Sept. 12, 2005
Contact: Brian Wolff
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SETTING THE SCENE: The Vikings women's tennis team will take center stage this week as they open up their season at the Akron Invite beginning on Friday and ends Sunday (Sept. 16-18). The Vikings will join Akron and Wright State for the three-day affair. The women hope to follow in the men's footsteps as the men finished a successful weekend at the St. Bonaventure Invite. The women welcome back four players who had double-digit wins last season. including reigning Horizon League Player of the Year, Sarah Galon.
PREVIEWING THE WOMEN'S TEAM: The women's team is coming off its most successful season in over 20 years. The Vikings finished 2004-05 with a 14-12 record, their first winning season since 1983-84. CSU will rely heavily on the singles play of Sarah Galon and Jenn Myers, who in 2004-05 went 17-13 and 16-15 in No.1 and No. 2 singles, respectively. The No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams from a year ago will also be back as Galon and Morgan Ungerott went 16-8 at No.1 and Myers and Christine Vogelgesang were 13-11 at No. 2.
REVIEWING THE MEN'S WEEK: The men started off the 2005 season with an 8-7 individual singles mark and went 4-5 individually in doubles play. In his first tournament at CSU freshman Rob West won his flight at No. 2 singles, finishing 3-0. Senior Jay Tee went 2-1 on the weekend and advanced to the finals of his No. 3 flight. Freshman Steven Wipprecht finished 2-1 in his first tournament and junior Alex Livingstone picked up his first collegiate victory as a third-year team member.
HEAD COACH Brian Etzkin: Beginning his fourth year with the Vikings, Brian Etzkin has the duty as head coach of both the men's and women's tennis programs. Etzkin has shown much progress, especially on the women's side, being named Horizon League Coach of The Year in 2004. Last season, he coached Sarah Galon to Horizon League Player of the Year honors, the first time a Viking tennis player has won the award. On the men's side, he has coached the 2003 Horizon League Newcomer of The Year and players on both the first and second All-Horizon League teams.
ETZKIN OF THE WOMEN'S TEAM: "After the success of last season we are excited to get this year started. We have a lot of experience with six returners from 2004-05. The players are working hard and preparing for the Akron Invite next weekend. We are also working on putting a lineup together and will see how the returners are playing and what type of role the newcomers will play for us."
ETZKIN ON THE MEN'S TEAM: "The men finished an excellent first weekend. I was very happy with what I saw and I think it is a great start to the season. It was good to see Rob [West] and Steven [Wipperecht] play hard in their first tournament and Jay getting to the finals of his flight. Now we will go ahead and prepare for Duquesne."
HAWAIIAN PUNCH: Junior Sarah Galon was the first Vikings' tennis player to win Horizon League Player of The Year honors, doing so last year. Galon earned the distinction after being named the Horizon League Newcomer of The Year two seasons ago. She recorded a 6-1 mark in both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles in Horizon League play last season while notching a 17-12 singles mark and a 16-8 doubles record on the season. She was the team leader in singles wins thanks in part to nine victories in her last 13 matches in 2004-05.
WILD, WILD WEST: Freshman Rob West, playing in just his first collegiate tournament went 3-0 in singles play at the No. 2 position, winning his flight. He also teamed up with fellow freshman Steven Wipprecht in No. 2 doubles. They went 1-2 on the weekend, but lost close matches to Niagara (6-8) and St. Bonaventure (4-8). They defeated Jason and Ryan Trapp of Youngstown State, 8-6.
DOUBLE TIME: The No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams for the Vikings return this season after posting a combined 29-19 record in 2004-05. The No. 1 team of Sarah Galon and Morgan Ungerott went 16-8. They won five in a row from Feb. 25 through March 14. The No. 2 doubles unit of Jenn Myers and Christine Vogelgesang went 13-11 including a streak of five straight victories during the same period.
LIVINGSTONE NOTCHES FIRST CAREER WIN: Junior Alex Livingstone, a walk-on, won his first collegiate match on Friday, defeating Zach Landgraf from Youngstown State in straight sets 6-1, 6-1. Livingstone previously had won several exhibition matches, but this was his first victory in tournament play. Last season, Livingstone went 0-2 in tournaments and lost his only match at the No. 6 singles position.
TEEING OFF: A three-time All-Horizon League second team selection, senior Jay Tee is in his fourth season as a member of the Vikings. Tee finished his first tournament of the season as a finalist in his flight and a 2-1 singles record. Tee teamed up with junior Dan Singer and went 2-1 in doubles. Tee ended last season with a 6-10 singles record, spending most of the time at No. 2 singles. Tee also finished the year with a 7-6 doubles record, playing with three different partners over the course of the season. When he is not on the court, Tee serves as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. The committee is presently coordinating a campus-wide effort to supply relief to those who were affected in the Gulf area by Hurricane Katrina.
UP NEXT: Both teams will be in action next week as the men host Duquesne on Friday, Sept. 23 at the Malaga Tennis Center and the women travel to Philadelphia, Pa. for the University of Pennsylvania Invite. The Invite goes from Friday through Sunday, Sept. 23-25.
