Jan. 30, 2008

Contact: Jessica Gerich

FIRST SERVE: The Cleveland State men's and women's tennis teams travel to upstate New York for two weekend matches. Both teams will face St. Bonaventure on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 2:00 p.m. and Niagara on Sunday, Feb. 3 at 1:00 p.m.

PREVIEWING THE VIKING MEN: The Viking men (2-2) came out on top in a tight match against Xavier on Sunday, Jan. 26, defeating the Musketeers 4-3. Senior Brad Groleski clinched the match with his singles win. The squad is led by sophomores Ryan Hamning and Phil Orno. A second team All-Horizon League selection last season, Hamning has a 10-6 record, predominately at No. 1 singles, while Orno, an all-league first team selection has a 7-9 record at No. 2 singles. Junior Rob West has gone 4-10 at No. 3 singles, while freshman Chris Klepatz is 4-7 at No. 4 singles. Freshman Robert Fox and Groleski are 7-6 and 3-3, respectively, to wrap up the bottom of the Viking lineup. Hamning and Orno also form the No. 1 doubles team and the duo is 7-5.

PREVIEWING THE VIKING WOMEN: The women fell to 1-2 on the season after losing 4-3 to Toledo on Sunday, Jan. 27. Freshmen Melissa Holzinger, Sanda Bjelan, and sophomore Charlotte Gibbons each won their singles matches against the Rockets. Holzinger (4-10) and freshman Jackie Tabb (3-12) form the top of the Viking lineup. Senior Jenn Myers is 6-7 at No. 3 singles, while freshman Sanda Bjelan is 7-6 at No. 4 singles. Sophomores Denisa Muntean and Charlotte Gibbons hold down the bottom part of the lineup, with 6-7 and 4-2 records at No. 5 and 6 singles, respectively.

THE HEAD COACH
Brian Etzkin (Southern Illinois, '98)
Men's Record: 65-65
Women's Record: 60-78
Brian Etzkin, CSU's all-time coaching wins leader, has led both the men's and women's teams to five straight seasons with 10 wins or more. Nine Vikings have garnered All-Horizon League recognition under Etzkin's tutelage and two players have earned Horizon League Newcomer of the Year honors. Etzkin guided both the men's and women's teams to new heights last season, with the women having their best tournament finish in program history, (third) while the men tied their best tournament finish in school history (third).

ETZKIN ON THE MEN: "Picking up a big win last week against Xavier was huge. We will face a tough team in St. Bonaventure this weekend. They beat us last year and won their conference championship. Niagara is a team that we beat last season. I am looking forward to the match-ups this weekend."

ETZKIN ON THE WOMEN: "I am excited about the improvement and tremendous progress that has been made and we showed it against Toledo. This weekend, we face two teams that we defeated last year and are favored against. The lessons we have taken early this spring give us a chance to pick up some victories this weekend."

BACK FROM WHERE THEY LEFT OFF: Sophomores Ryan Hamning and Phil Orno, all-league selections following their freshman campaigns, have picked up where they left off last season. Hamning boasts a 10-6 record, predominately at No. 1 singles, while Orno is 7-9, mainly at No. 2 singles. Hamning and Orno were the only two players representing CSU at the Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Tennis Championships, which were held in Tulsa, Okla., in the fall. Both were selected to play singles and doubles at the ITA Regional Tournament.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: The women's team has posted a 21-20 doubles record this season. Senior Christine Vogelgesang has the best doubles record for the women's team, going 8-2. Sophomore Charlotte Gibbons and freshman Jackie Tabb form the women's No. 1 duo, owning a 2-2 record, including knocking off Michigan State's No.1 doubles team. Sophomores Ryan Hamning and Phil Orno are 7-5, the best mark for the men's squad in doubles play.

THEY HAVE BEEN ROBBED: Junior Rob West and freshman Rob Fox form the men's No. 2 doubles team, posting a 3-4 record this season. The duo defeated Michigan State's No. 2 team, 8-5, which was CSU's only victory against the Big Ten team.

SENIOR STRENGTH: Senior Jenn Myers leads the seniors on the women's squad with six victories, predominately at No. 3 singles. Christine Vogelgesang leads the team in doubles wins, with an 8-2 record, going 4-1 with both Myers and Lindsey Sellers. Morgan Ungerott, playing mostly doubles, has compiled a 3-5 doubles record. Brad Groleski, the lone senior on the men's squad, has a 3-3 singles record and is 2-2 at No. 3 doubles.

TABBED FOR LEAGUE HONOR: Freshman Jackie Tabb received the Horizon League Tennis Athlete of the Week honor on Jan. 23, after defeating IPFW's Stacy Lish, 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2 singles and going 2-0 at No. 1 doubles with sophomore Charlotte Gibbons.

FRESHMEN IMPORTS: Freshmen Sanda Bjelan and Robert Fox have compiled the best records among CSU newcomers. Bjelan, a Bad Ragaz, Switzerland product, and Fox, a Rotterdam, Netherlands native, have a 7-6 record. Both Bjelan and Fox own 3-6 doubles records, playing No. 2 doubles.

UP NEXT: The Viking men host Duquesne on Friday, Feb. 8 at 7:00 p.m. The men and women host St. Francis (PA) on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 12:00 p.m.