March 17, 2009
Contact: Dana Ingraham
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The men's tennis team started their spring training trip off on a high note as they cruised to a 6-1 win over Bethune-Cookman Sunday afternoon.
This match marked the first time Cleveland State has played outdoors this spring.
A much improved doubles effort from the Vikings led to a sweep of all three matches and the first point for CSU. The top team of Phil Orno and Ryan Hamning returned to their winning ways after a minor setback at Ohio State, improving to 12-1 on the season. Also with the win at No. 2, Yannick Goossens and Rob West are now 4-2.
On the singles front, the Vikings won out in straight sets aside from Goossens' tough three-set loss at the third spot. Goossens extended the match into a third set tiebreaker before falling 7-5, 4-6, 11-9.
Rounding out the lineup, Robert Fox handed B-CU's Kristofer Martin a 6-3, 6-1 decision at No. 5. Fox's individual record at that position is now 10-3, second only to Orno who is 11-2 at his No. 1 post.
"This was a great first match to really test ourselves outside," said head coach Brian Etzkin. "The wind was a battle for all of us, but we were able to adjust quickly and improve considerably from the first to the second sets."
Cleveland State is now 10-4 overall. The men will have a few days of practice before Thursday, March 19, when they take on Florida Atlantic University, a team ranked 77 in the nation. The match is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. in Boca Raton, Fla.
Cleveland State 6, Bethune-Cookman 1
March 15, 2009, Spring Training Trip
Doubles
1. Orno/Hamning (CSU) def. Cruz/Smallwood (B-CU), 8-2
2. Goossens/West (CSU) def. Jackson/ Vassilev (B-CU), 8-6
3. Fox/Wipprecht (CSU) def. James/Martin (B-CU), 8-4
Singles
1. Phil Orno (CSU) def. Emil Vassilev (B-CU), 6-3, 6-0
2. Rob West (CSU) def. Yannick Jackson (B-CU), 6-3, 6-2
3. Stefan James (B-CU) def. Yannick Goossens (CSU), 7-5, 4-6, 11-9
4. Ryan Hamning (CSU) def. Christian Cruz (B-CU), 6-2, 6-0
5. Robert Fox (CSU) def. Kristofer Martin (B-CU), 6-3, 6-1
6. Steven Wipprecht (CSU) def. Vitor Belucci (B-CU), 6-1, 6-3
Exhibition match
Aris Spirtos (CSU) def. Jeffrey Smallwood (B-CU), 4-6, 6-3, 10-7
