Sept. 17, 2010
Contact: Greg Murphy
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland State men's and women's tennis teams will both open the fall season this weekend when both go out of town to compete in separate invitationals. The men's squad will head to Bloomington, Ind., to compete in the Indiana Invitational, while the women will head to the western part of the state to take part in the Bowling Green Invitational.
The Indiana event runs from Friday through Sunday (Sept. 17-19), while the women will play at BGSU on Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 18-19).
"We are excited to get the season underway for both programs," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "Both teams have been putting in some great practices and I am excited to see us out on the court against competition other than ourselves."
The men's squad will be one of 10 teams at Indiana, joining the host Hoosiers, Horizon League schools Detroit and Butler, as well as IUPUI, IPFW, Tennessee Tech, Toledo and Xavier.
"This is a deep and talented field and we'll have a chance for our guys to play a lot of matches this weekend," Etzkin said. "We want to go in and get results and win flights. The guys are really excited to get out on the court and this tournament will give them a chance to get into some playing shape."
The Vikings, who went 20-7 last year, won their third straight league title and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive year, return four key members from that squad. Headlining the group is junior Yannick Goossens who is slated to take over the No. 1 position in the lineup after earning first team all-league honors last year at No. 2.
Senior Rob Fox, who won 28 singles matches a year ago, is slated to play in the middle of the lineup, while junior Chris Klepatz and senior John Haley will anchor the bottom of the lineup.
Newcomers Matt Kuelker and Matt Ford are also expected to make an immediate impact on the team. Kuelker has fought his way toward the top of the lineup and is fighting for the No. 2 or No. 3 singles position, while Ford is battling for the No. 6 slot.
"We want to get tournament tough this weekend," Etzkin said. "We have to go out with a lot of intensity and take control of these matches and really start to build some confidence."
The women's field at BGSU also includes the host Falcons, Horizon League foes Detroit and Youngstown State, Cincinnati, Toledo, IPFW, IUPUI and Xavier.
"There are a lot of good Midwest teams at this weekend's event so we are going to have to play well in order to be successful," Etzkin said. "We finished in the top third last year, but didn't get off to a great start and had to battle back most of the weekend. We want to get off to a better start this weekend and establish ourselves as one of the top teams there."
CSU is coming off one of the best seasons in program history, going 15-12 overall, while finishing a program best second place in the Horizon League regular season standings with a 7-1 mark.
Five of the top six players are back from that team, including junior Catrine Bjerrehus, a two-time first team All-Horizon League selection who won 16 matches at No. 1 singles last year.
Also back are senior Sanda Bjelan and sophomores Maria Lazaris, Nicole Janek and Mengdi Liu. Lazaris will miss the BGSU tournament due to an injury.
"It will hurt to not have Maria in the lineup," Etzkin said. "She was a huge part of the success we had as a team last year and we can't accomplish the goals we have set forth without her in the lineup."
Lazaris won a team-best 22 singles matches last year at the No. 2 position, earning second team all-league honors along with Janek, who won 18 singles contests.
Etzkin also has a strong freshman class he can rely on who will be getting their first taste of collegiate action this year. The group includes Alex Bush, Alex Power and Kara Sherwood.
"All three freshmen have the ability to challenge for a spot in the top-six right now," Etzkin said. "I am excited to see them in action on the court against live competition and how they handle themselves."
The freshman are expected to split up and team with an upperclassmen for doubles this weekend. Sherwood will play with Bjerrehus at the No. 1 flight, while Power and Janek will play at No. 2 and Bjelan and Bush at No. 3.
Both teams will continue their busy fall seasons next weekend with the men playing at the Ball State Classic from Sept. 24-26 and the women at the Michigan State Invitational on Sept. 25-26.
