April 17, 2007

Contact: Josh Rattray

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Cleveland State Women's Tennis

vs. Butler

Date: April 21, 2007

Time: 2:00 p.m. ET

Location: Malaga Tennis Center - Cleveland, Ohio

vs. Detroit

Date: April 22, 2007

Time: 2:00 p.m.

Location: Malaga Tennis Center - Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland State Men's Tennis

vs. Butler

Date: April 21, 2007

Time: 10:00 a.m. ET

Location: Malaga Tennis Center - Cleveland, Ohio

vs. UIC

Date: April 22, 2007

Time: 10:00 a.m. ET

Location: Malaga Tennis Center - Cleveland, Ohio

FIRST SERVE: Both Cleveland State tennis teams complete the regular season at home this weekend, as both squads host Butler on Saturday (April 21) beginning with the men's match at 10:00 a.m. The men's team will then take on UIC at 10:00 a.m. the next day followed by the women's match versus Detroit.

PREVIEWING THE VIKING MEN: The Vikings have won 15 of 18 contests this season (excluding a 1-3 trip to Hawaii over spring break) and are two wins shy of the single-season school record for wins. The Vikings (16-6, 3-0 HL) are led by freshman Ryan Hamning and sophomore Rob West. Hamning is 26-10 at No. 3 singles while West is 21-8 playing mostly in the fifth spot. Junior Brad Groleski is 16-18 at the top of the lineup, followed by freshman Phil Orno, who is now 18-16 including wins in three of his last four matches.  Senior Dan Singer (16-12) starts in the fourth spot, followed by West and sophomore Steven Wipprecht (13-16). The Vikings have made their mark in doubles play all season, having won the doubles point in all 16 of their victories. Hamning and Orno lead the team with a 24-6 doubles record.

PREVIEWING THE VIKING WOMEN: The CSU women (13-9, 4-1 HL) have battled through various injuries and lineup changes to rebound from a 1-4 start. One constant has been three-time first team all-league performer Sarah Galon, who is 23-11 at No. 1 singles. The senior went 8-3 in the top doubles spot with fellow senior Morgan Ungerott but is now 9-8 with freshman Denisa Muntean as Ungerott has been out with an injury. Last year's Nos. 2 & 3 players, juniors Jenn Myers and Lindsay Sellers, have missed a lot of time due to injury, but Muntean (13-15) and freshman Charlotte Gibbons (19-11) have stepped up to fill the middle of the lineup. Myers (14-7) starts at No. 4 singles followed by Sellers (7-12) at No. 5 singles with sophomore Kristin Chamberlain (15-11) at No. 6 singles.

THE HEAD COACH

Brian Etzkin (Southern Illinois, `98)

Men's Record: 61-61

Women's Record: 57-63

CSU's all-time coaching wins leader, Etzkin has led both the men's and women's team to four 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 118-124.

AMONG THE BEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY: The men's team's .727 winning percentage is the top mark in school history among teams that played more than 11 matches. CSU went 8-2 in 1974 under Klaas de Boer and went 10-1 in both 1952 and 1954. If the Vikings win their final two matches this weekend, the Cleveland State men will finish the year with 18 wins and tie the school record for wins in a season. The 1989 Vikings went 18-10 under coach Robert Malaga. The 16 wins are the second highest in school history.

FRESHMEN IMPACT: Newcomers Ryan Hamning (26-10) and Phil Orno (18-16) are a combined 44-26 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 17-5 mark in dual matches.

...FRESHMEN DOUBLE PLAY: Hamning and Orno are 24-6 as a team at No. 1 doubles, with a 17-5 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: Sarah Galon, a three-time first team All-Horizon League selection, is leading CSU for the fourth straight year. Galon is 23-11 at the top of the lineup, improving her career mark to 77-48, the highest win total in school history. Additionally, the Waianae, Hawaii native is 18-14 in doubles play, teaming 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 BEST: Rob West is 21-8 in singles play, and his .714 winning percentage is the best mark in the Viking program. 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 15 of his 20 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.

SCHOLARLY WORK: Rob West and Steven Wipprecht have each been named Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week this season. West, who owns a 3.64 GPA, captured the weekly honor on March 7 and Wipprecht, a 3.9 student, won the award last week.

FINDING THE RIGHT COMBO: The women's team has gone 12-5 in its last 17 duals and improved doubles play may have been the reason. After shuffling the double lineup, CSU has won the doubles point in 10 of those contests. Denisa Muntean was moved to No. 1 doubles with Sarah Galon against Niagara and St. Bonaventure and the duo is now 9-8. Charlotte Gibbons has been a fixture at No. 2 doubles with new partner Lindsay Sellers and Jenn Myers and Kristin Chamberlain have gone 8-2 in the third spot.

...DOUBLES TAKE: How the men's team fares in doubles play has been a pretty good indicator of whether or not it will win. The CSU men are 16-0 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 Irchester, England, has won 10 of her last 14 matches at Nos. 2 and 3 singles to improve to 19-11, while Muntean, a Toronto native, owns a 13-15 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: Each team will travel to the Horizon League Championship, set for April 28-29 at  North Central High School in Indianapolis.