April 23, 2009

Contact: Dana Ingraham

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Viking tennis squads have invaded Indiana, ready to take on their last challenge of the spring 2009 season.

The Horizon League tournament begins tomorrow at North Central High School in Indianapolis. First round action kicks off at 10:00 a.m., when the fourth seeded Viking women take on ninth seeded Valparaiso.

Cleveland State handed Valpo a 7-0 shutout earlier in the regular season on its way to a 5-3 overall conference record. The winner of this match will play the winner of Youngstown State and Wright State at 9:00 a.m. Saturday.

The men's team earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament for its perfect regular season finish against Horizon League opponents. CSU will play the eighth seed, Youngstown State, at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. The Viking men topped the Penguins, 6-1, in their first conference contest of the season.

The matchup will be a family affair, as Cleveland State junior Ryan Hamning's brother, Patrick, will be on the other side of the net for YSU. The winning team will advance to play either Green Bay or Wright State at 11:30 on Saturday.

"We are very anxious to start the tournament and hit the ground running," said Cleveland State head coach Brian Etzkin. "This is what we have been preparing for, and both teams are extremely focused on achieving their goals - a top-three finish on the women's side, and another championship on the men's side."