March 10, 2005
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Setting the Scene: Men's and women's tennis heads to Altamonte Springs, Fla. this weekend for their spring trip. The men's squad battles Illinois Wesleyan and Rhode Island on Sunday (March 13) before taking on Bucknell on Monday (March 14) and Knox College on Wednesday (March 16). The women's team squares off with Stephen F. Austin on Monday, Illinois Wesleyan and Bucknell on Monday and finishes up with Tiffin on Tuesday (March 15).
Previewing the Vikings: The Cleveland State women's team touts a 9-7 overall record and a 2-1 mark in the Horizon League. The women's team is coming off of a successful weekend that saw them edge out UW-Green Bay on Friday (Feb. 25) by a 4-3 score before registering a 6-1 win over UW-Milwaukee on Saturday (Feb. 26). Sophomore Sarah Galon and freshmen Jenn Myers and Lindsay Sellers picked up a pair of singles wins for the Vikings, who improved to 2-0 in the Horizon League. The men's team holds a 5-7 overall mark after claiming a win over Chicago State last weekend (March 5). Junior Jordan Reynolds leads the team with seven wins, while senior Eric Winn, junior Brett Aronson and sophomore Dan Singer have six wins a piece.
Vikings Cruise By Chicago State: The men's and women's tennis teams picked up a pair of home wins on March 5, with both teams scoring 5-2 decisions over Chicago State at River Oaks Racquet Club. The women's team registered the doubles point thanks to wins from the No. 1 and 2 teams. Sophomores Sarah Galon and Morgan Ungerott put away an 8-2 win at first doubles, while freshmen Jenn Myers and Christine Vogelgesang picked up an 8-3 decision at No. 2. The men's squad picked up a crucial 8-3 win from the No. 2 doubles team of Jay Tee and Brett Aronson that solidified the doubles point with a forfeit victory at No. 3. Senior Paul Haley got things rolling at No. 3 singles with a gutsy 6-4, 6-2 win over Abram Mamahit, while Dan Singer (6-3, 6-1) and Jordan Reynolds (6-4, 6-3) added wins at No. 4 and 5.
...But Youngstown State Gets By Women's Team: Cleveland State scored a pair of wins in doubles competition for the doubles point against Youngstown State on March 6, but could only score one win in the singles matches as CSU dropped a 5-2 match at the Boardman Tennis Center. Sophomores Sarah Galon and Morgan Ungerott continued their recent run of success at No. 1 doubles with a strong 8-2 decision over Karen Najbert and Michelle Fuleky. Freshmen Jenn Myers and Christine Vogelgesang sealed the doubles point with a gutsy 8-6 win at No. 2 over Gina Peretti and Heather Hagood.
Back to the Front: Eric Winn moved back to the front line for the men's squad against Toledo last weekend, and the senior responded to the challenge with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over Josh Moran. He had spent the majority of his career with the Vikings at the No. 1 position but has seen most of his playing time at No. 2 this season. Winn holds a 2-1 mark at No. 1 this season and has a 23-31 mark during his career.
Aloha from Cleveland: You would think that a native of Hawaii would find the weather in Cleveland a little less than inviting. But sophomore No. 1 Sarah Galon has thrived on the shores of Lake Erie, as the Waianae, Ha. native leads the team with 12 wins, claiming victories in her last four matches. Last season, Galon had one of the best first years of any Cleveland State player, being named the Horizon League's Newcomer of Year and to the all-league first team after leading the Vikings with an 18-9 record as the No. 1.
Freshman Success: Cleveland State freshmen Jenn Myers and Lindsay Sellers have stepped up big for the Vikings' women's team this season, combining for 19 wins on the season at No. 2 and No. 4 singles. Myers tallied the Vikings' lone singles win against Toledo on Feb. 19, while Sellers earned the match-deciding point against UW-Green Bay on Feb. 25.
Don't Mess With Texas: Cleveland State seniors Paul Haley and Eric Winn know about playing big. The Lone Star State natives have been staples in the Cleveland State lineup for the past three and a half seasons, combining for 70 wins to date, with both players seeing regular time at No. 1 singles during their careers. The tandem has also teamed up at No. 1 doubles for three of the past four seasons, tallying 15 wins during that span.
Road Trip Anyone?: The Cleveland State tennis teams will be spending a lot of time away from Cleveland for the next two months as the Vikings will see playing time at Malaga Tennis Center only once in February and March. CSU will play a total of 19 matches on the road this spring, with all of them being played from Feb. 19 to April 2, while playing only Chicago State at home last weekend during that span. The Vikings will somewhat make up for the travels at the end of the season, however, playing their last seven contests before the Horizon League Championships at Malaga.
The Coaches: Brian Etzkin is in his third season at the helm of the Viking tennis teams, holding a combined record of 48-94 (27-46 men, 21-48 women). He has been given the task reviving the men's tennis program, which returned in 2000 after an eight-year hiatus. Prior to his arrival at Cleveland State, Etzkin spent two years as an assistant at Western Illinois before being named an assistant coach at Michigan State. He is assisted by David Howell, a native of Solon, who joined the program after spending a season as interim head coach at Allegheny College. A standout player for Allegheny from '96-00, Howell served as assistant coach at St. Lawrence University from 2001-02. Also assisting as a volunteer is Teresa Boylan, who returns to Cleveland State after serving as head coach from 1997-2001.
Next Up: The men's and women's teams head to Fort Wayne, Ind. on April 1 for a 1:00 p.m. match with IPFW. The men's team will then battle UIC the following day (April 2) in Fort Wayne beginning at 1:00 p.m.
