Tennis Concludes First Weekend of Fall Play

Western Michigan Invitational

Green Bay Men’s Tennis

Led by tournament MVP Howard Scott (Exeter, England), the Green Bay men’s tennis team concluded its successful weekend at the three-day Western Michigan Jack Vredevelt Invitational on Sunday afternoon. The Phoenix posted five singles and three doubles wins on Sunday, bringing the team’s tournament total to 12 singles and eight doubles victories.

Scott finished his MVP weekend with six total wins – three in singles and three in doubles. Joining the sophomore on the eight-member all-tournament team were sophomore Leopold Gomez Islinger (Weiden, Germany) and junior Michael Tenzer (Neuried, Germany), who were both two-time winners on day three.

Scott recorded two more wins on Sunday after his three-win performance on Saturday, defeating Xavier’s Mesa Mei 7-6 (5), 2-6, 1-0 (8) in the Gold Sinlges flight before teaming up with Tenzer for a dominant 8-2 triumph over Cleveland State’s Ali Shabib and Jorg Van Der Vloet in Gold Doubles.

Gomez Islinger and Tenzer also grabbed Gold Singles wins, as Gomez Islinger downed Notre Dame’s Kenneth Sabacinski 1-6, 7-5, 1-0 (11) and Tenzer beat Illinois State’s Erik Brunskog 6-1, 6-2. In addition, Gomez Islinger teamed up with classmate Rowan Isaaks (London, England) for an 8-5 victory over WMU’s Jim Beckwith and Stephen Payne.

Other winners for the Phoenix on Sunday were Isaaks and sophomore Joey Leto (Downers Grove, Wis.) in the Brown Singles flight. Leto and junior Michael Tebon (Excelsior, Minn.) also teamed for a close, 8-7 (4) win in Black Doubles.

Cleveland State Men’s Tennis

The Cleveland State men's tennis team wrapped up action at the Western Michigan Invitational Sunday, splitting their singles matches and picking up a doubles victory.

"I thought we played better singles at spots today, it was the final day of the tournament so we really had to dig deep and push to finish the tournament with our strongest tennis," assistant coach Frank Polito said. "Matt Ford probably had the best weekend for us overall, he was really playing some strong tennis which will give us a major advantage if that continues throughout the season. We had a pretty balanced team in doubles, but I thought Matt Kuelker and Nolan ended on a high note, picking up our lone doubles win today."

The trio of Matt Kuelker, Matt Ford and Joe VanMeter picked up CSU's singles victories on Sunday, Kuelker playing in the Gold bracket and Ford and VanMeter playing in the Brown bracket. Kuelker defeated Rodrigo Oliveira from Illinois State, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), Ford earned a 6-4, 6-4 win over Matthew Hamilton from WMU and VanMeter posted a 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (9) victory over Jeremy Schneider of Xavier.

In doubles, Kuelker and Nolan Marks posted an 8-4 victory over a duo from Western Michigan in the Black bracket, earning CSU's lone doubles victory on the final day.

Cleveland State will continue its fall schedule next weekend, when they participate in the Purdue Invitational, Friday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 22.

CSU Results

Gold Singles
Matt Kuelker (CSU) def. Oliveira (ISU), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3)
Roebker (XU) def. Jorg van der Vloet (CSU), 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (7)
Krull (XU) def. Ali Shabib (CSU), 6-0, 6-1

Black Singles
Dooley (ND) def. Nolan Marks (CSU), 6-0, 6-0

Brown Singles
Matt Ford (CSU) def. Hamilton (WMU), 6-4, 6-4
Joe VanMeter (CSU) def. Schneider (WMU), 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (9)

Gold Doubles
Tenzer/Scott (GB) def. Shabib/van der Vloet (CSU), 8-2
Black Doubles
Kuelker/Marks (CSU) def. Hamilton/Mora (WMU), 8-4
Torsch/Schneider (XU) def. Ford/VanMeter (CSU), 8-6

River Forest Invitational 

Valparaiso Men’s Tennis

The River Forest Invitational ended Saturday with two freshmen winning their respective flights. Dave Bacalla (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) and Kyle Dunn (Fon du Lac, Wis./Fon dy Lac) won at No. 5 and 6 to maintain a perfect 3-0 record to start their collegiate careers.

Bacalla pulled out a minor miracle in his flight. Already down a set and facing a 5-1 deficit in the second set, the freshman rallied back to overthrow NIU's Matt Lynch a 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 10-5 for the No. 5 Championship.

"Dave had one of the greatest comebacks that I have seen in my coaching career. He dug extra deep to turn the match around and win his flight," head coach Jim Daugherty said.

Dunn didn't need near the dramatics in his Championship round as he defeated Butler's Tommy Marx in straight sets 6-4, 7-6.

After dropping their opening round match at No. 1 doubles, Bacalla and Charlie Emhardt (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) rattled off a pair of easy wins, beating Morehead State's Heo/Swindells 8-1 before dispatching Butler's tandem of Weldon/Bhattacharya 8-2 in the Consolation Final.

Eric Honert (Arvada, Col./Ralston Valley) and Jeffrey Schrosch (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) dropped a tight 8-5 tilt in their Championship final at No. 2 doubles, losing to the Butler brothers Austin and Alex Woldmoe.

As a team, Valpo finished tied for third place - out of eight teams - with UIC with 46 points. Northern Illinois walked away with the team title after a 58-point weekend.

"I am pleased with our overall results. Finishing 3rd in such a strong field of teams is a good result. Nevertheless, we are not satisfied as there is plenty to improve upon. Again, most of the credit has to go the the freshmen class who simply got the job done," Daugherty said afterwards.

UIC Men’s Tennis

The UIC men's tennis team kicked off its fall season on Fri., Sept. 13 and Sat., Sept. 14 at the River Forest Invitational in River Forest, Ill.

The Flames took to the courts against opponents from Belmont, Butler, Morehead State, Northern Illinois, St. Louis, Valparaiso, and Youngstown State in the six-flight singles and three-flight doubles two-day event.

James Li led off the first singles flight by defeating Silviu Mistreanu of YSU 6-3, 7-6 (4), but fell short in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0, against Mauricio Antun of Belmont.  Li faced Dor Amir from Northern Illinois in his third and final match, but fell short 6-1, 6-4.

In the second flight, Alex Raa faced Marko Lovrinovic from Belmont falling 7-6.  In round two, he defeated Joe Flanagan from St. Louis in straight sets, 7-6, 7-5. Raa faced Sebastian Han from Youngstown State in the consolation final, but lost 6-2, 5-7 (10-5).

Isaac Lloveras breezed through the first two rounds defeating Eric Honert from Valparaiso 6-2, 4-6, (10-8) and Cedric Dujacquier from Belmont 7-6 (3) 6-2.  He ultimately placed second falling short to Giovanni Samaha from Morehead State 6-2, 6-4 in the championship.

Maurizio Feoli started off strong in his first match in the fourth flight with a 7-5, 4-6, 10-7, win over Gabriel Ruiz from Morehead State.  He fell short in his second match to Jovan Zeljkovic from Northern Illinois 6-1, 6-4. Feoli defeated Michael Savglio from Valparaiso 3-6, 6-4 (10-8) in his third match of the day.

Heading into the fifth flight, Carl Hedstrom fell to Brandon Woods from Butler 6-4, 6-4. Hedstrom won straight sets 6-3, 6-1 against Martijn Verberne from Belmont.  He faced off against Nick Mercer from Morehead State in the Consolation Final but ultimately fell short 6-4, 6-4.

The final flight of singles had Eric Pontow falling to Kyle Dunn from Valparaiso 6-3, 6-4. Pontow defeated Hans Nardelli from Belmont 6-3, 6-2 to go on to win the Consolation final against David Clifford from Morehead State 6-2, 6-1.

Through doubles play, UIC combined for a 5-4 record.  Raa and Cole teamed up in the first match of the first flight defeating Pat Kella and Miguel Flores from St. Louis 8-6.  The duo then faced off against YSU’s Dawood Kabil and Sebastian Hagn, but fell short 8-3. Nate Campanile subbed in for Cole in the final match.  Raa and Campanile defeated Axel Langerlof and Dor Amir of Northern Illinois 8-6 to take third place in the first flight.

Lloveras and Pontow competed in the second flight and started strong beating Joe Flanagan and Nishaad Balachandran from St. Louis 8-3. The tandem fell short to Butler and Northern Illinois in the final two matches, ultimately coming in fourth place.

The third flight was rounded out when Feoli joined Hedstrom.  The pair took the first two against Belmont and Butler, 9-7, 8-3, respectively. The duo ultimately fell short to Matt Lynch and Jovan Zelijkovic from Northern Illinois 8-6 in the Championship.

“River Forest was a great opportunity for the freshmen to compete at a high level of collegiate tennis,” head coach Hans Neufeld stated.  “Eric Pontow, Carl Hedstrom, and Nate Campanile all had solid impacts in our doubles results. We competed well in singles showing the depth of this year’s team.”

The Flames resume fall competition on Thurs., Oct. 17, when they head to Columbus, Ohio, to compete in the ITA Midwest Regionals.

COMPLETE UIC RESULTS

Singles - Flight #1
James Li (UIC) def. Silviu Mistreanu (YSU) 6-3, 7-6 (4)
Mauricio Antun (Belmont) def. James Li (UIC) 6-2, 6-0
Dor Amir (NIU) def. James Li (UIC) 6-1, 6-4

Singles - Flight #2
Marko Lovrinovic (Belmont) def. Alex Raa (UIC) 6-3, 6-1
Alex Raa (UIC) def. Joe Flanagan (SLU) 7-6, 7-5
Sebastian Hagn (YSU) def. Alex Raa (UIC) 6-2, 5-7 (10-5)

Singles - Flight #3
Isaac Lloveras (UIC) def. Eric Honert (Valparaiso) 6-2, 4-6, (10-8)
Isaac Lloveras (UIC) def. Cedric Dujacquier (Belmont) 6-4, 6-3
Giovanni Samaha (MSU) def. Isaac Lloveras (UIC) 6-2, 6-4

Singles - Flight #4
Maurizio Feoli (UIC) def. Gabriel Ruiz (MSU) 7-5, 4-6, 10-7
Jovan Zeljkovic (NIU) def. Maurizio Feoli (UIC) 6-1, 6-4
Maurizio Feoli (UIC) def. Michael Savaglio (Valparaiso) 3-6, 6-4, (10-8)

Singles - Flight #5
Brandon Woods (Butler) def. Carl Hedstrom (UIC) 6-4, 6-4
Carl Hedstrom (UIC) def. Martijn Verberne (Belmont) 6-3, 6-1
Nick Mercer (MSU) def. Carl Hedstrom (UIC) 6-4, 6-4

Singles - Flight #6
Kyle Dunn (Valparaiso) def. Eric Pontow (UIC) 6-3, 6-4
Eric Pontow (UIC) def. Hans Nardelli (Belmont) 6-3, 6-2
Eric Pontow (UIC) def. David Clifford (MSU) 6-2, 6-1

Doubles - Flight #1
Christopher Cole/Alexander Raa (UIC) def. Pat Kella/ Miguel Flores (SLU) 8-6
Dawood Kabil/ Sebastian Hagn (YSU) def. Christopher Cole/ Alexander Raa (UIC) 8-3
Nate Campanile**/ Alexander Raa (UIC) def. Axel Lagerlof/ Dor Amir (NIU) 8-6
**sub for Christopher Cole

Doubles - Flight #2
Isaac Lloveras/ Eric Pontow (UIC) def. Joe Flanagan/ Nishaad Balachandran (SLU) 8-3
Austin Woldmoe/ Woldmoe (Butler) def. Isaac Lloveras/ Eric Pontow (UIC) 8-7 (8-6)
Formont/ Fred Cadieux (NIU) def. Isaac Lloveras/ Eric Pontow (UIC) 8-4

Doubles - Flight #3
Maurizio Feoli/Carl Hedstrom (UIC) def. Martjn Verberne/ Hans Nardelli (Belmont) 9-7
Maurizio Feoli/Carl Hedstrom (UIC) def. Tommy Marks/ Sam Oneill (Butler) 8-3
Matt Lynch/ Jovan Zelijkovic (NIU) def. Maurizio Feoli/Carl Hedstrom (UIC) 8-5
2nd/8th

Toledo Rocket Invitational

Detroit Women’s Tennis

The University of Detroit Mercy women's tennis team opened its 2013-14 season this weekend with a trip to the Toledo Rocket Invite hosted by the University of Toledo.

DAY ONE

Three Titans won every match they competed in on day one. Sophomore Irina Slizovskaya won in the No. 2 slot, defeating her opponent from IPFW and teaming up with freshman Viktoria Laskutova  in the No. 2 doubles slot.

Sophomore Valery Kulikovskaya dropped her match in the No. 3 slot to her opponent from IPFW in straight sets, but responed by winning her doubles match with senior Julia Fernandes in the No. 1 slot.

Also, senior Elena Strakhova won her doubles match with fellow classmate Raina Halabi in the No. 3 slot, before taking her single match in the No. 6 slot against IPFW.

DAY TWO

UDM swept two flights on day number two. Slizovskaya grabbed a victory against Duquesne in the No. 1 slot, while Fernandes defeated her opponent in slot No. 2 and Detroit took slot No. 3 by default.

Kulikovskaya swept her opening match to earn a win in the No. 4 slot, while Halabi and Strakhova earned wins in the No. 5 and No. 6 slots, respectively.

The tandem of Kulikovskaya and Fernandes took home a win against host Toledo in the No. 1 in doubles competition.

Cornell Fall Invitational

Cleveland State Women’s Tennis

The Cleveland State women's tennis team wrapped up action at the Cornell Fall Invitational Sunday, with freshman Victoria Bensimon leading the way for the Vikings.

"We didn't have as good of a final day as I would have liked, but overall for our first tournament of the season we did okay," head coach Brian Etzkin said.

"Victoria was the standout performer of the day, picking up a singles and doubles win for us. Throughout the weekend we were able to learn a lot about what we need to work on moving forward, and what we need to focus on to improve for next weekend."

Benismon posted CSU's lone singles victory on the day, earning a 6-1, 6-3 straight-set victory over Binghamton's Shea Brodsky in the consolation bracket of the B Flight. Bensimon was also part of CSU's doubles victory Sunday, as she teamed with Mathilde Orange for an 8-3 victory over a duo from Albany.

After reaching the finals of the C Flight with three wins over the first two days, Ellen Folkers fell in the championship match Sunday, 6-1, 6-0 to Madison Cohen of Akron.

The Vikings will continue action next weekend, competing in the Ball State Invitational from Friday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 22.

CSU Results

C Singles
Cohen (AKR) def. Ellen Folkers (CSU), 6-1, 6-0

A Consolation Singles
Torres (ALB) def. Kara Sherwood (CSU), 6-3, 6-1
Medianik (BU) def. Princess Gbadamosi (CSU), 6-4, 7-5

B Consolation Singles
Victoria Bensimon (CSU) def. Brodsky (BU), 6-1, 6-3

Consolation Doubles
Bensimon/Orange (CSU) def. Hermans/Torres (ALB), 8-3
Tanenbaum/Judeh (CU) def. Gbadamosi/Sherwood (CSU), 8-5

Cougar Fall Invitational

Green Bay Women’s Tennis

Boasting the youngest roster in the Horizon League, the Green Bay women’s tennis team opened the fall portion of its 2013-14 season eager to learn and gain experience at the Cougar Fall Invite hosted by Chicago State over the weekend.

“The scores were deceiving—across the line up our players showed that they can string together points and are willing to play brave and change up tactics when losing,” Green Bay head coach Sara Schubring said. “Footwork has greatest potential for improvement and will eliminate many of the timing errors seen in our singles play this weekend.”

Sophomore Stephanie Londre (Burlington, Wis.) advanced to the quarterfinal round of the green singles bracket after picking up a 6-3, 6-3 victory over South Dakota’s Dragana Brankovic, but was bested by Lewis’s No. 1 seed Zsofia Lanstiak, 6-0, 6-1.

Freshman Noel Peck (Green Bay, Wis.) also found success in the opening round, defeating Bradley’s Monqiue Graf 6-2, 6-2 to advance in the grey singles bracket. Eventual bracket runner-up Kendra Mills of Lewis ended Peck’s run 6-0, 6-0 in the quarterfinal round.