Tennis Weekly Release #14: Championship Preview
April 24, 2007
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Horizon League Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Evan West
Butler, Sr., Greenwood, Ind.
West went undefeated in singles play last week while adding a pair of victories at doubles. He scored a 6-3, 6-3 victory over IPFW up a spot at No. 2 singles before two-set wins at No. 3 against Horizon League foes Cleveland State (6-2, 6-4) and Youngstown State (6-2, 6-0). He also teamed with Scott Newmark for an 8-6 No. 2 doubles victory against the Mastodons and an 8-6 win at No. 3 over Cleveland State.
Horizon League Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week
Callan Smith
UIC, Sr., Leawood, Kansas
Smith handed Butler's Molly Casperson her first league loss of the season with a resilient 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory at No. 1 singles on Friday. Smith also teamed with Grace Gill-Morlis to pick up a No. 1 doubles win and secure a 7-0 shutout over the Bulldogs.
Other Top Performances
Ryan Trapp
Youngstown State, Jr., Howland, Ohio
Trapp joined his brother Jason at No. 3 doubles to pick up the 8-3 win against Sam Sweeney and Sean Kreymborg of UIC. Ryan continued to play well in the league as he won at No. 2 doubles against Butler and helped secure the doubles point. Trapp also was the only Penguin to win at singles against Butler. His 6-4, 7-6 (5) win over Scott Newmark gave the team its second point in the 5-2 loss to the No. 1 team in the Horizon League.
Eric Fey
UIC, Jr., St. Charles, Ill.
Fey won both of his singles matches in straight sets in Horizon League competition against Youngstown State and Cleveland State. The wins gave the junior double-digit dual match singles wins for the third straight season. Fey also won a doubles contest in UIC's sweep of the Penguins.
Michelle Hawes
Butler, Jr., Columbus, Ind.
Hawes led the Bulldogs with three singles wins last week and added a pair of victories at doubles. She scored three two-set victories at No. 3 singles over IPFW, Cleveland State and Youngstown State and teamed with Tiffany McLoughlin for No. 1 doubles wins against CSU and YSU.
Kelly Davis
Detroit, So, Farmington Hills, Mich.
Davis went a perfect 6-0 combined in singles and doubles this week to help the Titans to a 3-0 week in the Horizon League. Davis combined with freshman Svetlana Flankova to sweep Wright State on Wednesday and Youngstown State on Saturday and helped secure the doubles point with the duo's win over Cleveland State on Sunday. In singles, Davis was perfect at the number six slot, sweeping all three of her matches in straight sets. Davis defeated WSU's Kelsey Miles (6-0, 6-1), YSU's Irena Lanc (6-4, 6-4) and CSU's Kristin Chamberlain (7-6 (2), 6-4)
Emily Thayer
Youngstown St., Jr., Charleston, W. Va.
Thayer picked up the Penguins only win in singles and doubles against Detroit on Saturday. Thayer joined teammate Irena Lanc at No. 3 doubles to pick up the 8-0 win over Amy Inman and Ingrid Stensvaag before later defeating Stensvagg to earn her second win of the afternoon.
Championship Preview
The Butler University men's tennis team hopes history repeats itself this weekend as they look to defend their title at the Horizon League Championships. The Bulldogs won 11 of their final 14 matches to finish the regular season with a 5-0 League mark and the No. 1 seed, the tenth-straight season they have accomplished the feat under coach Jason Suscha. Freshman Ben Raynauld led the Butler in League play, going undefeated in both singles and doubles.
On the women's side, Butler finished the season with a 6-1 League record, the best since the 2003-2004 season. If they hope to unseat defending champion UIC, the Bulldogs will rely on continued doubles sucess. Both the top two positions were dominant in League play this season. No. 1 Tiffany McLoughlin and Michelle Hawes and No. 2 Molly Casperson and Becky Jenkins each went 6-1 against League foes.
The Cleveland State University men's tennis team led the Horizon League with 17 victories this season, only one shy of the school record set in 1989. The number-two seed is also the highest position the Vikings have ever held in Horizon League Championship play. In order to capitalize on that success, however, CSU will need continued strong play from freshman duo Phil Orno and Ryan Hamning, as well as junior Brad Groleski. Orno and Hamning, who both won 20 or more singles matches on the year, were a powerful force at the No. 1 doubles position, while Groleski combined for 17 wins on the year at No. 1 and 2 singles and tournament play.
On the women's side, senior Sarah Galon hopes to lead the Vikings to their first-ever Horizon League title. Galon, a three-time Athlete of the Week honoree, tallied 25 wins this year, including a 5-2 mark at No. 1 singles in against League opponents. In addition to Galon's strong play, junior Jenn Myers finished the regular season with a perfect record at No. 4 singles in the League. The Vikings will take on No. 5 UW-Milwaukee in the first round on Saturday.
At 4-3 and with a share of third place in the final standings, the University of Detroit Mercy enters the Horizon League Championship off their best regular-season effort ever. The Titans won the last three matches in a row, defeating Wright State, Youngstown State and Cleveland State last week, with the latter two victories scored on the road.
Freshman Svetlana Flankova went 2-1 at No. 2 singles last week, pushing her season record to a team-best 21-11. That ties Flankova for second place in the UDM record book for singles victories in a season. She trails only Annie Moore, who won 26 times a year ago.
The Titans have used 14 different doubles combinations this year, but coach Daron Montgomery seemed to hit on a good one - Kelly Davis and Svetlana Flankova at No. 2 - down the stretch. The two Titans have gone 5-0 together since first being paired up in a victory over UW-Milwaukee on April 6.
The University of Illinois at Chicago women won 10 of their last 12 matches on the season, including all seven League contests to secure the No. 1 seed in the championships. The Flames have now won 90 consecutive Horizon League matches dating back to 1997, a streak of ten consecutive regular seasons and championships.
On the men's side, UIC enters the weekend having won four of their last five dual matches. The Flames are searching for their first-ever Horizon League championship and NCAA berth, having finished second to Butler in each of the last two years. A runner-up finish or better would mark the first time in school history that UIC has finished three years in a row as one of the Horizon League's top two finishers. In order to claim the title, however, the Flames will need continued strong play from the top of the lineup, including freshman Sebastian Lystad. Lystad is just three wins shy of tying the UIC single-season school record for singles wins. He currently has 17 overall, just a trio of victories shy of Ivan Kovalev's record of 20 set back in 2005.
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men, led by defending Horizon League Player of the Year Tim Prudlow, enter this year's championship as the No. 5 seed after compiling a 6-11 record for the year. The Phoenix will take on Wright State on Saturday morning at 11 a.m.
. During the regular season matchup between the two squads, Wright State prevailed 5-2. UW-Green Bay's points came from wins at No. 5 and No. 6 singles by Scott Dickert and Matt Keesey respectively. If the Phoenix can get past Wright State, it would face Butler in the second round. The Phoenix has never won the Horizon League tournament, but was runner-up to Butler for three straight years from 2002 to 2004.
On the women's side, UW-Green Bay hopes to overcome its No. 6 seed to become the first team other than UIC to claim the Horizon League title since 1996, when the Phoenix defeated the Flames for the Midwestern Collegiate Conference title. The first challenge for Green Bay is No. 3 seed Detroit. In the previous meeting between the two teams this season, the Phoenix pulled out a 4-3 win, thanks to a big three-set victory by Laura Bartingale at No. 5 singles.
After three consecutive seasons as the No. 8 seed at the Horizon League Championship, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee broke through with 11 match wins this year, tying the 1996-97 squad for the most in the school's Division I history. The 11 victories are also more than the last five years combined (nine). UWM, who enjoyed the program's first two three-match win streaks since the 1999-2000, relied on a core group of freshman to carry the team this season. Newcomer Ali O'Neal set a school record with 17 match wins, while rookie Ashley Schoneman notched 15 wins for the fourth-highest single-season total and Kelly Drvaric picked up 10 wins between the top two singles spots.
The fifth-seeded Panthers hope to continue their successful season at the League Championships, where they have not won a match since defeating Cleveland State in 2000. They will face No 4 CSUon Saturday at 9 a.m.
The Wright State University men enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed after picking up two wins in League play. The Raiders, led by 2006 All-League selection Lance Koetter and junior transfer Tony Teufel, match up with UW-Green Bay in the first round on Saturday. WSU defeated the Phoenix 5-2 on March 2 before also claiming a victory over Youngstown State.
On the women's side, the Raiders will have to defeat defending champion UIC if they hope to snap their regular-season-ending seven-match losing streak. WSU has fallen on hard times this season, managing only three wins on the year, none against Horizon League opponents. Senior Tiffani Foster has provided a bright spot for the Raiders, however, as she compiled a 4-2 record in League play, including a win over UIC No. 1 Callan Smith. Foster led the team overall with 11 wins, including 10 from the No. 1 position in dual matches.
The Youngstown State University women's tennis team enters this year's tournament as the No. 7 seed after suffering injuries to several key players down the stretch. The Penguins were forced to default Emily Thayer's position in League matches against both UW-Green Bay and UW-Milwaukee, while an injured shoulder forced Michelle Fuleky to retire after one set at No. 1 singles against Butler. YSU will face Butler in the opening round of the championship Saturday morning.
On the men's side, the Penguins come into the weekend as the No. 6 seed, facing third-seed UIC in the opening round. The Flames defeated YSU 7-0 in the regular season meeting, accounting for the only sweep suffered by the Penguins in League play.
