wipprecht (12-15). The Vikings have made their mark in doubles play all season, having won the doubles point in all 14 of their victories. Hamning and Orno lead the team with a 21-7 doubles mark.

 

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: 59-61

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 (24-10) and Phil Orno (17-15) are a combined 41-25 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 15-5 mark in dual matches.

 

...FRESHMEN DOUBLE PLAY: Hamning and Orno are 21-7 as a team at No. 1 doubles, with a 15-5 duals mark. The duo went 11-1 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 THE SECOND BEST: Rob West is 19-8 in singles play, and his .703 winning percentage is second on the team to Ryan Hamning's .705 clip. 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 14 of his 19 matches at Nos. 5 and 6 singles. The sophomore from Guernsey, U.K. 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 have been 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: How the men's team fares in doubles play has been a pretty good indicator of whethere or not it will win. The CSU men are 14-0 when winning the doubles point and 0-6 when losing in doubles.

 

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: Horizon League action continues for both Vikings squads as the men travel to UW-Green Bay and the women take on UW-Milwaukee on April 13. The women also play UW-Green Bay on Saturday, April 14.