March 9, 2006
SETTING THE SCENE: The Cleveland State men's and women's tennis teams travel to Orlando, Fla. for sping training (Mar. 12-15). The men and women play five matches each in a three-day span against teams from the Northeast and Midwest.
LAST TIME OUT: The men's team, which is on a two-match winning streak, improved to 4-7 for the year after a 5-2 victory over Chicago State on Mar. 4. Strong performances at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles secured the early lead for the Vikings, who went on to win four of their six singles matches. Olivier Dhaine, Brad Groleski, Dan Singer and Steven Wipprecht all earned wins.
The women are 5-4 for the year after falling to conference foe Youngstown, 4-3, on Mar. 5. After claiming the doubles point the Vikings fell short, winning just two of their six singles matches. No. 1 Sarah Galon and No. 2 Jenn Myers both downed the Penguins in three sets. On Mar. 4 CSU took advantage of a depleted Chicago State lineup, defeating the Cougars, 6-1. The Vikings won all of their matches in two sets, with Morgan Ungerott and Kristin Chamberlain both earning a shut out.
HEAD COACH Brian Etzkin: Brian Etzkin is now in his fourth year with both the men's and women's tennis programs. Etzkin, the 2003-04 Horizon League Women's Coach of the Year, has accumulated the most career wins for a coach in CSU history with 28. 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 (Jay Tee) and had players on both the first and second All-Horizon League teams.
INTERNATIONAL FLAIR: As the newest addition to the Vikings lineup, junior transfer Olivier Dhaine is showing signs of great promise. Dhaine, a native of France, is 6-1 for the spring after a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Chicago State's Prabowo Imanuel on Mar. 4. Previously Dhaine, who is in the midst of a three-match winning streak, defeated Landry Nzudie of IPFW on Feb. 17 and Mark Goldin of UW-Green Bay on Feb. 11.
BREAKING IT IN: Sophomore Brad Groleski is finally back in action with the Vikngs after a year-long haitus due to a broken wrist. Groleski clinched the winning point for CSU on Mar. 4 with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Abram Mamahit of Chicago State. Groleski downed UW-Green Bay's Eric Plaushines 6-2, 7-5 (Feb. 11) for his first win of the spring.
SINGLED OUT: Sophomore Jenn Myers has pleasantly surprised coach Etzkin at the top of the lineup at No. 2, improving to 9-4 for the spring. On a three-match winning streak, Myers went 2-0 this past weekend. She knocked off Eimily Thayer of Youngstown State 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (2) on Mar. 5 and Cristina Vlase of Chicago State 6-3, 6-3 on Mar. 4. The Chillicothe, Ohio native is 14-7 for the year. She was recognized as a top performer in the Horizon League for the Week of Mar. 6.
DOUBLE DUTY: The women's No. 1 doubles team of Sarah Galon and Morgan Ungerott is on fire this season, posting an 10-5 record for the year. The duo, on a four-match winning streak, went 2-0 this past weekend, downing Chicago State, 8-1 on Mar. 4 and YSU, 8-3 on Mar. 5. Lindsay Sellers and Kristin Chamberlain are also holding strong at No. 2 doubles. The duo is 9-8 for the year, winning their last four matches. Most recently they downed YSU 8-3 on Mar. 5.
For the men, both the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams are 3-1 for the spring and on a three-match winning streak. Oliver Dhaine and Jay Tee are leading the way at No. 1 doubles with an 8-5 win over Chicago State on Mar. 4. No. 2 Rob West and Dan Singer downed the Cougars 8-6.
HAWAIIAN PUNCH: Junior Sarah Galon continues to set the pace for the Vikings No. 1 singles despite going up against some tough compeition. Galon, currently 8-5 for the spring, claimed one of two singles win's for CSU against Youngstown State on Mar. 5, outplaying Whitney Thomas, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. Galon became the first Vikings tennis player to earn Horizon League Player of the Year honors in 2005. She was named Horizon League Newcomer of the Year two seasons ago.
FLEET OF FIRSTS: The women's tennis team capped off their fall season at the ITA Regional (Oct. 21-24) with a number of firsts for Cleveland State. A record six Viking women competed in singles and doubles at the 2005 regional in East Lansing, Mich. Sarah Galon added to her already impressive resume by becoming the first women's tennis player in Cleveland State history to compete in the singles main draw. Galon also teamed up with Morgan Ungerott to earn the Vikings' first ever regional win in the consolation round of the doubles main draw.
BEYOND THE HORIZON: When not on the tennis court, senior Jay Tee serves as president of one of the top Student-Athlete Advisory Councils in the Horizon League. Tee, a regular spectator and volunteer at CSU athletic events, has lead the group in its efforts to adopt students at Marion-Sterling Elementary School for a "Big Vikes-Little Vikes" program. During the winter SAAC coordinated a campus-wide effort to supply relief to those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
SINGING A NEW TUNE: After going 2-5 in the fall at No. 3 singles, junior Dan Singer is back on track at No. 5 singles with a 4-3 record for the spring. Singer, who is on a two-match winning streak, defeated Chicago State's Toni Todoric 6-2, 6-4 on Mar. 4. On Feb. 17, he downed Arturo Salgado of IPFW, 7-5, 6-3.
SPRINGING INTO ACTION: Tough competition may have set freshman Steven Wipprecht back at the end of February, but March has arrived. No. 6 Wipprecht, currently 3-4 for the spring, pulled-out a 6-0, 4-6, 10-8 win over Nicolas Ortega-Peric of Chicago State on Mar. 4. Previously, he nearly defeated UW-Green Bay's Eric Hines on Feb. 11 in a three-set nail-biter, 6-3, 6-7 (7-3), 6-2. Wiprecht went 7-4 during the fall at No. 4 singles.
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR: Freshman Christine Vogelgesang is adding some serious depth to the Cleveland State lineup this spring at No. 6 singles. Youngstown State may have ended her four-match winning streak on Mar. 5 but Vogelgesang's solid record remains intact at 10-6. On Feb. 17 she battled Morgan Kemp of SEMO for a 7-5, 1-6, 6-4 victory, just hours before downing Jessica Vervynckt of IPFW, 6-1, 6-4. One day later, she defeated Oakland's Lauren Sanchez-Murphy 6-3, 6-2. Vogelgesang has only lost one of her last seven matches.
UP NEXT: The women hit the road again, traveling to Duquesne on Mar. 23. The men travel to Michigan State on Mar. 25.
