April 16, 2010
Contact: Greg Murphy
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland State women's tennis team closes the 2010 regular season with one of the biggest matches in school history when the Vikings travel to Detroit for a 2:30 p.m. contest of Saturday, April 17.
The start time of the match was pushed back one hour from the original 1:30 p.m. time.
CSU is 14-11 overall and 6-1 in the Horizon League, while UDM is 7-10 overall, but sports a 5-1 league mark.
The winner of Saturday's match will clinch the No. 2 seed in next weekend's Horizon League Championship, also earning a bye into the semifinals.
"We have put ourselves in the exact position that we talked about at the beginning of the year," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "Win or lose at Detroit, we will finish in the top-three of the league standings for the first time in program history and I am happy with the progress that we have continued to show this season."
CSU won two matches last weekend and has now won seven of its last eight matches heading into the final weekend of the regular season. The weekend began with a 7-0 win over Wright State on Saturday (April 10) at the Malaga Tennis Center. It was the first time this season that the Vikings had the chance to play on the outdoor courts on campus.
On Sunday (April 11), the Vikings posted one of the biggest wins in program history with a 6-1 victory over Butler. It was the first time in Etzkin's eight years at the helm that CSU knocked off the Bulldogs.
"The win over Butler was one of, if not the biggest win in program history," Etzkin said. "There was so much on the line in terms of tournament seedings and we came out and played intense, aggressive and focused tennis to get that win. It was a huge moment for our program.
"We have been so close to getting over the hump the last few years and to do so in this manner is how every coach would want it. I thought we came out with a lot of intensity and played great doubles and when things got a little tight, we didn't wilt and kept going after it."
Sophomore Catrine Bjerrehus was honored as the Horizon League Player of the Week for her performances in both matches. The native of Denmark won all four of her matches at the No. 1 position, including straight set wins in singles.
It was the third time that Bjerrehus has earned Horizon League Player of the Week honors this season.
Freshman Maria Lazaris also won both of her singles matches at the No. 2 position last weekend and became the first player to reach 20 wins this season. She enters the final weekend of play with a 20-13 mark.
Charlotte Gibbons is closing in on the 20 win plateau with 18 victories, while Nicole Janek and Sanda Bjelan have won 17 contests apiece.
CSU will play in the Horizon League Championship next weekend in Indianapolis, Ind., as either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. If the Vikings are seeded second, they will play in a semifinal match on Saturday, April 24. If they are the third seed, the Vikings will play a first round match on Friday, April 23.
