Not even the weather could stop the UIC women and the Cleveland State men.
Rainy conditions moved the 2010 Horizon League men's and women's tennis championships indoors. Each championship was held at a different site with the men starting in the morning.
Cleveland State, led by Horizon League senior Phil Orno, took control early and really never let up. Orno and fellow senior Ryan Hamning led the Vikings in doubles action. CSU went 2-0 in doubles thanks to Rob Fox and John Haley.
Singles competition wasn't all that competitive. A theme for the two tennis championships. Number one Phil Orno beat Sebastian Lystad, Rob fox defeated Nathan Kirk, and Chris Klepatz held off Nicolas Ospina for the clean sweep.
Cleveland State finished a dominating Horizon League season by dominating the second-best team in the league. The entire team held up the number ‘3' in their championship picture, showing how many championships they've won consecutively.
Immediately following the trophy presentation, Senior Phil Orno and head coach Brian Etzkin talked to HLN about their season, what it means, and what's next.
The UIC women didn't have enough fingers to hold up after their victory yesterday, giving them 14 straight Horizon League titles.
The 1-2 punch of Mariya Kovaleva and Ilinca Cristescu was just too much for the Titans. Number one, and two-time Horizon League player of the year, Mariya Kovaleva defeated Detroit's Carolina Salas 6-3, 6-2. Cristescu, another former Horizon League player of the year, overpowered Amanda Cornwell to set the tone for the Flames.
The accomplishments of those two women are borderline unbelievable. Neither of them are seniors so expect more of the same for the next year or two.
The other storyline, besides the pure dominance of the UIC women, was head coach Shannon Tully's absence. Coach Tully wasn't at the championship due to her pregnancy so the team was handed over to assistant coach Ivan Kovalev. Kovalev is the older brother of Kovaleva and a former UIC tennis player. HLN talked to the brother-sister duo following the trophy presentation.
The UIC women's tennis dynasty is something to marvel at. Head coach Shannon Tully is 90-0 in Horizon League matches. A perfect season next year will put her at a ridiculous 100-0. With Kovaleva and Cristescu both back I wouldn't bet against it.
