March 5, 2007

Contact: Josh Rattray

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Cleveland State Men's Tennis

Hawaii Spring Break Trip (Four matches)

Dates: March 11 vs. Hawai'i Pacific

                March 12 vs. Hawai'I Hilo

                March 13 vs. Hawai'I Manoa

                March 14 vs. Hawai'I BYU

Cleveland State Women's Tennis

Hawaii Spring Break Trip

Dates: March 10 vs. Hawai'i Manoa

                March 11 vs. Hawai'I Pacific

                March 12 vs. Hawai'I Hilo

                March 13 vs. Hawai'I BYU

FIRST SERVE: The Cleveland State men's and women's tennis teams will travel to Hawaii this week for an eight-match Spring Break trip. The women will play four times from March 10-13 while the men will play four contests from March 11-14.

SCOUTING THE VIKING MEN: Having won seven of their last eight matches, the Viking men (10-2) are one of the most successful teams at Cleveland State this year. Led by two freshmen and two sophomores with just one senior, the squad overcomes its inexperience with talent. Freshmen Ryan Hamning and Phil Orno have seen the most success this season in the top half of the lineup, with Hamning posting a 20-6 record playing mostly at No. 3 singles. Orno is 15-9 while playing Nos. 1 & 2 singles. Together, the freshmen are 18-3 at No. 1 doubles. Junior Brad Groleski (12-12) plays in the top singles spot, followed by the two freshmen, senior Dan Singer (10-8) and sophomores Rob West (15-4 at No. 5) and Steven Wipprecht (10-9 at No. 6). The Vikings make their mark in doubles play, having won the doubles point in all 10 of their victories.

SCOUTING THE VIKING WOMEN: The CSU women (9-5) have won six straight contests and eight of their last nine since a 1-4 start. The team has battled various injuries that have forced multiple lineup changes. One constant has been senior all-league performer Sarah Galon, who currently is 20-6 at No. 1 singles. Galon went 8-3 in the top doubles spot with fellow senior Morgan Ungerott but now teams with freshman Denisa Muntean as Ungerott has been out with an injury. Last year's No. 2 & 3 players, juniors Jenn Myers and Lindsay Sellers, have missed a lot of time due to injury but Muntean (10-10) and freshman Charlotte Gibbons (15-7) have stepped up to fill the middle of the lineup. Myers (9-4) starts at Nos. 4 of 5 singles while sophomore Kristin Chamberlain is 12-8 at No. 6 singles.

THE HEAD COACH

Brian Etzkin (Southern Illinois, `98)

Men's Record: 54-56

Women's Record: 51-59

CSU's all-time coaching wins leader, Etzkin has led both the men's and women's team to three straight seasons with 10 wins or more. Six Vikings have garnered All-Horizon League recognition under Etzkin's tutelage and two players have earned Horizon League Newcomer of the Year honors. Last year, Etzkin guided both the men's and women's teams to new heights, with the men tying for the best league tournament finish in school history (third) and the women winning a school-record 18 dual matches.

...ETZKIN REACHES 100 WINS: Cleveland State's 6-1 men's win over IUPUI on Feb. 10 was Brian Etzkin's 100th victory at the helm of the Viking program. Etzkin, CSU's all-time leader in wins in both men's and women's tennis, now has a combined record of 105-115.

FRESHMEN IMPACT: Newcomers Ryan Hamning (20-6) and Phil Orno (15-9) are a combined 35-15 with Orno playing in the top two singles spots and Hamning playing at No. 3. After finishing his fall tournaments with a 9-5 mark, Hamning, who has been named Horizon League Athlete of the Week  twice this season (Jan. 22 and Feb. 13), has been nearly automatic in dual play, posting an 11-1 singles mark. His only dual loss came to Toledo's Chris Clark on Feb. 24. Orno is 7-5 in dual play, including a 2-4 mark at No. 1.

...FRESHMEN DOUBLE PLAY: Hamning and Orno are 18-3 as a team at No. 1 doubles, with a 10-2 duals mark. The duo went 7-1 in tournament play in the fall and started the year with 10 straight wins before losing to a team from Marquette on Oct. 21 at the ITA Regional Tournament.

GOING, GOING, GALON: Three-time first team All-Horizon League selection Sarah Galon is leading CSU for the fourth straight year. Galon is 20-6 this season to improve her career mark to 74-43. Additionally, the Waianae, Hawaii native is 15-9 in doubles play with three different partners.

...LEAGUE HONORS FOR GALON: Sarah Galon has been named Horizon League Athlete of the Week twice this season. Her first league accolade came on Jan. 31 after winning No.1 singles matches against Akron and St. Francis (PA). She then captured the award on March 1 after posting wins against Youngstown State and Robert Morris.

FINDING THE RIGHT COMBO: The women's team has won six straight matches and is now 9-5 after starting 1-4. Improved doubles play may be the reason, as CSU has won the doubles point in five of its last six contests. Denisa Muntean was moved to No. 1 doubles with Sarah Galon against Niagara and St. Bonaventure and the duo is now 6-3. Charlotte Gibbons has been a fixture at No. 2 doubles with Kristin Chamberlain or Lindsay Sellers and Jenn Myers and either Christine Vogelgesang or Chamberlain have played in the third spot.

...DOUBLES TAKE: The CSU men have won the doubles point in all 10 of their 12 dual matches. The only contests in which the Vikings didn't win the doubles point was their 6-1 loss at Michigan State on Jan. 20 and the 7-0 loss at Toledo on Feb. 24.

BETTER THAN AVERAGE: All six starters on the CSU men's team own singles winning percentages of .500 or better, including three who are winning over 60 percent of the time. Rob West is 15-4 and has the team's best winning percentage (.789), followed by Ryan Hamning (20-6, .769) and Phil Orno (15-9 .625). Dan Singer (10-8) is winning at a .556 clip while Steven Wipprecht (10-9, .526) and Brad Groleski (12-12, .500) round out the lineup.

FRESHMAN IMPORTS: Denisa Muntean and Charlotte Gibbons have emerged as consistent winners in their first year in collegiate play. Gibbons, a native of England, has won six of her last seven matches at No. 3 singles to improve to 15-7, while Muntean, a Toronto native, owns a 10-10 mark at No. 2 singles.

GOOD WINNERS AND GOOD SPORTS: Not only are Sarah Galon and Brad Groleski consistent winners on the court, they do so while showing classy sportsmanship. The two Vikings swept the Horizon League's inaugural Herb Foster Sportsmanship Awards last season, with Groleski winning the men's award and Galon claiming the women's trophy. The award, given to a player who exemplifies good sportsmanship on and off the court, is named in honor of the late Wright State coach who was at the helm of the Raiders from 1996-2004.

UP NEXT: The men's team returns to action - and Horizon League play - on March 23 at Youngstown State. The women will be finished for the month of March and will host UIC on April 6.