Feb. 9, 2007

Contact: Josh Rattray

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Cleveland State won the doubles point and took five of six singles matches to start its three-matches-in- three-days stretch with a 6-1 win at IPFW Friday afternoon. The win moves the Vikings to 6-1 on the season.

CSU got a big lift in doubles action from its two freshmen and two sophomores, as freshmen Phil Orno and Ryan Hamning won at No. 1 doubles, 8-3, and sophomores Rob West and Steven Wipprecht won, 8-4, at No. 3 doubles to clinch the doubles point and an early lead.

"We take pride in winning the doubles point and it was nice to get that early 1-0 lead," head coach Brian Etzkin said.

As West (11-3) dismanted IPFW's David Lynall 6-2, 6-3 at No. 6 singles, CSU got three-set wins in each of the top three singles spots. Orno (13-6), junior Brad Groleski (9-10)  and Hamning (16-5) each won to clinch the Cleveland State victory. Groleski's match was especially close. After winning the first set and losing the second set, 6-4 and 4-6, respectively, IPFW's Hermann Kuschke took Groleski into a tie-breaker before falling 7-6 (3) in the final stanza.

The Vikings defeated IPFW, 7-0, in Cleveland on Sept. 26.

"IPFW played us much more competitively today than they did in the fall," Etzkin said. "They came ready to play but I think we came up big and played tough."

Senior Dan Singer (8-5), who has now won three straight matches at No. 4 singles, defeated Arturo Salgado 6-4, 6-4.

The win gives Cleveland State momentum heading into its two remaining matches this weekend, Saturday versus IUPUI in Fort Wayne and at Xavier on Sunday. Both matches are set for 1:00 p.m. starts.

DOUBLES RESULTS

Orno/Hamning def. Filho/Constantino (IPFW) - 8-3

Salgado/Jones (IPFW) def. Groleski/Singer - 8-3

West/Wipprecht def. Lynall/Kuschke - 8-4

SINGLES RESULTS

Phil Orno def. Nabil Filho (IPFW) - 6-3, 2-6, 6-3

Brad Groleski def. Hermann Kuschke (IPFW) - 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (3)

Ryan Hamning def. Nathan Jones (IPFW) - 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2

Dan Singer def. Arturo Salgado (IPFW) - 6-4, 6-4

Renan Constantino (IPFW) def. Steven Wipprecht - 2-6, 6-4, 10-4

Rob West def. David Lynall (IPFW) - 6-2, 6-3

EXHIBITION

Diego Arteaga (IPFW) def. Danny Popescu -                8-0