April 2, 2010
Contact: Greg Murphy
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland State men's tennis team resumes Horizon League play with a pair of matches on the road this weekend.
The Vikings, who have won the last two Horizon League titles, enter the week with an 11-6 overall record and are a perfect 2-0 in league play.
The trip begins on Saturday (April 3) when the Vikings head to Valparaiso. The teams will attempt to play outdoors at 1:00 p.m. on the campus of Valpo, however, should there be inclement weather, the match will be moved indoors to the South Bend Racquet Club in Mishisawka, Ind.
CSU concludes the trip on Sunday (April 4) with a 2:00 p.m. match at UIC.
"This is a huge weekend for us, especially since we will be playing our first league road matches of the season," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "We should be favored to beat Valpo, but we can't take them lightly or look ahead because they have the ability to sneak up on you if you are not playing your best. We beat UIC 4-3 in the finals last year so we are expecting another close match.
"This match could go a long way in determining the No. 1 seed in the league tournament."
The Vikings went 2-1 last weekend, winning league matches at home against Youngstown State and Green Bay before falling at No. 4 Ohio State.
CSU played the entire weekend without senior all-league performer Ryan Hamning who was out with a foot injury. He is expected to be back in the lineup this weekend.
With Hamning out, it gave others a chance to move up in the lineup or step into the lineup, including Aris Spirtos who played No. 3 doubles with Phil Orno, normally Hamning's partner at No. 1 doubles.
In addition, Jay Jones moved into the No. 6 singles slot, picking up a straight set win against YSU.
"With Ryan out, it gave others in the lineup a chance to step up and show what they can do," Etzkin said. "It showed that we have a deep team with a lot of talent and anybody can step in the lineup at any given time."
Orno, who was named the Horizon League Player of the Week last week, continues to lead the team with a 23-8 singles mark and has gone 17-6 with Hamning in doubles. Rob Fox is 21-10, while Hamning and Goossens both have 18 singles victories.
Following this weekend's matches, CSU returns home to host three matches next weekend, beginning with a 2:00 p.m. contest against Wright State on Saturday, April 10. CSU then hosts Butler at 2:00 p.m. and Case Western at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 11.
