Big Ten Network : Tennis Top Stories

Indiana freshman wins Big Ten singles title

Mon, 2 Nov 2009 14:10:00 +0000

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Freshman Josh MacTaggart made a good fall into a great fall on Monday, winning the Big Ten Singles Tournament. MacTaggart's Big Ten title is the first by a Hoosier since Bill Rennie won the singles crown in 1977. The freshman has suffered only one defeat in his freshman campaign. MacTaggart defeated Chris Madden of Michigan in three sets in the tournament final. He claimed the victory by a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 tally. MacTaggart advanced to the final after a semifinal win over Jason Lee of Penn State. The freshman won his semifinal match by a score of 6-1, 7-5. MacTaggart has one loss on the season, a semifinal loss at the ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships. The Big Ten Singles Championship wraps up the fall slate of competition for the Hoosiers. They begin the spring with the UNLV Spring Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev., on Jan. 8-10, 2010. For complete coverage of all things IU tennis, stay tuned to IUHoosiers.com.

Illinois duo stays perfect, wins Midwest Regional title

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:46:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Illini's fifth-seeded duo of sophomore Dennis Nevolo and senior Marek Czerwinski posted five straight victories en route to claiming the doubles title at the Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional Championships on Monday. The teammates are now 7-0 in doubles matches for the fall. In the semifinal match, the pair knocked off Wisconsin's top-seeded team of Moritz Baumann and Marek Michalicka, 9-7, before defeating Michigan's third-seeded duo of Jason Jung and George Navas, 8-5 in the championship match. "Dennis and Marek were down for a little bit in the match, but they showed great resiliency and maturity in how they fought back," head coach Brad Dancer said. "They were able to stay focused and just got through it point by point. Marek's level of play picked up throughout the weekend and he became much more aggressive. But they both did a great job of not getting down and stayed steady emotionally." Prior to the doubles matches, Nevolo fell to eventual-champion Casey Watt of Notre Dame, 0-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the semifinals of singles play. "You have to give (Casey) Watt a lot of credit," Dancer said. "He kept coming back and had some big shots at big moments. It was a learning experience for Dennis. He's great at being creative, but I think he needed to play a bit simpler." "The singles result was upsetting, but I just let it go and focused on doubles," Nevolo said. "We were able to string a couple of matches together and finish on a positive note." Czerwinski, who reached the quarterfinal round of singles play, was proud of the duo's finish. "I'm really happy with the results, and a little surprised," Czerwinski said. "We haven't played together much yet, so there's still a good amount of room to improve, but we'll work to get better each match as we finish out the fall schedule." The Illini return to action Oct. 30-Nov. 2 at the Big Ten Singles Championships hosted by Michigan State.

Two Hoosiers win titles at home tourney

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:28:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Junior Santiago Gruter and freshman Josh MacTaggart claimed titles at the Hoosier Invitational. Gruter won a three set battle with Bobby Deye of Xavier, and MacTaggart defeated fellow Hoosier freshman Isade Juneau. Gruter advanced to the final by winning two matches in style, taking a 6-1, 6-3 decision over Brandon Florez of Southern Illinois and a 6-2, 6-3 win over Robert Hall of Louisville. Gruter and Deye went the distance in the first set, as Deye won a tiebreaker 7-3. Gruter battled back and won the second and third sets 6-2, 6-3. Juneau and MacTaggart, both playing in their first collegiate tournament, played a long two set battle. MacTaggart, who had not dropped more than two games in a set over the first two days of the tourney, saw his toughest test yet in Juneau. The first set went to MacTaggart by a 6-4 tally, and the Wirral, England-native took the second set 6-3 for the title. The Hoosiers return to action with the UVA Ranked Plus One Tournament in Charlotesville, Va., on Sept. 25. For all things IU tennis, stay tuned to IUHoosiers.com.

Svenda wins individual title at Drake invite

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:41:00 +0000

Eddie Svenda won the 'C' flight singles title to lead four Minnesota competitors at the Drake men's tennis invitational over the weekend in Des Moines, Iowa. Brendan Ruddock added a runner-up finish in the 'B' flight, while Jonathan Hadash reached the semifinals in the 'A' flight. Michael Sicora was knocked out in the second round of the 'A' flight. Svenda, a sophomore who won one match during his freshman year, dropped one set in his four victories over the weekend. He defeated James McAvoy of Creighton 6-0, 1-6, 6-0 in the title match after a 6-2, 6-2 semifinal win over Ryan Norman of Creighton. Svenda also had wins over Conor Buchanon of Northern Colorado 6-1, 6-2 and Connor Macey of Creighton 6-3, 6-2. Ruddock won his first three collegiate matches in straight sets before falling in the championship match to James McKie of Drake 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. He advanced to the finals by beating Niko Karnop of Gustavus Adolphus 6-3, 6-2 in the first round and Sergey Dulin of Drake 6-1, 6-1 in the second round before a 6-3, 7-5 win over Ryan Drake of Drake in the semifinals. Hadash and Sicora were both ousted by eventual 'A' flight runner-up Mauricio Ballivian of Drake. Hadash lost 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the semifinals, while Sicora fell 6-2, 6-2 in the second round. Hadash reached the third round with a pair of match tiebreaker victories. He edged Paulo Gonzalez of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in the first round 4-6, 6-1, (10-6) and then rallied to bear Guilherme Marsiglia of Drake 4-6, 6-3, (10-8) in the second round. Sicora opened with a 6-0, 6-1 rout of Patrick Clark of Gustavus Adolphus. Hadash and Ruddock reached the quarterfinals of the doubles draw, gaining a first round bye and beating Gonzalez and Jeremy Knipp of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 8-4 in the second round. They lost to Clark and Niko Karnop of Gustavus Adolphus 8-6. Ballivian eliminated Sicora in the doubles draw as well as the Drake player teamed with Cesar Brancho to beat Sicora and Svenda 8-5 in the second round. The Gopher teammates opened with an 8-1 win over Rob Edwards and Andre Lepine of Northern Colorado 8-1. The Gophers will take part in the Pepperdine Invitational next weekend in Malibu, Calif.

PSU's Lee, Bourchier claim individual titles

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:32:00 +0000

PRINCETON, N.J. – The Penn State men's tennis team completed the third and final day of the Farnsworth/Princeton Fall Invitational on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Jason Lee (Melbourne, Australia) and junior Eddie Bourchier (Hobart, Australia) led the way for the Nittany Lions as they captured the Flight "A" doubles title. In Flight "A" doubles action, sophomore Lee and junior Bourchier came out victorious in their flight as they defeated Cornell's Jeremy Feldman and Andy Gauthier, 8-5. In the Flight ""B"" final, senior Guillaume St-Maurice (Saint-Eustache, Quebec) and sophomore Taylor Cohen (Philadelphia, Pa.) had a tough loss to Yohei Shoji and Matt Siow of Princeton, 8-2. In singles action, senior Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.) represented Penn State in the Flight "A" singles final. Gormley was defeated by Pennsylvania's Eugen Brazdil in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1. Lee, who played the consolation bracket final, defeated Yale's Calvin Bennett, 6-1, 6-4. Over in the Flight "C" singles, St-Maurice defeated his freshman teammate C.J. Griffin (Portland, Mich.), 6-1, 6-1. Griffin finished the weekend going a solid 2-2 in his first four career matches. In the Flight ""D' consolation bracket, Coleman Crutchfield of Princeton defeated freshman Guanhua Chen (DaLian, China) in the final, 6-3, 6-3. Penn State is off for a month before heading to Norfolk, Va. for the ITA Regional Championships on Oct. 23. The Big Ten Singles Tournament is slated for Oct. 29-Nov. 2 in East Lansing, Mich.

PSU's Prishlyak takes runner-up at tournament

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:56:00 +0000

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — As the Penn State women's tennis team closed out play at the 17th annual William & Mary Invitational, sophomore Maria Prishlyak (Kiev, Ukraine) took Flight E runner-up after putting up a fight against Kara Kucin of Marshall in a tight 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 match. Junior Denisa Zobeideh (Weston, Fla.) tallied a win for the Nittany Lions after defeating Maggie MacKeever of Maryland in Flight B singles, 3-6, 6-1, 10-3. In the Flight A singles consolation, senior Lauren McCarthy (Danbury, Conn.) fell to Martha Blakely of Virginia Tech, 6-3, 6-4. Freshman Amy Simidian (Carlstadt, N.J.) led Anik Cepeda early in the Flight B singles consolation after taking the first set, 6-2, but Cepeda rallied to win 6-4 in the second set and 10-8 in the tiebreaker. Senior Sarah Lotto (Toronto, Ontario) dropped the Flight C ninth-place match to Lexi Brand of Maryland, 6-4, 6-1, while freshman Sarah Henderson (Auckland, New Zealand) fell to Giovanna Portioli of Winthrop, 6-2, 6-1, in the Flight D ninth-place match. Sophomore Michaela Stracar (Jericho, N.Y.) battled back and forth with Katie Blow of Virginia Tech in the Flight D 11th-place match before falling, 6-4, 2-6, 10-4. In the Flight E seventh-place match, Tara Sheets of ETSU defeated sophomore Allie Hefter (Longmont, Colo.), 6-1, 6-0. In doubles action, McCarthy and Simidian were edged by Carmen Pop and Nina Vulovich of William & Mary in the Flight A seventh-place match, 8-6. Henderson and Lotto fell to Sandra Herrera and Giovanna Portioli of Winthrop, 8-1. The Nittany Lions have a few weeks off before heading to Pacific Palisades, Calif. the weekend of Oct. 2 for the pre-qualifying round of the All-American Championships. On Friday, Oct. 9, the Lions will head to Lexington, Ky. for the weekend to compete in the University of Kentucky Invitational.

Illini name former NU player to staff

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:29:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Georgia Rose has been named assistant coach of the Illinois women's tennis team, head coach Michelle Dasso announced today. Rose, a 2009 graduate of Northwestern University, was a standout on the women's tennis team the past four seasons, helping lead the Wildcats to four straight Big Ten titles and a final national ranking of No. 2 in 2008 and 2009. "I would like to thank Michelle Dasso and the University of Illinois athletic department for this great opportunity," Rose said. "I'm looking forward to working with the team and building on their success from last year." The Mettawa, Ill., native made an immediate impact at Northwestern, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, in addition to being named ITA Midwest Freshman of the Year after posting a 38-8 overall record, including a school-record 29 consecutive singles wins, in 2006. She remained solid throughout her sophomore season as well, earning Big Ten Player of the Year accolades in 2007. The four-time All-American finished her stellar career with an overall record of 125-36 and 29-2 in the Big Ten and was named ITA Midwest Regional Senior of the Year in 2009. Dasso, a 2001 ITA National Senior of the Year honoree and four-time All-American herself, was excited to have an athlete like Rose join her staff. "Georgia was an extremely successful and humble college player and she has the drive and desire to be an even better coach," Dasso said. "The experience she will bring from being on the top-ranked team in the country the past two years as well as her tremendous playing ability and conditioning level will prove to be a huge asset for the Illini program."

Former Nittany Lion to join tennis staff

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 09:57:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.; July 9, 2009 — Penn State men's tennis coach Todd Doebler announced today that former Nittany Lion standout Brendan Lynch will join the coaching staff as an assistant coach. Lynch graduated with a degree in finance from the Smeal College of Business in May after a stellar four-year career. "I am very excited that Brendan will be our next assistant coach,"" Doebler said. ""He proved over his years here at Penn State that he has an amazing work ethic and was a great competitor as a student-athlete. Brendan will hit the ground running and be a great asset to the tennis program."" "It is an honor for me to begin my coaching career here at my alma mater,"" Lynch said. ""I could not have asked for a better experience during my four years as a Penn State student-athlete. Consequently, I am very grateful for the opportunity to remain a part of the Penn State tennis family and help guide the program towards excellent results in the coming years." Lynch collected 17 singles wins during the 2008-09 season, including nine victories in the first singles slot. He ended the season on a five-match winning streak. The North Potomac, Md., native also picked up 16 doubles victories last season, mainly pairing with Guillaume St-Maurice in the second and third pairs position. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Lynch finished his career ninth in school history with 79 singles victories. In 2007-08, Lynch tallied a school-record 26 doubles wins with partner Michael James en route to a No. 33 rank in the ITA Double Rankings. He also finished the season ranked 12th in the ITA Northeast Region singles poll.

Former Illini tennis star pauses pro career for visit home

Kevin Kaplan — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Between winning the Sunset Moulding Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger in June and advancing to the semifinal of the Nielsen United States Tennis Association (USTA) Pro Tennis Championship two weeks ago, Ryler DeHeart has had some good luck during his professional tennis career. But what the former Illlini athlete really gets special satisfaction from is defeating Illinois men's tennis head coach Brad Dancer. "That's what I'm most excited about," DeHeart joked. "I feel like I'm playing a lot better now, and I finally beat Brad convincingly in the baseline games with a sprained ankle." While enjoyable, DeHeart claimed that last Thursday's win during practice at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex was not as uncommon as Dancer would like people to believe. "I usually beat him, but today was especially satisfying," DeHeart added. DeHeart's training match against Dancer came toward the end of a rare week off in Champaign. The break was much appreciated by DeHeart, whose career has recently taken him to French Open qualifying, tournaments in California, main draw action at Wimbledon as well as competition in Ireland and Chicago. Although his schedule takes him all over the world, DeHeart consistently finds the time to return to his alma mater, The University of Illinois. "I've been travelling a lot, (so) I don't get to spend a lot of time (in Champaign) obviously, but I love coming back when I get the chance," DeHeart said. That is why DeHeart spent his time off practicing at Atkins Tennis Center with Dancer, friend Kevin Anderson (also a former Illini tennis player) and a host of current Illini players. "I still like to be a part of the team and help the guys out whenever I can, and it helps me as well," DeHeart said. According to DeHeart, Dancer's role on the team is instrumental in establishing the close ties between Illini past and present. "It's really good that Brad really encourages us to come back. Not a lot of coaches do that," DeHeart said. "He really makes us feel welcome, even after we've graduated. You see Kevin (Anderson) here every time he's off a week, or GD (Jones) and Ruben (Gonzales), so all of us get out here and we feel like it helps tremendously with our game." Jones, who recently competed at the Nielsen USTA Pro Tennis Championship, along with DeHeart and a host of other Illini, said that people should not be surprised if they see multiple former Illini competing in the same tournament. "We're all pretty close friends, so it's not really a case of just running into them. We're all pretty close and keep in touch, so they're more than that," he said. While Dancer likes having his former players hanging around Champaign regardless, he also sees the value in exposing his current players to professionals in the industry. "I think it's really one of the treasures of this program," he said. "Just to have a group of guys so focused on their careers and ... focused on their goals in life, they're a tremendous influence for our current guys." With his busy schedule, DeHeart's time in Champaign has already come and gone. DeHeat is currently competing in the Comerica Bank Challenger in Aptos, California. But while he is no longer in Champaign, he can expect support from the tennis program wherever he goes, according to Dancer. "We talk all the time with all the guys, and I think our current team members follow these guys every match they play," Dancer said. (C) 2008 Daily Illini via UWIRE Copyright 2009 Daily Illini via U-Wire

Ohio St. men hire Laitta as assistant

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:56:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ty Tucker, Ohio State men's tennis head coach, announced Tuesday the hiring of Jim Laitta as the Buckeyes' assistant coach. Laitta joins Ohio State after 19 years of head coaching experience of the men's and women's programs at Maryland. "We are very excited to have Jim Laitta join the program," Tucker said. "He brings a wealth of experience from his 19 years of head coaching at the University of Maryland." In his nearly two decades with the Terrapins, Laitta served as the head coach for both the men's and women's tennis teams. As the head coach for the women's program from 1990-2001, Laitta coached the squad to its first NCAA appearance in 1996. Laitta later was named Atlantic Coast Conference and ITA East Region Coach of the Year at the end of the season. Maryland followed that unprecedented season with trips to the NCAA tournament in 1998 and 1999. He also mentored the No. 1 doubles teams to NCAA showings in 1998 and 1999, while in 1999 guided the No. 1 singles player in All-ACC honoree Meg Griffin to the national event. Beginning in 2001, Laitta began working exclusively with the men's team and coached All-Americans Andy Orban and Boris Fetbroyt. The program was the recipient of the President's Cup Award, which goes to the squad that has the highest grade point average among Maryland's male sports teams in 2002, '03, '05 and '07. Prior to joining Maryland, Laitta was the women's head coach at Mississippi State from 1988-1990. In his second season, he coached the Bulldogs' doubles team of Claire Pollard and Jackie Holden to the 1989 NCAA title. Laitta is a lifetime member of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and a member of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Eastern Kentucky in 1988.

Ex-Illini Ram takes home first ATP crown

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:04:00 +0000

NEWPORT, R.I. - Former Illini Rajeev Ram defeated No. 3 seed Sam Querrey, 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-3 to take home his first ATP title at the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I., this past weekend. He also went on to claim the doubles title, playing alongside five-time Newport champion Jordan Kerr (Australia). The duo topped Michael Kohlmann and Rogier Wassen, 6-7 (6), 7-6(7), 10-6. "This is the biggest moment of my career and I will enjoy it and keep working hard," Ram told the ATP. "These days don't come around too often and when you get to this stage, you hope to take advantage of the opportunity." In a weekend of firsts for the 25-year-old Ram, he became the first-ever "lucky loser" to win the grass-court tournament during the first all-American final in an ATP World Tour event since 2007. A lucky loser is a player who enters main draw play after another player withdraws prior to the first round. Ram replaced top-seeded Mardy Fish, who left the tournament to play on the United States Davis Cup team in place of Andy Roddick. Ram also became the first American to win at Newport since 2003 and the third player to win both the singles and doubles titles at the tournament in the same year. In his lone season at Illinois in 2003, Ram helped lead the Illini to an NCAA Team Championship, in addition to securing the Doubles Championship with teammate Brian Wilson. Current Illinois men's tennis head coach Brad Dancer was thrilled to see Ram battle back to win the titles. "I am incredibly happy and proud of what Ram was able to accomplish," Dancer said. "He showed resiliency in coming back as the lucky loser and made the most of the opportunity, making the entire Illini nation proud." With the win, the Carmel, Ind., resident earned 250 South African Airways ATP Ranking points, which moved him up 73 spots from No. 181 to a career-high 108th.

OSU's Moneke to play for national title

Sun, 24 May 2009 15:13:00 +0000

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Senior tri-captain Steven Moneke, a member of the 2009 national runners-up Ohio State men's tennis team, became the program's first NCAA championships singles finalist Sunday after defeating 26th-ranked Sanam Singh of Virginia 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, in the semifinals at the 2009 NCAA Singles Championship. Moneke, a two-time ITA All-American ('07 and '08) will face Ole Miss freshman Devin Britton at 4 p.m. ET Monday at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. "Singh is a great player who likes to be tricky against you," Moneke said. "I made it pretty tough on him after going up 3-0 in the third set and it's hard to come back from being down like that. It's been an unbelievable season for me, a dream almost. I advanced to the quarterfinals the last two seasons and I knew coming in I could be a tough matchup to face. I have to give credit to my coaches and teammates for all the support they have given me the last four years at Ohio State." The ninth-ranked Moneke, a native of Alten-Buseck, Germany, is now 45-4 overall this season and 23-2 in NCAA play, winning his last 22 matches. The win against Singh ties Moneke for first on the program's all-time single season wins list with 45 set by Roger Smith (1983-1986) during the 1986 campaign. Moneke becomes the first student-athlete in program history to advance to the NCAA final after former Buckeye Ernie Fernandez (1979-82) advanced as far as the semifinals at the 1980 NCAA Singles Championship. "Steven is a very physical player and doesn't get too tired during a match," Jeremy Wurtzman, Ohio State assistant coach, said. "His physical ability makes him more tough mentally, which gives him an advantage in a tournament like this. The courts are a little slower and Steven is able to grind down an opponent after three sets of tennis. Britton is a serving athletic freshman and is a great young player. It will be an extremely tough match tomorrow." Moneke, who was named to the 2009 Men's NCAA Tennis Championship All-Tournament Team last Tuesday at No. 2 singles, now has a program-best 146 career victories in four years in the Scarlet and Gray. The entire 2009 NCAA Championships will last 12 days; Moneke will have competed in 10 of those 12 days, including nine-consecutive days of hard-court tennis. Singles Semifinals No. 9 Steven Moneke (Ohio State) def. No. 26 Sanam Singh (Virginia), 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 *Rankings listed are from the latest Campbell/ITA College Tennis Division I Rankings

Moneke finishes Buckeye career as national runner-up

Mon, 25 May 2009 14:39:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Senior tri-captain Steven Moneke, a member of the national runners-up Ohio State men's tennis team, lost 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 to Ole Miss freshman Devin Britton in the final of the 2009 NCAA Singles Championship Monday in College Station, Texas, at Texas A&M's George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. Moneke, a native of Alten-Buseck, Germany, finishes the 2008-09 campaign with a 45-5 overall record, which ties Roger Smith (1983-1986) for first on the program's all-time single season wins list set during the 1986 campaign. The ninth-ranked Moneke, who was named to the 2009 Men's NCAA Tennis Championship All-Tournament Team last week at No. 2 singles, became the first student-athlete in program history to advance to the NCAA final after Ernie Fernandez (1979-82) advanced as far as the semifinals at the 1980 NCAA Singles Championship. The loss against No. Britton snaps Moneke's 22-match win streak. Moneke, a two-time ITA All-American ('07 and '08) finishes his four-year Buckeye career with 146 singles wins, which is a program-best. The entire NCAA championships were 12 days long; Moneke competed in 10 of those 12 days, including nine-consecutive days of hard-court tennis. Moneke, who advanced to the quarterfinals the past three years, finishes his NCAA play with a career record of 23-3. The final match Monday at the 2009 NCAA Singles Championship completes the 2008-09 campaign for the Buckeyes. Ohio State, ranked second in the latest Campbell/ITA College Tennis Division I Rankings, broke several records this year including most wins in a season with 36 (2 losses), longest dual-match winning streak with 28-consecutive victories and best winning percentage in program history (.947). Singles Final No. 30 Devin Britton (Mississippi) def. No. 9 Steven Moneke (Ohio State), 3-6, 6-2, 6-3

Buckeye Steven Moneke advances at 2009 NCAA Singles Championship

Thu, 21 May 2009 19:44:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Senior tri-captain Steven Moneke, a member of the national runners-up Ohio State men's tennis team, advanced to the round of 16 Thursday at the 2009 NCAA Singles Championship in College Station, Texas, at Texas A&M's George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. Moneke, a two-time ITA All-American ('07 and '08) advances to the round of 16 for the third-consecutive season and will play 36th-ranked senior Jay Weinacker of North Carolina State at a time to be announced Friday. In second-round action, the ninth-ranked Moneke, who was named to the 2009 Men's NCAA Tennis Championship All-Tournament Team Tuesday at No. 2 singles, defeated No. 18 Enrique Oliveras of East Tennessee State, 6-3, 6-3. Oliveras, a two-time Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year, falls to Moneke who is now 42-4 overall (team-high) and 20-2 in NCAA play. Moneke now has a program-best 143 career singles wins in his four-year career at Ohio State. Senior-tri captain and No. 3-seed Bryan Koniecko, a two-time Big Ten Athlete of the Year ('07 and '08) lost his second-round match against No. 21-ranked Alex Clayton of Stanford in three sets 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1. Koniecko loses to Clayton for the second-consecutive season in the NCAA singles draw after dropping a 6-2, 7-6 match in the third round of the 2008 NCAA Singles Championship in Tulsa, Okla. Koniecko, who won the 2008 ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Singles Championship last fall, finishes his final Buckeye season with a 37-7 overall record. A native of Long Island, N.Y., Koniecko completes his Buckeye career as one of the most successful student-athletes in program history. He owns multiple program records, including first on the all-time combined career wins list with 254 victories (129, 125), first on the all-time career doubles wins list with 125 triumphs and third on the all-time career singles wins list with 129. In doubles opening-round action, Kronauge and Moneke paired up to defeat No. 36 Damon Gooch and Philip Nemec of Elon 7-5, 6-4. The Buckeye duo improves to 13-3 overall this season and are winners of nine of their last 11 matches.

OSU men's tennis falls to USC in national title match

Tue, 19 May 2009 19:24:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio - After advancing to its first national championship final match in school history, the No. 3-seed Ohio State men's tennis team fell short to No. 8-seed USC, 4-1, Tuesday at the 2009 NCAA Championships in College Station, Texas, at Texas A&M's George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. The Buckeyes (36-2; 10-0 Big Ten) finish another memorable season setting the school record for most wins in a single season (36), longest dual match win streak (28) and best-single season winning percentage (.947). The loss in the final against the Trojans snaps the Buckeyes' 28 match win streak, which began Feb. 15 with a 4-0 win against UCLA in a consolation match at the 2009 ITA Team Indoor Championships in Chicago. Ohio State is now 1-3 all-time against USC (25-5). Under 10th-year head coach Ty Tucker, who was named Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year Tuesday, the Buckeyes are now 22-10 overall in NCAA play. This season, Tucker led Ohio State to its first national championship final appearance after taking the Buckeyes to four previous quarterfinal appearances in the tournament (2004, '06, '07 and '08). Tucker also led the Buckeyes to a school record 10 straight 20-win seasons. Ohio State faced a hot USC team that finishes the season winning 13 of its last 14 matches. The Buckeyes began the day losing the doubles point to the Trojans after dropping the doubles matches at Nos. 1 and 3, respectively. The Trojans are 24-1 this season when winning the doubles point. At No. 1 doubles, junior Justin Kronauge and sophomore Matt Allare faced the top doubles team from the PAC-10 Conference. The Buckeye duo lost, 8-3, to No. 4 Robert Farah and Steve Johnson and finishes the season with a 15-8 overall record. Senior tri-captain Bryan Koniecko and sophomore Shuhei Uzawa made the doubles side an even 1-1 after defeating No. 59 Abdullah Magdas and Daniel Nguyen 8-4, at No. 2. Koniecko and Uzawa close out the 2009 season with a team best 22-2 record. At No. 3, senior tri-captain Steven Moneke and true freshman Chase Buchanan served to tie the final doubles match against Matt Kecki and Jaak Poldma at 7-7 all. However, after the Buckeye duo fought off three match points, the Trojans were too much to handle as Moneke and Buchanan lost a close one with the final score, 9-7. In singles, the Trojans picked up where they left off in doubles winning the first two matches at Nos. 4 and 6 to put the Buckeyes on the brink of defeat with the score 3-0 in favor of USC. At No. 4, No. 113-ranked Allare lost against No. 106 Magdas. Allare dropped a 6-2, 6-3, decision and ends his sophomore year with an impressive 31-5 overall record. Allare had the longest winning streak in singles for the Buckeyes this year, claiming 28-consecutive matches before losing in the quarterfinals against Baylor. At No. 6 singles, Buchanan lost in straight sets 6-0, 6-2, against Nguyen. Buchanan finishes the season with an 11-4 overall record since joining the team in late March. The loss also snaps Buchanan's nine-match winning streak. Highlighting the day for Ohio State was No. 25 Kronauge at No. 3 singles winning 7-6 (1), 6-4 against No. 81 Poldma. After helping the Buckeyes advance to the final yesterday with his singles win, Kronauge, a 2008 ITA All-American, now leads the team in wins with 41 (seven losses). The championship point belonged to No. 8 Farah against No. 3 Koniecko at No. 1 singles. Koniecko won the first set, but was not able to seal the deal, losing 7-5, 1-6, 4-6 against the top singles player for the Trojans. Koniecko is now 36-6 on the season. Ohio State now prepares for the individual side of the championships. Three members of the team were selected for the singles and doubles competition of the 2009 NCAA Championships Wednesday-Monday. In singles, Koniecko, the 2009 Big Ten Athlete of the Year, received one of 16 automatic qualifications in the tournament, while Moneke and Kronauge received at-large bids. In doubles, Ohio State has one pair among the field of 32 teams in the championship. Moneke and Kronauge received an automatic qualification. Koniecko, Moneke and Kronauge received All-Big Ten selections this season after helping the Buckeyes to a perfect 10-0 mark in league play. #3 Ohio State 1, #8 USC 4 SINGLES 1. (#8) Robert Farah, USC def. (#3) Bryan Koniecko, OSU, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 2. (#9) Steven Moneke, OSU vs. (#53) Steve Johnson, USC, DNF 3. (#25) Justin Kronauge, OSU def. (81) Jaak Poldma, USC, 7-6 (1), 6-4 4. (#106) Abdullah Magdas, USC def. (#113) Matt Allare, OSU, 6-2, 6-3 5. (#74) Balazs Novak, OSU vs. Matt Kecki, USC, DNF 6. Daniel Nguyen, USC def. Chase Buchanan, OSU, 6-0, 6-2 DOUBLES 1. (#4) Farah/Johnson, USC def. Kronauge/Allare, OSU, 8-3 2. Shuhei Uzawa/Koniecko, OSU def. (#59) Magdas/Nguyen, USC, 8-4 3. Kecki/Poldma, USC def. Buchanan/Moneke, OSU, 9-7 ORDER OF FINISH: Doubles: 1, 2, 3 Singles: 4, 6, 3, 1

Illini end run at NCAA Championships

Thu, 21 May 2009 19:50:00 +0000

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Three members of the Illinois men's tennis saw their run at the 2009 NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships come to an end today, as freshman Dennis Nevolo and sophomore Roy Kalmanovich fell short in singles, while Nevolo and partner Ruan Roelofse dropped their opening round doubles match later in the day. "Both guys fought and competed very well in singles," Illinois head coach Brad Dancer said. "Each of them had good game plans and executed them well to a certain extent on both courts. We had a disappointing showing in doubles by not playing with the sharpness and focus necessary at this level. Auburn came out focused and steady and took the match from us today." Earlier in the day, No. 50-ranked Kalmanovich came out firing on all cylinders against top-seed Arnau Brugues, taking the first set with a commanding 6-4 decision. However, Kalmanovich's bid for his first singles All-America honor fell short, as Brugues responded in the next two sets, 6-1, 6-3. "It came down to Roy's inconsistencies with his serve and his inexperience in terms of being able to relax and trust his shots," Dancer added. "Ultimately, that led to fatigue out there this morning." In the other singles match of the morning for the Illini, Nevolo started out strong against No. 9-16 seed Nate Schnugg of Georgia, taking a 6-4 victory in the first set. Unfortunately, Schnugg came back to take the next two sets, 6-3, 7-5, ending No. 39-ranked Nevolo's bid for All-America singles honors. "Dennis strayed from his tactics in the second set and gave Schnugg some easy points in that set," Dancer said. "Once Dennis got into that rhythm, his inexperience in transition play showed, which was highly costly as he was in a good position to win that match." In the afternoon doubles match, the 21st-ranked Illini duo of Nevolo and Roelofse faced off against No. 10-ranked Tim Puetz and Alexey Tsyrenov of Auburn. The Illini tandem fell 6-3, 6-0 to the experienced Auburn duo in the Round of 32 and the 2009 season with an overall record of 16-6.

Minnesota's Hadash falls at NCAA singles championship

Thu, 21 May 2009 15:41:00 +0000

Minnesota's Ishay Hadash saw a late rally fall short and was eliminated in the second round of the NCAA individual men's tennis tournament on Thursday in College Station, Texas. Hadash dropped the opening set to Pepperdine's Omar Altmann, but rallied to force a third set before eventually coming up short. Altmann won by a score of 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to advance to the round of 16. Hadash, whose season ended with a 21-13 record, was a late entrant into the draw as an alternate. He knocked off 10th-ranked Cory Parr of Wake Forest in the opening round before falling to the 44th-ranked Altmann. Hadash was ranked 62nd in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. The Minnesota sophomore had his serve broken three times in the final set, but broke Altmann's serve twice to stay in the match. Trailing 5-1 in the third set, Hadash broke Altmann in a lengthy service game and then served out his own game to pull within 5-3. Altmann finished off his final service game to end the match. Hadash was Minnesota's first individual national qualifier since 2006 and the 21st Gopher player to earn a spot in the draw all-time.

Former Northwestern coach headed to college tennis Hall of Fame

Brian Chappatta — Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000

For 24 years, Paul Torricelli was the face of men's tennis at Northwestern. Today, he will become the third Wildcats face to be inducted into the ITA Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, joining Paul Bennett (1931-58) and Clare Riessen (1958-75). Torricelli compiled an impressive list of accomplishments during his tenure with the Cats from 1984 to 2007. He finished with a 343-257 career record at NU, including a 162-114 mark in Big Ten play. His teams set the school record for most dual wins in a season, and he netted the Big Ten Coach of the Year award three times. Torricelli is the only coach among this year's class. He said he was surprised when he found out he was going to be among those selected. "It's an incredible honor to be inducted," Torricelli said. "It was totally unexpected. I actually found out a year ago this past February, and I was blown away." The Cats had 28 players named to the All-Big Ten team under Torricelli, and three players - Todd Martin (1990), Alex Witt (1997) and Marc Silva (1998) - were named Big Ten Players of the Year. In addition to his players, Torricelli was successful in getting the best out of his assistant coaches. Six of Torricelli's former assistant coaches are now head coaches in college tennis - including current NU coach Arvid Swan. "He gave me my first opportunity in college tennis, and I'm appreciative of that opportunity, as are all of the assistants that worked under him," Swan said shortly after the announcement was made. "It's a great honor for Paul to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I know that he's excited and so are all the assistant coaches as well as his former players." Torricelli said picking his assistant coaches was an inexact science. He was looking for individuals motivated to help and committed to the profession as a career. "What I gave them was a chance to jump in and become invested in some ownership in the program - from the day they walked in," Torricelli said. "Every single one of them grabbed the opportunity and ran with it. But they worked incredibly hard for nothing in order to have an opportunity to be a part of our program and get started in the profession." Torricelli noted that this tradition has continued this season with Swan and assistant coach Chris Drake. Drake was recently named the ITA Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year. With a young roster, the only two current players to have played under Torricelli are junior Alex Sanborn and senior Marc Dwyer. Sanborn said he remembers Torricelli as a coach who truly cared about his players, which factored into his decision to play at NU. "He really felt welcoming and I felt that was important in a head coach," Sanborn said. "I knew right off the bat he would take care of me while I was here. I knew he had my best intentions at heart and that made my decision easier to come to Northwestern." Taking care of his players meant being honest with them. Torricelli said the friendships he developed with his players generally came after they were done playing. He wanted to treat them like adults. That meant sometimes being friendly, while at other times getting in their faces. "I wasn't afraid to get on my players at all, but at the same time they knew I would be there and support them," Torricelli said. "I think that's the foundation of the friendship that's there when they leave. They know that you were doing the best for them - even if they didn't like it - while they were there." Throughout this past season, NU has prided itself on going out and competing hard in every match and in every practice. Torricelli said that out of anything a player can do to show respect, constantly playing hard is the highest form. "The highest compliment a coach can have is to have his players play hard for him," Torricelli said. "I'll never forget what it was like to watch guys year in and year out play so hard for you as a coach. I think it was one of the real perks of the job." (C) 2008 Daily Northwestern via UWIRE Copyright 2009 Daily Northwestern via U-Wire

Ohio State duo advance to second round at 2009 NCAA Singles Championship

Wed, 20 May 2009 19:58:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Two members of the 2009 national runners-up Ohio State men's tennis team - senior tri-captains Bryan Koniecko and Steven Moneke - won their opening-round matches Wednesday in the singles draw at the 2009 NCAA Championships at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas, hosted by Texas A&M University. Koniecko, the third seed and Moneke (9-16) both advance to the second round for the third-consecutive year. Koniecko, the two-time Big Ten Athlete of the Year ('07 and '08), defeated SEC Freshman of the Year Carlos Cueto of Florida in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. Koniecko, a native of Long Island, N.Y., improves to 37-6 overall and 11-9 in NCAA play for his career. Koniecko, in his fourth NCAA appearance in singles, has advanced as far as the third round in the tournament the last two seasons (2007 and '08). ""It was good,"" Koniecko said. ""I had to forget about yesterday. I just told myself I had to stay positive and things would go a little bit better for me. First of all, it's (the turnaround) not easy on the body and obviously mentally too. The season is over for the team, so you have to focus on yourself for a little bit for the one week you are here and play your own game."" No. 9 Moneke, who was named to the 2009 Men's NCAA Tennis Championship All-Tournament Team at No. 2 singles, downed sophomore and 2009 ITA National Rookie of the Year Bradley Klahn of Stanford in straight sets 7-6, 7-6. Moneke is now 41-4 and 19-2 overall in NCAA play. Junior Justin Kronauge, who was also named to the all-tournament team at No. 3 singles, lost his first-round match against two-time All-WCC first-team honoree and sophomore Dean Jackson of San Diego after forcing a third set. No. 25 Kronauge was upset 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Kronauge, who finishes his singles season 41-8 for the second-consecutive year, has compiled 111 victories in three seasons with the Buckeyes and is sixth on the all-time career singles wins list. Koniecko and Moneke will now prepare for the second round of the championships Thursday in College Station. Koniecko will take on No. 21-ranked Alex Clayton of Stanford at 2:30 p.m. ET, while Moneke hits the court against 18th-ranked Enrique Olivares of East Tennessee State at 2 p.m. ET. In doubles, one Buckeye duo will prepare for opening-round action Thursday. Fourteenth-ranked Kronauge and Moneke will face No. 36-ranked Damon Gooch and Philip Nemec of Elon. Kronauge and Moneke are 12-3 overall this season and the first-round match will be the first time the two will be paired in NCAA play. Live stats and video for both singles and doubles competition of the 2009 NCAA Championships are available at aggieathletics.com.

Pair of Illini tally NCAA first-round wins

Wed, 20 May 2009 16:03:00 +0000

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Illinois freshman Dennis Nevolo and sophomore Roy Kalmanovich both opened the 2009 NCAA Singles Championship with victories today at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. Nevolo cruised through the opening round with a straight sets win over Yoann Re from Virginia Tech, while Kalmanovich also notched a straight sets victory, upsetting Boise State's 24th -ranked Clancy Shields. "Roy did a great job of using the conditions to his favor out there this afternoon," Illinois head coach Brad Dancer said. "It was important for him to come out playing with purpose and determination. Dennis managed his match extremely well from the start and that was important for him in order to advance to the next round." Nevolo started out the morning strong, posting a 6-3 decision in the first set over Re (VT). The domination continued in the second set, as Nevolo bageled Re, 6-0, for a straight sets win to advance to the Round of 32. Nevolo is now 28-12 overall in singles on the season. In the other opening round match, Kalmanovich, nationally-ranked No. 50, went head-to-head with Boise State's 24th-ranked Clancy Shields. The Illini sophomore grabbed his 30th singles victory of the season as he took a straight sets, 6-2, 6-1 upset-win over Shields. In the singles round of 32 on Thursday, Nevolo faces off against No. 9-16-seeded Nate Schnugg of Georgia, while Kalmanovich will square off against top-seeded Arnau Brugues of Tulsa. A win tomorrow to advance to the Sweet 16 would give both Nevolo and Kalmanovich All-America honors for the first time in both of their careers. In addition to his singles match, Nevolo and partner Ruan Roelofse open play in the first round of the NCAA doubles draw on Thursday, May 21. The 21st-ranked Illini duo will face No. 10-ranked Tim Puetz and Alexey Tsyrenov of Auburn in the Round of 32. The times for the matches have not yet been determined. Stay tuned to fightingillini.com for more information, as it is made available. Live scoring and video are available at the official NCAA Championships site, aggieathletics.com. A complete recap of the days' events can be found at fightingillini.com at the conclusion of play.