April 25, 2009
Contact: Dana Ingraham
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Viking tennis teams swept the first round of the Horizon League Tournament on Friday, as the men and the women each picked up a 4-0 victory to advance to Saturday's second round.
In the morning session, CSU handled Valparaiso in an orderly fashion, with the bottom of the lineup leading the way. The Vikings jumped out to two quick wins at second and third doubles to take the first point.
Jackie Tabb, Sanda Bjelan, and Myra Pepino finished off the shutout with decisive wins at No. 4, 5, and 6, respectively.
"This was a good match for us; it really gave us a chance to adjust to the windy conditions on the court," Cleveland State coach Brian Etzkin said. "We were able to show our depth today which was a great thing. Overall it was a nice, efficient match and we learned a lot about the surroundings and our mental toughness as a team."
The fourth seeded Viking women will face sixth seeded Youngstown State at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. CSU squeaked by YSU in a close 4-3 match during the regular season.
"We are definitely not looking past Youngstown this time around, even though we are the higher seed," said Etzkin. "There are a lot of different matchups this time so it should prove to be an interesting match."
In Friday's afternoon segment, Cleveland State's men's team climbed the first step towards the championship, defeating Youngstown State 4-0.
Phil Orno and Ryan Hamning set the tone quickly for the Vikings, picking up an 8-1 victory at No. 1 doubles where they have been perfect this season against Horizon League opponents.
Rob Fox then tallied a quick point for Cleveland State at No. 5 singles with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Rob Emig.
Orno and Hamning took it from there, adding the last two points for CSU at the top two singles spots. Hamning played alongside his brother Patrick, who did not finish his match against Rob West at No. 3.
"Youngstown gave us a good fight, as we expected," said Etzkin. "There were a lot of familiar faces, but it was truly a test of our focus and our passion for reaching our ultimate goal this weekend."
The Viking men, favored to win the tournament for the second year in a row, will play No. 4 Green Bay at 11:30 on Saturday. Regular season play saw Cleveland State top Green Bay, 5-2, but Etzkin and the men are looking forward to another competitive match in the semifinal round.
WOMEN
#4 Cleveland State 4, #9 Valparaiso 0
April 24, 2009, Horizon League Championships, First Round
Doubles
1. Bjerrehus/Gibbons (CSU) vs. Sajevic/Keifer (VALPO), DNF 6-4
2. Holzinger/Tabb (CSU) def. Schwartz/Wingstrom (VALPO), 8-0
3. Bjelan/Pepino (CSU) def. York/Bilyeu (VALPO), 8-5
Singles
1. Catrine Bjerrehus (CSU) vs. Kim Sajevic (VALPO), DNF 6ÂÂÂÅ]2, 5ÂÂÂÅ]3
2. Charlotte Gibbons (CSU) vs. Molly Keifer (VALPO), DNF 6ÂÂÂÅ]2, 5ÂÂÂÅ]1
3. Melissa Holzinger (CSU) vs. Jenny Schwartz (VALPO), DNF 4ÂÂÂÅ]6, 3ÂÂÂÅ]1
4. Jackie Tabb (CSU) def. Katie Bilyeu (VALPO), 6ÂÂÂÅ]2, 6ÂÂÂÅ]2
5. Sanda Bjelan (CSU) def. Stephanie York (VALPO), 6ÂÂÂÅ]0, 6ÂÂÂÅ]2
6. Myra Pepino (CSU) def. Lindsay Gustafson (VALPO), 6ÂÂÂÅ]0, 6ÂÂÂÅ]3
MEN
#1 Cleveland State 4, #8 Youngstown State 0
April 24, 2009, Horizon League Championship, First Round
Doubles
1. Orno/R. Hamning (CSU) def. Ismail/Leson (YSU), 8-1
2. West/Goossens (CSU) def. Kathary/P.Hamning (YSU), 8-5
3. Fox/Wipprecht (CSU) vs. Emig/DÂÂÂÅfAngelo (YSU), DNF 8-7
Singles
1. Phil Orno (CSU) def. Michael Kathary (YSU), 6-5, 6-2,
2. Ryan Hamning (CSU) def. Tariq Ismail (YSU), 6-2, 6-1
3. Rob West (CSU) vs. Patrick Hamning (YSU), DNF 7-6(4), 4-2
4. Yannick Goossens (CSU) vs. Steve DÂÂÂÅfAngelo (YSU), DNF 6-4, 5-2
5. Rob Fox (CSU) def. Rob Emig (YSU), 6-1, 6-1
6. Steven Wipprecht (CSU) vs. Chris Leson (YSU), DNF 6-2, 4-5
