April 17, 2007
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Horizon League Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Sebastian Lystad
UIC, Freshman, Oslo, Norway
Lystad won three in a row at No. 1 singles last weekend, all in straight sets, and won twice in doubles play to help UIC go 3-0 during the week and claim two League matches. Lystad's week was highlighted by a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over defending Horizon League Player of the Year Tim Prudlow of UW-Green Bay.
Horizon League Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Sarah Galon
Cleveland State, Senior, Waianae, Hawaii
Galon went 2-0 at No. 1 singles to key CSU to road wins at UW-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay. She defeated UWM's Kelly Drvaric 6-4, 6-4, and UW-Green Bay's Heather Harding 6-3, 7-6(4) to move to 23-11 in singles play this year. She also teamed with freshman Denisa Muntean for two wins at No. 1 doubles.
Other Top Performances
Brian Meek
Youngstown State, Sr., Youngstown, Ohio
Meek joined teammate Diego Cerzosimo for an 8-5 win at No. 2 doubles over UW-Green Bay. The win marks the pairs' seventh win together at doubles for the season.
Tim Prudlow
UW-Green Bay, Sr., Elm Grove, Wis.
Prudlow picked up four wins in League play this weekend, including two wins at No. 1 singles. He scored victories against Cleveland State's Brad Groleski and Youngstown State's Scott Kathary at singles, while teaming with Mat Weiss for a win at No. 2 doubles against CSU and a victory at the top tandem spot against the Penguins.
Ryan Hamning
Cleveland St., Fr. Middletown, Ohio
Hamning defeated UW-Green Bay's Matt Keesey, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 3 singles for his 26th singles win of the season. He also teamed with freshman Phil Orno for an 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles to key CSU's 4-3. Hamning and Orno are 24-6 at No. 1 doubles this season.
Svetlana Flankova
Detroit, Fr, Riga, Latvia
Flankova won both her singles and doubles matches against Butler on Saturday. In singles action, she downed Michelle Hawes 6-4, 6-0 to claim the victory, while she teamed with Kelly Davis to defeat the Bulldogs' Molly Casperson and Becky Jenkins 8-4.
Gina Peretti
Youngstown St., Sr., Boardman, Ohio
Peretti picked up two wins at No. 2 singles last week, defeating UW-Milwaukee's Kari Kastenholz (6-3, 6-4) and UW-Green Bay's Jennifer Tan (6-0, 6-0). She also picked up a doubles victory with Michelle Fuleky against UW-Milwaukee, defeating Kelly Drvaric and Kastenhoz 8-1.
Ali O'Neal
UW-Milwaukee, Fr., Stevens Point, Wis.
O'Neal split both her two singles matches and two doubles matches over the weekend as the Panthers wrapped up the regular season. The singles win by O'Neal on Saturday was her 17th singles victory of the season, setting a new school record. Plus, her doubles win with teammate Samantha Drews helped give the Panthers the key doubles point against Youngstown State.
Molly Casperson
Butler, Fr., Neenah, Wis.
Casperson clinched the Bulldogs' 5-2 win over Detroit on April 14, topping reigning Horizon League Player of the Year Annie Moore in straight-sets at No. 1 singles by a score of 6-3, 6-3.
Jenna Reisch
UIC, Fr., LaGrange, Ill.
Reisch went 2-0 in singles competition during the week, defeating Wright State's Maria Capiozello, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 5 singles on Friday, before taking a win at the fifth spot at Illinois State.
Lauryn Grimando
UW-Green Bay, Oak Brook, Ill.
Grimando went 3-1 in League play this week, picking up two wins at No. 5 singles and one victory at No. 1 doubles. Grimando's victory over Youngstown State's Irena Lanc proved a key point in the Green Bay's 4-3 win, and she was the only Phoenix to score a point against Cleveland State with a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Lindsey Sellers.
News & Notes from Around the League
The Butler University women's team closes out the regular season with a busy week--four matches in total--including three against League foes. The April 19 match against UIC pits the top two teams in the standings against each other in a repeat of last year's title match. Both the Bulldogs and the Flames are undefeated in the League this season. On the men's side, Butler prepares for a run at a sixth-consecutive Horizon League title with matches against Cleveland State and Youngstown State.
The Cleveland State University men(16-6) are now just two wins shy of the single season school record with two matches to play. The Vikings are now locked into a top three seed in the Horizon League championship and will be competing for position with defending champion Butler and UIC this weekend. The Viking women have also guaranteed themselves no lower than a three-seed next weekend, sitting at 4-1 with two matches to play.
The University of Detroit Mercy will close out the League schedule with a busy week of three matches, including a mid-week date with Wright State and a trip to Ohio to face both Youngstown State and Cleveland State. The Titans need at least one more League win to match their total of two from last season and avoid falling to the No. 8 seed in the Horizon League Championship.
The University of Illinois at Chicago women moved one step closer to another perfect League season, defeating Wright State 6-1 on Saturday. The only challenge remaining in UIC's quest for the No. 1 seed at the 2007 championship is a Thursday afternoon date with Butler. On the men's side, the Flames picked up two League wins last week, defeating Wright State and UW-Green Bay.
With a victory over Youngstown State last weekend, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women have secured their highest seed in the Horizon League Championship since 2004. The Phoenix entered both the 2005 and 2006 championships as the No. 7 seed, while its three wins this season have secured at least the No. 6 position. The Phoenix last won the League crown in 1996.
With a win over Youngstown State, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women wrapped up the regular season by equaling their most overall victories (11) since the 1996-97 season and likely securing their highest league finish since 1997-98. In addition, freshman Ali O'Neal set a school record for wins in a season with 17 after defeating YSU's Kelly Culbertson at the No. 4 singles spot, 6-1, 6-1.
Both the Youngstown State University men's and women's tennis teams close out the regular season this weekend with the defending Horizon League champions. The men will try for their first League win on Saturday against Butler, while the Penguin women will face UIC. YSU's quest for a second League victory will be made more difficult, however, as Emily Thayer and Nicole Haralambopolous are suffering from injuries that may keep them out until the Horizon League Championship.
The Valparaiso University women's tennis team looks to earn their third-consecutive Mid-Continent Conference title this weekend as the Crusaders host the 2007 Mid-Con Women's Tennis Championships. Action begins Friday morning at the Valparaiso University Tennis Complex. The Crusaders boast an 11-9 overall record, including a 5-2 conference mark. On the men's side, Valpo closes out the regular season with matches against Centenary (April 20) and UMKC (April 21). The Mid-Con Men's Tennis Championship is scheduled for April 27-28, hosted by Oral Roberts.