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Pakebusch Claims National Championship

2009-10-17

MOBILE, Ala. - In his first semester at Valdosta State, Philip Pakebusch has made quite an impression. After winning the ITA/Wilson South Regional tournament two weeks ago for the right to go on to the national tournament, Pakebusch continued to dominate. With wins over tennis powerhouse Armstrong Atlantic, Drury and Concordia, Pakebusch flew through the opposition without even seeing a third set to win the 2009 ITA National Small College Championship. The closest match came in the first round for Pakebusch. Against Rafael Array of Armstrong Atlantic, Pakebusch had to win a tiebreaker to take the second set to win the match. He won, 6-1, 7-6 (6). In his next match, he made short work of Antonio Garcia Santos of Drury. In two sets, Pakebusch won, 6-1, 6-2. In the championship round, Andrey Boldarev of Concordia pushed Pakebusch to the edge in the first set, but Pakebusch overcame to win the first set, 7-5. He put on a dominating performance in the second set to win the match, 7-5, 6-2.

Blazers Dominate at Wilson/ITA Regionals

2009-10-04

LAKELAND, Fla. - After the Lady Blazers made a strong showing last weekend, the Blazer tennis team looked even stronger at the Wilson/ITA Regional Championships hosted by Florida Southern this weekend. The only Blazer to be knocked out in the singles round of 64 was Michael Kuech. Keuch, however, went on to the semifinals of the consolation round before losing a marathon to Nicolas Bigler of Florida Southern, 7-6, 2-6, 7-10. Frank Sickman and Otto Lenhart both made it to the round of 32. Sickman was knocked out by teammate Daniel Dueren on his way to the championship round against fellow Blazer Philip Pakebusch. Pakebusch was able to beat Dueren, 6-3, 6-3, in the all-VSU championship round. Lenhart and Christian Hansen were both beaten by Al Sarra of Lynn, but VSU earned the last laugh when Pakebusch knocked out Sarra in matching 6-4 sets in the semifinals. Doubles was more of the same for Valdosta State. Dueren and Pakebusch teamed up to fly through the competition, winning 8-1, 8-3 and 8-6 to get to the semifinal round. The duo finally fell in the semifinals to Kevin Ducros and Leandro Ferreira of West Florida, 8-3. Hansen and Kuech were also playing at a high level. They won 8-1 and 8-0 before meeting Ducros and Ferreira. Kuech and Hansen fought to the end, but Ducros and Ferreira were too much as the VSU team fell with a slim 9-8 loss in the quarterfinals. Lenhart and Sickman won their first match, 8-4, but could not keep the momentum against the Barry team of Emanuel Fraitzel and Maximillian Wimmer. Fraitzel and Wimmer won, 8-5 before losing in the quarterfinals.

Valdosta State Tallies Seven All-Americans

2009-06-05

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Seven Valdosta State tennis players were named to the 2009 Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) All-America Team. Four Blazers and three Lady Blazers made the team. A singles player must finish in the top 20 of the final ITA rankings while a doubles player must be in the top 10 for all-american status. Daniel Dueren, Florian Halb and Joerg Ekkenga all made the singles group with final rankings of fourth, 12th and 17th respectively. Ekkenga joined Leos Jelinek as all-americans in doubles competition. Dominique Rothlaender and Natali Gumbrecht also claimed all-american status in singles with rankings of 16th and 17th. Rothlaender teamed with Tina Trautmann to also make all-american in doubles play. The Blazers finished the season 16-4 and undefeated in Gulf South Conference play. The Lady Blazers team was one of the final four left in the nation before falling to Armstrong Atlantic State, the 2009 National Champions. The Lady Blazers finished 14-4 with just one loss in conference action.

Blazers Repeat as GSC All-Sports Champs

2009-05-12

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Valdosta State repeated as the Gulf South Conference All-Sports Champions. West Florida took the women's award while the Blazers claimed the men's spot. Both teams were the first to repeat since Jacksonville State in 1992-93. Valdosta State is the first men's team to repeat since North Alabama in 1994-96. The Blazers are only the sixth men's team to repeat since the inception of the award. This marks VSU's sixth time to win the award. The red and black finished with 60 points while Harding came in second with 50. No other team broke the 50-point barrier. Men's tennis won the Gulf South Conference Championship to help the Blazers earn the award while basketball and baseball both finished second in the GSC. Football was third while golf finished fourth. The Lady Blazers finished fifth in the running for the All-Sports award.

Blazers Fall 5-4 to Lynn

2009-05-09

BOCA RATON, Fla. - No. 3 Lynn overcame a 4-1 deficit to defeat No. 3 Valdosta State 5-4 in NCAA South Region Men's Tennis action Saturday afternoon. VSU (12-4) jumped out to a 2-1 lead in doubles play as it took victories at No. 2 and 3. Lynn (18-3) got on the board first as Julien Carsuzaa and Alessandro Sarra defeated Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek 8-4 at No. 1. However, the Blazers responded with an 8-5 victory at No. 2, where Daniel Dueren and Michael Kuech downed Tomas Racak and Luca Pavanelli, while Florian Halb and Otto Lenhart claimed an 8-4 win over Miloslav Navratil and Alex Voirin at No. 3. The Blazers pushed their advantage to 3-1 as Kuech defeated Axel Joachim 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 at No. 6 singles before closing to within a point of the victory when Ekkenga downed Sarra 7-5, 6-2 at No. 3. Pavanelli began the Fighting Knight comeback as he defeated Jelinek 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) at No. 4 before Racak claimed a 6-1, 7-6 win over Halb at No. 2. Carsuzaa evened the match with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Dueren at No. 1 and Voirin closed out the match with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Lenhart at No. 5.

Blazers Meet Lynn Again in Finals

2009-05-08

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Valdosta State swept Rollins in the NCAA South Regionals Friday. The Blazers took all three doubles matches to claim the early lead and received the needed singles victories from Leos Jelinek and Otto Lenhart. With the 5-0 win, Valdosta State moves on to face Lynn in the finals. The final results are as follows: 1. Daniel Dueren (VSU) vs. Adrian Tan (RCM) 6-1, 3-2, unfinished 2. Florian Halb (VSU) vs. Neil Clausen (RCM) 6-4, 3-1, unfinished 3. Joerg Ekkenga (VSU) vs. Jeff Morris (RCM) 6-3, 4-3, unfinished 4. Leos Jelinek (VSU) def. Gustavo Carvalho (RCM) 6-0, 6-1 5. Otto Lenhart (VSU) def. Bill Rockwood (RCM) 6-0, 6-3 6. Michael Kuech (VSU) vs. Andrew Johnson (RCM) 6-3, 5-1, unfinished Doubles competition 1. Joerg Ekkenga/Leos Jelinek (VSU) def. Adrian Tan/Jeff Morris (RCM) 9-7 2. Daniel Dueren/Michael Kuech (VSU) def. Neil Clausen/Gustavo Carvalho (RCM) 8-3 3. Florian Halb/Otto Lenhart (VSU) def. Bill Rockwood/Nick Rowlands (RCM) 8-4

Blazers, Lady Blazers Earn GSC Honors

2009-04-22

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Valdosta State tennis pulled a number of accolades for both teams' performances in the Gulf South Conference this season, including a sweep of the East Division Player of the Year awards. Daniel Dueren and Natali Gumbrecht both earned the honor of being named the East Player of the Year for their prospective sports. Kristel de Groot was named Freshman of the Year. A host of others made the All-GSC team. For the men, Florian Halb, Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek joined Dueren on the team. Jelinek made the team his fourth consecutive year while Ekkenga was a selection in both 2007 and 2008. Halb makes his second appearance on the team while it is Dueren's first. Dominique Rothlaender, Raphaelle Durante and Tina Trautmann join Gumbrecht on the women's All-GSC team. This is the third consecutive year Rothlaender, Gumbrecht and Durante have been named All-GSC. It is Trautmann's second such honor. Both the Blazers and Lady Blazers will look to keep their seasons alive in regional play starting May 7.

Blazers Win GSC, Lady Blazers Take Second

2009-04-18

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Valdosta State continued the team's strong play from Friday into Saturday. The Blazers swept undefeated Ouachita Baptist, 5-0, to claim the Gulf South Conference championship while the Lady Blazers gave West Florida a match that came down to the last point, eventually losing, 5-4. The Blazers put together a strong start taking all three doubles, 8-5, 8-0, 8-1, to claim an early 3-0 lead. It would only take two wins in singles play to attain the championship, and those came from Leos Jelinek and Otto Lenhart. Jelinek won, 6-3, 6-1 in the fourth position while Lenhart won the fifth spot, 6-1, 6-1. The Lady Blazers also jumped out to an early lead against West Florida with strong play in doubles. Valdosta State earned wins in the first and second spots in doubles, 8-5, 8-3, before dropping the third, 8-6. Natali Gumbrecht and Tina Trautmann both earned victories in singles action. Gumbrecht won in the second spot, 6-2, 6-1. Trautmann also won in two sets in the fourth position, 6-0, 6-3. But the Lady Blazers were not able to tally another win in the other four singles matches. Dominique Rothlaender fell, 4-0, ret. while Raphaelle Durante also did not finish and lost, 6-6, def. Kristel de Groot fell in two sets, 6-2, 6-4. In the deciding match, Karine Redon played two competitive sets, but lost, 6-4, 6-4. Both teams will continue to play in the postseason with each making an NCAA appearance.

Valdosta State Makes GSC Tennis Finals

2009-04-17

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Both the men and women of Valdosta State were favored to win the Gulf South Conference tournament, and, so far, they are doing their part. The Blazers swept through Christian Brothers until they stopped the match at 6-0. Valdosta State's strong doubles play started the day with three 8-0 sweeps from the #2 team in the nation of Leos Jelinek and Joerg Ekkenga, the team of Daniel Dueren and Michael Kuech, and the team of Ben Cattan and Frank Sickman. In singles action, the team continued to win every single game played. In the four through six spots, Kuech, Cattan and Sickman each took down their opponents by scores of 6-0, 6-0. The Lady Blazers followed suit in the first round with a 5-0 sweep of Harding to advance to play North Alabama, the same foe the Blazers would meet in the semifinals. Both VSU teams handed North Alabama the same fate. Valdosta State took both matches by a score of 5-0 to complete the day without losing one single match. In the finals Saturday, the men will play Ouachita Baptist at 9 a.m. while the women will face West Florida at noon.

#4 Blazers Soar Past #22 Anderson

2009-04-11

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State, fourth in the nation, completely dominated #22 Anderson in Valdosta Saturday. The Blazers were only forced to play a third set once in the 9-0 victory. The third set came in the top singles spot where #3 Daniel Dueren beat #7 Philip Pakebusch. After falling back in the first set, Dueren came back to take a tight second set. It came down to a tie breaker in the third set, and it was also close. In the end, Dueren won, 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (11-9). Frank Sickman and #45 Leos Jelinek both won their matches, 6-1, 6-1. Florian Halb, #9, and #31 Stephane Murray played a close set in the first, but Halb ran away from Murray in the second to finish, 7-5, 6-0. Otto Lenhart and Ben Cattan completed the sweep with a 6-2, 6-0 win for Lenhart and a 6-2, 6-2 victory for Cattan. It was much of the same in doubles. Dueren and Jelinek won, 8-5. Halb and Lenhart took their match, 8-3 and Cattan and Sickman won, 8-1. The team will join the women to play in the Gulf South Conference tournament Saturday.

Valdosta State Tennis Sweeps

2009-04-04

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Valdosta State tennis continued the team's strong season Saturday. In four matches, the Blazers and Lady Blazers teamed up to sweep four opponents. The men took down Columbus State and North Alabama by matching 5-0 scores. The women followed up the feat with a 5-2 victory over West Florida and handed the North Alabama women the third 5-0 win of the day for Valdosta State. Next up for both teams will be the Gulf South Conference Tournament on April 17-18.

Tennis Yields Mixed Results

2009-04-03

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Valdosta State tennis earned wins and losses in Montgomery on Friday. While the women beat Columbus State, they could not get past Auburn-Montgomery. The Lady Blazers fell, 7-2. The Blazers fared well against Abilene Christian with an 8-1 victory. Later in the day the men also faced Auburn-Montgomery. They did not fair much better than the Lady Blazers as VSU fell, 5-3.

Blazers, Lady Blazers Sink HPU

2009-03-29

VALDOSTA, Ga. - In a match that saw the singles action split down the middle for the Blazers, Valdosta State's performance in doubles won the match to move to 8-2 on the year. With an 8-5 win at the third spot for Florian Halb and Otto Lenhart and a 9-8 (3) win for the second ranked team of Leos Jelinek and Joerg Ekkenga in the top spot, VSU earned a 5-4 win over Hawaii Pacific. The Lady Blazers followed the men's lead. By sweeping doubles, Valdosta State was able to survive a split in singles action for a 6-3 score in the match to also move to 8-2. After gaining the edge in doubles, the men still had to toe the line in singles action. Daniel Dueren won easily in the top spot, 6-1, 6-1, over #30 Hendrik Bode. In the third spot, #10 Ekkenga followed Dueren's lead with a strong 6-4, 6-2 win over Sebastian Bader. Finally, in the fifth spot, Lenhart used three sets to put away HPU's Anton Samuilau, 6-1, 5-7, 6-0. The second, fourth and sixth spots didn't fare so well for Valdosta State. Ninth ranked Halb and #17 Jelinek put up good fights but would not earn wins. After winning the first set, Halb fell in three, losing the last in a tiebreaker, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (4). Jelinek played two close sets, but fell, 7-5, 7-5, to #39 Daniel Luedi. Michael Kuech went down to Aleksander Markov, 6-2, 6-3. In the end though, VSU did enough to earn a close victory over the sixth ranked team in the nation. The Lady Blazers held true to their #3 ranking early in the day. The closest challenge in doubles for VSU came at the two spot. Karine Redon and Natali Gumbrecht squeaked by Lauren Shin and Anastasiya Ageychik, 9-7. At the top spot #19 Dominique Rothlaender and Tina Trautmann beat Ingrid Cseh and Zora Vlckova, 8-6, while Kristel de Groot's team beat Tinka and Nina Mihova, 8-4, in the third spot. Gumbrecht went on to win at the second spot in two sets, 6-1, 6-4. Trautmann did the same but with the aid of a tiebreaker. She took down #45 Nina Mihova, 6-2, 7-6 (4). At six Sonya Haggstrom beat the other Mihova, Tinka, by a score of 4-6, 6-3, (10-1). Rothlaender, de Groot and Redine did not fare as well. The team gets back to action next weekend against a multitude of opponents in Montgomery, Ala.

Blazers, Lady Blazers Take Down West Florida

2009-03-15

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Both Valdosta State tennis teams earned Gulf South Conference wins over West Florida Sunday. The Blazers finished off the Argos, 7-2, while the Lady Blazers won even more convincingly, 8-1. After dropping two doubles matches, the Blazers bounced back to win everything else. Florian Halb and Otto Lenhart ran away with an 8-1 win over West Florida's Nathan Rosenfeld and Jose Ycaza to start the winning. None of the singles matches even saw a third set as the Blazers made quick work of the Argonauts. At the top spot, Daniel Dueren beat Kevin Ducros convincingly, 6-1, 6-0. In the second and third spots, #9 Halb and #17 Leos Jelinek followed Dueren's lead. They won, 6-2, 6-0, and 6-2, 6-1, respectively. In the closest match of the day for the men, Lenhart was pushed to a tiebreaker to win the second set by Patrick Bateman. Lenhart responded to take the match, 6-4, 7-6 (4). Ben Cattan and Michael Kuech cleaned up the match from the five and six spots. Cattan took Rosenfeld, 6-4, 6-0, and Kuech beat Ycaza, 6-1, 6-2. For the Lady Blazers, #23 Dominique Rothlaender was the only one to drop a match. She was beat by #3 Suzanna Cavalcante, 6-2, 6-0. The other ranked players for VSU showed up strong though. Raphaelle Durante, No. 44, beat UWF's Paulina Ojeda easily, 6-1, 6-0. Both ranked doubles teams also performed up to par. Rothlaender and Tina Trautmann, No. 19 doubles team, beat Cavalcante and Ojeda in a close match, 8-6. Meanwhile, #25 Karine Redon and Durante beat Renata Mattos and Taylor Brewster, 8-5. The final doubles match was also close, but Natali Gumbrecht and Kristel de Groot pulled it out, 8-6. In other singles action Gumbrecht won in the second spot, 6-2, 6-3. Trautmann and Sonya Haggstrom took care of business in the fourth and sixth spots with a 6-3, 6-0 win and a 6-2, 6-1 victory respectively. The closest match for the Lady Blazers took place in the fifth spot between de Groot and Brewster. After dropping the first set, 6-7, de Groot bounced back in the second to win, 6-4. The final set was played as a tie breaker and de Groot caught fire to win 10-4. Both teams were set to play Anderson Monday, but, due to weather, that match will be postponed. Instead, VSU will next be in action will be Friday in Pensacola, Fla. against North Alabama.

Valdosta State Sweeps UAH, Women Fall to Lynn

2009-03-14

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Saturday the Valdosta State Blazers and Lady Blazers put on a clinic against conference opponent Alabama-Huntsville. Both the men and women swept the Chargers in matching 9-0 results. Earlier in the day, the Lady Blazers finished the match against Lynn. In the final pairing, VSU fell to let #4 Lynn earn a 5-4 victory. Both teams will face West Florida Sunday.

#2 Blazers Struck by #3 Fighting Knights

2009-03-13

VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State Blazers put the team's #2 ranking on the line against #3 Lynn Friday afternoon. In a closely contested match, the Blazers eventually fell, 5-4. Valdosta State fell into a hole early, winning just one double match. No. 2 Leos Jelinek and Joerg Ekkenga held up their end of the bargain with an 8-6 win over Lynn's Julien Carsuzaa and Miloslav Navratil. Daniel Dueren and Michael Kuech went down, 8-3, while the duo of Florian Halb and Otto Lenhart pushed Lynn's Tomas Racak and Alex Voirin, but not enough. The team lost, 9-7. In singles action the teams split. Dueren, playing in the top spot, joined #9 Halb and #10 Ekkenga to sweep the top three singles spots. Dueren finished in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, over #14 Carsuzaa while Halb and Ekkenga each took just two sets. Halb beat #44 Tomas Racak, 7-6, 6-1, and Ekkenga took down his opponent, 6-3, 6-0. The bottom three spots struggled, all falling in just two sets, including #17 Jelinek playing in the fourth spot. Jelinek went down in matching 6-3 sets. Lenhart fell, 6-2, 6-4, and Kuech lost, 6-1, 6-3. Valdosta State has a long weekend ahead and will look to rebound against conference opponent Alabama-Huntsville at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Both Tennis Teams Falls 6-3 to Armstrong Atlantic

2009-03-08

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Armstrong Atlantic claimed two doubles matches and four singles matches in both men's and women's tennis action to defeat Valdosta State 6-3 at the AASU Tennis Complex Sunday afternoon. In men's play, Paul Bishop and Mikk Irdoja opened the scoring with an 8-2 victory over Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek at No. 1 doubles while the Blazers' Daniel Dueren and Michael Kuech defeated Rafael Array and Edualdo Bonet 8-6 at No. 2. Paul Fitzgerald and Tim Johannsen closed out doubles with a 9-8 (7-2) victory over Florian Halb and Otto Lenhart at No. 3. Bonet opened singles play with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Dueren at No. 1 before Halb got VSU (5-1) back to within one with a 0-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Bishop at No. 2. Irdoja overcame Ekkenga 6-3, 7-5 at No. 3, but Jelinek defeated Array 6-0, 7-5 at No. 4 to once again cut the Pirate lead to one. Paul Fitzgerald defeated Ben Cattan 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5 for the deciding point while Johannsen closed ou the match with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Kuech at No. 6. On the women's side, Martina Beckmann and Alida Muller-Wehlau opened the scoring with an 8-1 victory over Dominique Rothlaender and Tina Trautmann at No. 1 doubles while Gabriella Kovacs and Sona Novakova defeated Raphaelle Durante and Karine Redon 8-6 at No. 2. The Lady Blazers%u2019 Kristel de Groot and Natali Gumbrecht closed out doubles with an 8-3 victory over Kathleen Henry and Tina Ronel at No. 3. Novakova opened singles play with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Rothlaender at No. 1 before Gumbrecht got VSU (4-1) back to within one with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Muller-Wehlau at No. 2. Kovacs overcame Durante 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 at No. 3, but Trautmann defeated Beckmann 6-3, 7-5 at No. 4 to once again cut the Lady Pirate lead to one. Ronel defeated de Groot 6-1, 6-2 at No. 5 for the deciding point while Alisa Kagukina closed out the match with a 6-4, 3-6, 10-8 victory over Redon at No. 6. Valdosta State returns to action Friday, March 13 when it faces Lynn at the VSU Tennis Courts.

Blazers Roll to 9-0 Win over UT-Martin

2009-03-06

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State continued its unbeaten streak as the Blazers defeated UT-Martin 9-0 in men%u2019s tennis action at the VSU Tennis Courts Friday morning. The Blazers claimed all three doubles points, beginning at No. 3 where Ben Cattan and Frank Sickman defeated Matthew Harris and Shuntaro Tsukiyama 8-0. Daniel Dueren and Michael Kuech followed with an 8-2 victory over Alfredo Krywacs and Petr Markov at No. 2 while Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek fell behind 4-1 to Stephan Bruwer and Andrey Yesipov, before rallying for an 8-5 victory. Kuech opened singles play with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Markov at No. 4 before Ekkenga downed Krywacs 6-2, 6-0 at No. 2. Jelinek followed with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Yesipov at No. 3 and Dueren claimed a 6-1, 6-3 win over Bruwer at No. 1 to put VSU (5-0) up 7-0. Otto Lenhart followed with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Harris while Sickman closed out the match with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Tsukiyama at No. 6 Valdosta State returns to action Sunday, March 6 when it travels to Savannah, Ga. to face defending national champion Armstrong Atlantic at 1:00 p.m.

Blazers Defeat AUM 7-2

2009-03-05

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State jumped out to a 2-1 lead in doubles before rolling to a 7-2 victory over Auburn-Montgomery in men's tennis action at the VSU Tennis Courts Thursday afternoon. Florian Halb and Otto Lenhart opened the scoring with an 8-5 win over Victor Sanakaipapi and Jean Oliver Hibert at No. 3 before Daniel Dueren and Michael Kuech claimed an 8-6 win over Francisco Redondo and Nikola Miskovic at No. 2. VSU's Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek held a 7-6 lead over Michael Johnson and Monte Tucker at No. 1, but the Spartan duo rebounded to claim a 9-8 (5) victory for the lone AUM point in doubles play. Valdosta State (4-0) pushed its lead to 3-1 as Ekkenga downed Tucker 6-3, 6-2 at No. 3 while Jelinek defeated Redondo 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 4. Dueren closed out the victory with a 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 over Sanakaipapi at No. 1 before the Spartans (1-1) got their final point as Johnson defeated Halb 7-6 (5), 3-6 (1) at No. 2. Kuech defeated Hibert 6-1, 6-1 at No. 6 while Ben Cattan closed out the scoring with a 3-6, 7-5 (1) victory over Miskovic at No. 5. Valdosta State returns to action Friday, April 6 when it hosts Tennessee-Martin at 10:00 a.m. on the VSU Tennis Courts.

Tennis Teams Sweep West Alabama

2009-02-28

VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Valdosta State men's and women's tennis teams remained perfect as both VSU squads blanked West Alabama 9-0 in Gulf South Conference tennis action at the VSU Tennis Courts Saturday morning. The Lady Blazers (2-0) were dominant on the day as they dropped just two games in the eight matches. The women were perfect in doubles play as they won all three points 8-0. In singles action, Dominique Rothlaender defeated Nicole Shanahan 6-2, 6-0 while Natali Gumbrecht, Raphaelle Durante and Tina Trautmann claimed 6-0, 6-0 wins at No. 2, 3 and 4 respectively. The final two matches were deteremined by single sets, with Kristel de Groot winning 6-0 at No. 5 and Sonya Haggstrom winning by the same score at No. 6. The Blazers (3-0) also claimed all three doubles points, with Leos Jelinek and Joerg Ekkenga winning 8-0 over James Gardner and Lucas Cruz at No. 1 while Daniel Dueren and Michael Kuech won 8-1 over Renat Shaykhelislamov and Benny Delgado Rochas at No. 2. Florian Halb and Otto Lenhart closed out doubles with an 8-3 victory at No. 3. Dueren downed Gardner 6-0, 6-1 at No. 1 singles while Halb defeated Shaykhelislamov 6-2, 6-0 at No. 2. Ekkenga claimed a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Delgado Rochas at No. 3 and Ben Cattan claimed a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Danish Ahmad at No. 4. Lenhart and Kuech closed out the win with a pair of 6-0 victories at No. 5 and 6. Both Valdosta State squads return to action Thursday, March 5 when they host Auburn-Montgomery at the VSU Tennis Courts. WOMEN'S SINGLES No. 1 Dominique Rothlaender d. Nicole Shanahan 6-2, 6-0 No. 2 Natali Gumbrecht d. Victoria Jones 6-0, 6-0 No. 3 Raphaelle Durante d. Mariana Freitas 6-0, 6-0 No. 4 Tina Trautmann d. Brittany Williams 6-0, 6-0 No. 5 Kristel de Groot d. Amanda Morgan 6-0 No. 6 Sonya Haggstrom d. Cori Waters 6-0 WOMEN'S DOUBLES No. 1 Rothlaender/Trautmann d. Shanahan/Williams 8-0 No. 2 Durante/Redon d. Jones, Freitas 8-0 No. 3 Gumbrecht/de Groot d. Morgan/Waters 8-0 MEN'S SINGLES No. 1 Daniel Dueren d. James Gardner 6-0, 6-1 No. 2 Florian Halb d. Renat Shaykhelislamov 6-2, 6-0 No. 3 Joerg Ekkenga d. Benny Delgado Rochas 6-2, 6-1 No. 4 Ben Cattan d. Danish Ahmad 6-1, 6-1 No. 5 Otto Lenhart d. Lucas Cruz 6-0 No. 6 Michael Kuech d. Carlin Tighe 6-0 MEN'S DOUBLES No. 1 Ekkenga/Leos Jelinek d. Gardner/Cruz 8-0 No. 2 Dueren/Kuech d. Shaykhelislamov/Delgado Rochas 8-1 No. 3 Halb/Lenhart d. Tighe/Ahmad 8-2

Blazers Take Second in a Row

2009-02-08

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State followed its sweep of Georgia Southwestern with another one against Georgia College Sunday. By the looks of doubles, the day looked like it might be competitive. Joao Casagrande and Francis Yoshimoto forced an extra game against Florian Halb and Otto Lenhart. In the end though, Halb and Lenhart took the match, 9-7. Daniel Dueren and Michael Kuech swept Max Beliankov and Giovane Nucci, 8-0, while Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek took down Erick Siqueira and Justin Pickham, 8-5. No match went to a third set in singles play. At the top spot, Halb put away Siqueira, 6-4, 6-1, and Dueren used matching 6-4 sets to take down Pickham in the second spot. Jelinek posted a 6-2, 6-1 match against Yoshimoto and Ekkenga went 6-3, 6-2 against Beliankov. Nucci was no match for Kuech as he put him away, 6-0, 6-1. And in the last match to finish, Ben Cattan ensured the VSU sweep with a 6-3, 6-3 result against Casagrande.

Tennis Sweeps Georgia Southwestern 9-0

2009-02-04

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State opened the 2009 men's tennis season in grand fashion Wednesday afternoon as the Blazers swept Georgia Southwestern 9-0 at the VSU Tennis Courts. The Blazers dropped just one game as it claimed all three points in doubles action. Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek defeated Brent Bierregaard and Brenton Hochstetler 8-1 at No. 1 while Daniel Duren and Michael Kuech claimed an 8-0 sweep of Rashad Carson and Kyle Clarke at No. 2. Florian Halb and Otto Lenhart closed out doubles play with an 8-0 victory over Andrew McElveen and Chase Woodall at No. 3. Valdosta State claimed 6-0, 6-0 sweeps in four of the six singles matches as Jelinek, Ekkenga, Kuech and Ben Cattan picked up points for the Blazers. Duren defeated Clarke 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2 while Halb faced the toughest competition while defeating Bierregaard 6-0, 6-4 at No. 1. Valdosta State returns to action Sunday, February 8 when it hosts Georgia College at the VSU Tennis Courts. SINGLES Florian Halb (VSU) d. Brent Bierregaard (GSW) - 6-0, 6-4 Daniel Duren (VSU) d. Kyle Clarke (GSW) - 6-1, 6-0 Leos Jelinek (VSU) d. Brenton Hochstetler (GSW) - 6-0, 6-0 Joerg Ekkenga (VSU) d. Rashad Carson (GSW) - 6-0, 6-0 Michael Kuech (VSU) d. Chase Woodall (GSW) - 6-0, 6-0 Ben Cattan (VSU) d. Andrew McElveen (GSW) - 6-0, 6-0 DOUBLES Ekkenga/Jelinek (VSU) d. Bierregaard/Hochstetler (GSW) - 8-1 Duran/Kuech (VSU) d. Clarke/Carson (GSW) - 8-0 Halb/Otto Lenhart (VSU) d. McElveen/Woodall (GSW) - 8-0

Barry and Lynn Take Top Honors at ITA Regional

2008-09-28

VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Wilson/ITA Regional Championships kept spectators busy with matches played non-stop from Thursday to the championship rounds on Sunday. Even though, there was still a good crowd to watch Lynn's Julien Carsuzaa face Ales Svigeli from Barry for the singles championship. Svigeli won the match with ease, 7-5, 6-2. In doubles action, Lynn was to face Barry yet again, but this time the result was different. Barry's Emanuel Fraitzl and Andrew Sharnov would fall at the hands of Carsuzaa and Alessandro Sarra of Lynn, 8-4. Despite no championship appearances, the tournament saw five Valdosta State players make it to the round of 16: Michael Kuech, Joerg Ekkenga, Otto Lenhart, Florian Halb and Ben Cattan. Halb went to the quarterfinals while Ekkenga made It to the semifinals with both players falling to the eventual champion Svigeli. While Frank Sickman gained a victory over Mason Addison of Flagler, 6-4, 6-4 and Leos Jelinek made it to the round of 32 with a first round bye and a win over Harry Snoxell of Flagler, the impressive feats belonged to Halb and Ekkenga. Halb cruised through Jonathan Hanna of Florida Tech and Nicholas Bigler of Florida Southern in two sets. Emanuel Fraitzl of Barry gave Halb a challenge in the round of 16, stealing the first set, 6-2. Halb came back to win consecutive sets to finish 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. He met his match against Svigeli, falling 6-4, 6-1. Ekkenga's path wasn't much different. He was never forced to play a third set. He handled Gustavo Carvalho of Rollins, 6-4, 6-0 and North Alabama's Carlos Cardenas with two sets of 6-1. In the quarterfinals, Ekkenga benefited from a retirement from Roman Schirmaier of Florida Southern. At the time, Ekkenga was up 6-4, 1-0. Svigeli made sure Ekkenga wouldn't have to play a third set all tournament as he took the semifinal match, 6-1, 6-1 on his way to the championship. Doubles play proved to be a bit more difficult for the Blazers. Two VSU teams made it to the quarterfinal round with one pushing forward to the semis. Ekkenga and Jelinek made it to the semis after wins of 8-5, 8-4 and 8-6 over Florida Tech, Barry and West Florida. The eventual champions, Lynn's Carsuzaa and Sarra would win the semifinal in a tight match, 8-6. Lenhart and Kuech made their way to the quarterfinals with a 9-8 (4) win over West Florida and another victory over Flagler. Sharnov and Fraitzl from Barry, the championship runners up, brought down the VSU team in an 8-2 match.

Valdosta State to Host Wilson/ITA Regional Championships

2008-09-24

VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Wilson/ITA Regional Championships will be held starting at 9 a.m. Thursday through the end of Sunday. Valdosta State is hosting one of the 63 Wilson/ITA Regional Championships played across the country over the last three weeks of September. The Wilson/ITA Southeast Region Men's Championships at VSU will feature the top NCAA Division II schools in the region. The singles and doubles champions from this weekend's tournament advance to the Oct. 16-19 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Small College Championships at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama. The first rounds will be played on both VSU courts as well as tennis courts at Lowndes High. Once the first rounds are completed, the tournament will move solely to Valdosta State courts. The tournament should make for some serious fun for anyone interested in tennis. Six of the top 15 ranked teams in division two will be attending: #2 Barry, #4 Valdosta State, #5 West Florida, #6 Lynn, #12 Florida Southern and #13 Rollins. A host of other teams have sent players who will be competing in what should shape up to be a pretty competitive tournament. For the men's singles draw information, please click here. Information will follow throughout the weekend. The ITA National Small College Championships began in 1986 and annually crowns men's and women's singles and doubles national champions in each of the ITA's four small college divisions (NCAA Divisions II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College). These championships are the only national tournaments for singles and doubles at the NCAA Division II and NAIA level, and the only tournaments that combine the levels of Junior/Community Colleges (NJCAA and the California schools). Participants are determined through these Wilson/ITA Regional Championships, which serve as qualifying tournaments. The national champions from each division square off in the "Super Bowl" of Small College Tennis to determine the overall ITA National Small College Champions (who then earn berths into the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, a Division I event, in November). As the governing body of collegiate tennis the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded in 1956 and is based in Skillman, N.J., administers numerous regional and national championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit presented by the USTA, and the ITA Rankings for men's and women's tennis at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship. The official ITA website is www.itatennis.com.

VSU Tennis Makes Good Showing at Thomasville Invitational

2008-09-15

THOMASVILLE, Ga. - The Valdosta State tennis team set the tone for the team's fall season this past weekend at the Thomasville Collegiate Invitational at the Glen Arven Country Club. The tournament saw VSU's Dominique Rothlaender take the women's singles while the Blazers owned doubles play with wins from Raphaelle Durante and Karine Redon in the women's division and Otto Lenhart and Leos Jelinek in the men's. Later in the tournament, Florian Halb battled Auburn-Montgomery's Francisco Redondo in a tight three-set match. Halb would fall by a score of 2-6, 6-2, 10-8 to claim second at the tournament. Rothlaender started strong with a 6-0, 6-1, victory over Florida A&M's Alexis Brown. She was challenged by Georgia State's Kiara Powell, but pulled out the win, 6-3, 4-6, 10-2. Rothlaender took the third round in two sets from another Georgia State player, Dariana Kozmina, 6-3, 7-6 (4). For the championship, Rothlaender disposed of a player she will see in conference play this season, Suzana Cavalcante of West Florida, in just two sets, 6-0, 7-5. VSU's Natali Gumbrecht almost made it an all Blazers final as she advanced to the semifinals with wins against Florida A&M's Kathline Durden and Georgia State's Martina Nitkova. In the semis she fell to Cavalcante in three sets, 2-6, 7-6, 10-6. Sonya Haggstrom and Durante fell in earlier rounds. Durante bounced back to team with Redon to form the championship doubles team. They beat teams from Florida A&M and Georgia State en route to the championship with three matches won by a score of 8-3. Rothlaender teamed with Tina Trautmann to form a semifinals team. With a first round bye, the duo advance to the semifinals with an 8-2 win over Kristi Kegerreis and Molly Maddox of Georgia Southern. Lenhart and Jelinek took down Florida State's duo of Drew Bailey and Bobby Deye as well as Florida A&M's team of Henri Mangan and Jackson Moore en route to a championship match against a team made up of Florida State's Michael O'Shea and South Alabama's Aaron Krisan. They were no match for VSU's duo as Lenhart and Jelinek put together an 8-5 victory. Halb beat Evandro Rsindo of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College handedly, 6-2, 6-1 to get to a matchup against conference foe Sean Gunnels of West Florida. Halb disposed of him easily in a 6-1, 6-0 win. In a marathon match to get to the finals, Halb and Artiom Podgainii of Florida A&M may have played the best match of the weekend. Halb won the first set 7-5, but dropped the second by the same score. He took the third set 10-7 to get the opportunity to play Redondo in the final. Michael Kuech fell to Henri Mangan of Georgia State in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 13-11. The team will next be in tournament action September 25-28 at Valdosta State.

Men's Tennis Places Three on ITA All-America Team

2008-06-04

SKILLMAN, N.J.- The Valdosta State men's tennis team landed three on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-America Team. Leos Jelinek and Joerg Ekkenga received singles and doubles honors while Florian Halb was recognized for his singles play. Ekkenga and Jelinek paired together at #1 doubles for most of the 2008 season, tallying a 13-6 overall record. In singles play, Ekkenga went 11-2 on the year playing most of his matches at #2 singles while Jelinek went 15-2, maintaining a perfect 12-0 mark at #3 singles. Both received the honor in 2007 as well. In his first year of eligibility at VSU, Halb played every match at #1 singles, going 9-9 on the year. All three Blazers were named to the Gulf South Conference First Team All-Conference and will all be returning next season.

Blazers Fall 5-3 to Drury

2008-05-15

Houston, TEXAS - Drury overcame an early 2-1 deficit to defeat Valdosta State 5-3 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament Thursday afternoon at Homer Ford Park. VSU jumped out to an early lead as they claimed two of the three points in doubles play. Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek downed Stefan Borg and Nikola Prpic 8-3 at No. 1 while Florian Halb and Richard Malobicky defeated Frederico Levi and Anton Khadasevich 8-4 at No. 2. The Blazers' Otto Lenhart and Michael Kuech raced out to a 6-2 lead at No. 3, but DU's Florian Perche and Nahom Serekeberhan rebounded to win the next six games to claim an 8-6 victory at No. 3. Jelinek pushed the Valdosta State lead to 3-1 with a 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over Levi at No. 2 singled, but Borg defeated Halb 6-3, 7-6 (0) to move Drury back to within one point. Khadasevich evened the match with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 victory over Lenhart at No. 4 before Antonio Garcia put DU in front with a 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 victory over Kuech at No. 6. Prpic closed out the match as he topped Ben Cattan 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 at No. 5. Valdosta State ends its season with a 15-6 record.

Blazers Advance With 5-0 Victory

2008-05-14

HOUSTON, Texas - The Valdosta State men's tennis team advanced to its third straight NCAA Elite Eight appearance as the Blazers defeated Bloomsburg 5-0 in the third round of the NCAA Championships Wednesday afternoon at Memorial Park. The Blazers claimed all three points in the doubles action, including an 8-2 victory at No. 2 where Florian Halb and Richard Malobicky defeated Ryan Chow and Daniel Phillips. Leos Jelinek and Michael Millner followed with an 8-3 win over Dan Gal and Fernando Perez at No. 1 while Michael Kuech and Otto Lenhart downed Mitch Zenaty and Jeff Neuhfer 8-1 at No. 3. Jelinek and Ben Cattan won the two singles points to close out the match. Jelinek claimed a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Perez at No. 2 while Cattan downed Ryan Glubo 6-0, 6-1 at No. 6. Valdosta State advances to face Drury in the NCAA Elite Eight on Thursday. The match is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. start at Homer Ford Park.

Blazers Top Delta State 5-0

2008-05-09

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State advanced to its third straight NCAA Championship appearance as the Blazers swept Delta State 5-0 in NCAA Mens Tennis South Region play at the VSU Tennis Courts Friday morning. The Blazers opened the match with victories in all three doubles matches, including at No. 1 where Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek downed Pascal LaPlace and Rafael Weigard 8-0. Florian Halb and Richard Malobicky topped Kirill Pervoun and Julien Beckensteiner 8-3 at No. 2 while Otto Lenhart and Michael Kuech claimed an 8-2 victory over Thiago Marion and Felipe Fonseca at No. 3. Valdosta State closed out the match with a pair of straight set victories in singles action. Kuech defeated Marion 6-0, 6-1 at No. 5 singles while Ben Cattan downed Fonseca by the same score at No. 6. VSU, which won the 2006 national championship while finishing second in 2004 and 2007, advances to its sixth Championship event in the last eight years. The Blazers return to action Wednesday, May 14 at 2:30 p.m. when they play the winner of Friday's Bloomsburg-Bryant match, which pits the No. 2 versus No. 3 teams out of the East Region.

Tennis Regional Match Times Changed

2008-05-08

VALDOSTA, Ga. - The match times for Friday's NCAA South Regional have been changed to accomodate travel plans for the participating teams. The men's match, which was originally scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m., will begin at 9:00 a.m. while the women's match, which was supposed to begin at 10:00 a.m., will begin at 11:30 a.m. On the men's side, top-seed Valdosta State will play Delta State, who defeated North Alabama 5-2 on Thursday, while the Lady Blazers, who are also the No. 1 seed, will play North Alabama, who defeated Tuskegee 5-0 on Friday.

Men's and Women's Tennis To Host Regionals

2008-05-05

VALDOSTA, Ga.- The Valdosta State men's and women's tennis teams will host the Regional Tournament which will be played on May 8th and 9th. Matches will start on Thursday when Tuskegee and North Alabama women will play at 10 am followed by the Delta State-North Alabama men's match at 1 pm. The Valdosta State women's team will take on the winner at 10 am on Friday morning followed by the Valdosta State men's match at 1 pm. All matches will be held at the VSU Tennis Complex and admission is free. Tournament Schedule: THURSDAY, May 8th: Tuskegee vs. North Alabama (women) 10 am Delta State vs. North Alabama (men) 1 pm FRIDAY, May 9th: Valdosta State women vs. winner of TU/UNA 10 am Valdosta State men vs. Winner of DSU/UNA 1 pm

Tennis to Host NCAA Regionals

2008-04-30

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State has been selected to host the 2008 NCAA Region Men's and Women's Tennis Tournaments according to an announcement made by the NCAA on Wednesday. Play will begin in both tournaments on Thursday, May 8, although VSU will not play until Friday, May 9. In the women's region, Tuskegee will face off against North Alabama at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. The winner of the match will play the VSU women at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, with the winner advancing to the NCAA Championship in Houston, Texas May 14. On the men's side, North Alabama and Delta State will play at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday with the winner facing the Blazers at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. The Lady Blazers compiled a 14-5 record during the 2008 regular season while winning the GSC Regular Season and Tournament titles. The men were 13-5 on the year and also won the GSC Tournament.

Coach John Hansen Named GSC Coach-of-the-Year

2008-04-21

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- For the second year in a row, Head Coach John Hansen has been named the Gulf South Conference Tennis Coach-of-the-Year. Hansen received the honor on both the men's and women's side, as both teams were named the GSC Champions. The women's team, who now owns a 14-5 overall record, defeated West Florida 5-4 on Sunday afternoon while the men, now 13-5 overall, beat Ouachita Baptist 5-3. Both teams begin Regional play next week.

Men's Tennis Wins Second Straight GSC Title

2008-04-20

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- After losing two doubles matches, the Valdosta State men's tennis team won four singles matches to defeat Ouachita Baptist, 5-2, to win the Gulf South Conference Championship for the second year in a row. Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek were victorious at #1 doubles, 8-3, the only doubles partners to win. Florian Halb was first to finish singles play, falling at #1 singles 6-0, 6-1 but Ekkenga put the Blazers (13-5) down one with a win at #2 singles, 6-0, 6-3. Richard Malobicky won at #4 6-4, 6-3 to tie it up and Leos Jelinek gave VSU the lead with a 6-4, 6-4 win at the #3 spot. Michael Keuch sealed VSU's victory with a 6-1, 6-4 win at #6. The Blazers next match will be during the Regional Tournament. Dates and times will be posted later this week.

Men's Tennis Advances To GSC Championship

2008-04-19

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- After defeating Delta State 5-0 in the quarterfinals of the Gulf South Conference Tournament, the Valdosta State men's tennis team defeated West Florida, 5-2, to advance to the Championship match tomorrow. Against Delta State, all three doubles teams were victorious, with Leos Jelinek and Joerg Ekkenga winning at #1 and Florian Halb and Richard Malobicky winning at #2. Otto Lenhart and Michael Keuch won at #3 doubles. The first two singles players to finish were Ekkenga and Keuch, who won at #2 singles and #6 singles. Earlier in the season, VSU fell to West Florida 5-4. Revenge was definitely sweet, and even though the men were down 2-1 after doubles, VSU won all singles matches. Halb and Ekkenga won at #1 and #2 singles while Malobicky and Jelinek won at #4 and #3. Valdosta State will play for the title of the GSC Champions.

Men's Tennis Names Three To All-Conference

2008-04-18

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- Three Valdosta State men's tennis players were named to the All-Gulf South Conference First Team, according to a release made by the GSC today. Florian Halb receives the honor in his first season as a Blazer, playing #1 singles for almost the entire season. Sophomore Joerg Ekkenga receives the honor for the second time in his career, playing #2 singles and #1 doubles and junior Leos Jelinek, who plays #1 doubles with Ekkenga and has been playing #3 singles, has received the award three times since he has been at VSU. The men's tennis team travels to Montgomery, Ala. this weekend to compete in the GSC Tournament, where they are the #3 seed and take on the #2 seed in the West Division, Delta State, at 9:30 am on Saturday. If they win they play at 5:30 pm on Saturday.

Men's Tennis Wins At White Sands Invitational

2008-04-04

PENSACOLA, Fla.- The Valdosta State University men's tennis team defeated BYU-Hawaii 8-1 on the first day of the White Sands Invitational, hosted by West Florida. The women's tennis team fell 7-1 to BYU-Hawaii. The Blazers (9-3, 1-0) were up 2-1 after doubles competition, with Florian Halb and Richard Malobicky winning 9-7 at #2 doubles while Otto Lenhart and Michael Keuch won at the #3 spot 8-3. In singles play, Halb won at #1 7-6, 6-3 while Joerg Ekkenga won 7-5, 6-2 at the #2 position. Leos Jelinek pulled out a three-set victory at #3 singles, winning 6-2, 1-6, 6-3. Malobicky won at #4 6-4, 7-5 while Lenhart (#5) and Keuch (#6) won 6-3, 7-5 and 6-2, 6-1, respecitively. The Lady Blazers (8-5) fell 7-1 to BYU-Hawaii. Karine Redon was the only one to win her singles match. The men's team plays on Saturday in the second day of the White Sands Invitational.

Tennis Ranked First in South Region Poll

2008-04-03

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.- Both the men's and women's Valdosta State tennis teams are ranked first in the South Region Poll, according to a release by the NCAA today. The men's tennis team owns an 8-3 overall record and are 1-0 in South Region play. Behind the men at the #2 spot is Gulf South Conference rival, West Florida, who owns a 16-3 overall record and are 3-0 in the Region. The rest of the top 10 is as follows: 3. Ouachita Baptist (9-2, 5-0) 4. North Alabama (6-5, 2-1) 5. Delta State (3-3, 3-2) 6. Harding (14-0, 5-0) 7. West Alabama (9-3, 3-2) 8. Alabama-Huntsville (2-8, 1-2) 9. Tuskegee (15-3, 10-2) 10. Fort Valley State (1-6, 0-1) The Lady Blazers are currently 8-4 overall and own a 3-0 South Region record. Like the men, West Florida is right behind at the #2 spot, holding onto an 11-7 record and a 4-0 Region record. The remaining top 10 is as follows: 3. Delta State (4-1, 4-0) 4. North Alabama (6-4, 2-1) 5. Harding (15-2, 9-0) 6. West Alabama (10-4, 5-2) 7. Alabama-Huntsville (4-9, 2-6) 8. Tuskegee (19-1, 14-0) 9. Arkansas Tech (7-5, 3-4) 10. Montevallo (4-12, 4-8) Both teams travel to Pensacola, Florida this weekend to compete in the White Sands Invitational. The men and women take on BYU-Hawaii at 1 pm on Friday afternoon.

Auburn-Montgomery Hands Men's Tennis 5-2 Loss

2008-03-28

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Host of the Blue-Gray Tournament, Auburn-Montgomery handed the Valdosta State men's tennis team a 5-2 loss on Friday afternoon in Montgomery, Ala. The Blazers (7-3, 3-0) were victorious in only one doubles match, with Otto Lenhart and Michael Keuch winning 8-4 at the #3 spot. Florian Halb fell at the #1 spot 6-0, 6-0 while Richard Malobicky lost 6-4, 6-2 at #4. Lenhart lost at #5 6-2, 6-2 and Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek did not finish their matches at the #2 and #3 singles. Keuch was the only singles player to pick up a win, defeating his opponent 6-3, 6-1 at #6. The Blazers finish out the Blue-Gray Tournament tomorrow morning, time to be determined.

Men's Tennis Wins First Round of Blue-Gray Tournament

2008-03-27

MONTGOMERY, Ala- The Valdosta State men's tennis team defeated UC-San Diego, 6-3, in the first round of the Blue-Grey Tournament, hosted by Auburn-Montgomery. The Blazers (7-2, 1-0) went into singles play down 2-1 after Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek won the only doubles match at the #1 spot. But VSU came back, only losing one singles match. Florian Halb was victorious at the #1 spot while Jelinek, Richard Malobicky, Otto Lenhart and Michael Keuch were all victorious at #3, 4, 5 and 5, respectively. The Lady Blazers take on Columbus State today at 6:30 pm.

Tennis Comes From Behind To Defeat Drury 5-4

2008-03-19

VALDOSTA, Ga- The Valdosta State men's tennis team, down 3-0 after doubles play, won five of six singles matches to defeat Drury 5-4 on Wednesday afternoon at the Tennis Complex. All three VSU (6-2, 1-0) doubles pairs fell to Drury. Leos Jelinek and Joerg Ekkenga fell at #1 9-8 (3) while Florian Halb and Richard Malobicky lost at the #2 spot 8-1. At #3 doubles, Michael Keuch and Frank Sickman fell 8-0. Jelinek was first to finish singles play, winning 6-2, 6-0 at the #3 position. Otto Lenhart (#5) and Keuch (#6) quickly followed with 6-2, 6-4 and 6-4, 7-5 wins, respectively, while Ekkenga lost his first singles match of the year, 6-2, 7-6 (2) at #2. With Drury up 4-3, it all came down to Malobicky and Halb. Malobicky pulled out a win at the #4 slot, defeating his opponent 6-3, 7-6 (2). With one match left, Halb fell in the first set 4-6 but went on to take the second set 6-4. Halb went on to win the third set 6-3, giving the Blazers their sixth win of the season. The Blazers and Lady Blazers travel to the Auburn Montgomery Invitational next weekend.

Tennis Falls at Auburn-Montgomery

2008-03-06

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - NAIA power Auburn-Montgomery swept Valdosta State in men%u2019s and women%u2019s tennis action Thursday, defeating the Blazers 9-0 and the Lady Blazers 8-1. Karine Redon proved to be the only VSU player to earn a point on the day as she defeated Nadia Lysak 7-5, 6-2, 10-7 at No. 6 singles action. AUM%u2019s Delia Sescioreanu-Delea defeated Dominique Rothlaender 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 while Kamila Dadkhodjaeva downed Raphaelle Durante by the same score at No. 2. Tereza Veverkova claimed a 6-4, 0-6, 11-9 win over Natali Gumbrecht at No. 3 while Natalie Sienkob defeated Tina Trautmann 6-1, 6-3 at No. 4 and Dominika Zuzulova downed Hollie Bees 6-4, 6-1 at No. 5. In doubles action, Sescioreanu-Delea and Dadakhodjaeva topped Rothlaender and Trautmann 8-4 at No. 1 while Veverkova and Zuzulova defeated Durante and Redon 8-3 at No. 2. Sienkob and Lysak rounded out the match with an 8-2 win over Gumbrecht and Bees at No. 3. In men's action, the Senators Victor Sanakai Papi and Daniel Plasa defeated Leos Jelinek and Joerg Ekkenga 8-4 at No. 1 while Alberto Gonzales and Francisco Redondo topped Florian Halb and Richard Malobicky 8-6 at No.2. Nikola Miskovic and Monte Tucker closed out doubles play with an 8-2 victory over Michael Kuech and Ben Cattan at No. 3. Sanakai Papi topped Halb 7-6, 6-4 at No. 1 singles while Plasa defeated Jelinek 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2. Gonzales downed Malobicky 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2 and Tucker claimed a 6-4, 6-1 win over Otto Lenhart at No. 4. Redondo claimed a 6-3, 4-6, 10-5 win over Kuech at No. 5 and Tim Mudrick closed out the match with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Michael Millner at No. 6. Valdosta State returns to action Friday morning when it takes part in the GSC East Round Robin at Alabama-Huntsville.

Armstrong Hands Men's Tennis First Loss of Season

2008-02-28

VALDOSTA, Ga- The Valdosta State men's and women's tennis teams fell to Armstrong Atlantic on Thursday afternoon at the Tennis Complex. The men lost 6-3 and the women fell 7-2. Both teams were down after doubles play, with the men winning one match and the women losing all three. Joerg Ekkeng and Leos Jelinek were the only successful pair, winning 8-3 at #1. Going into singles play down 2-1, the VSU men's team (4-1) tied it up at two with a win from Ekkenga at #2, winning 6-3, 6-3. AASU regained the lead after Florian Halb lost at the #1 spot 7-5, 6-0 but Jelinek picked up a win in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3 at #3. Richard Malobicky lost at #4 singles, 6-4, 6-1. Otto Lenhart lost 6-2, 6-2 at #5 while Ben Cattan fell 6-1, 6-3 at #6, allowing Armstrong to hand VSU their first loss of the season, 6-3. On the women's side, the Lady Blazers (3-2) were down 3-0 after doubles and things continued to get worse with Dominique Rothlaender falling 6-0, 6-2 at #1 singles while Raphaelle Durante fell 6-2, 6-0 at the #2 spot. Tina Trautman was defeated at #3, 7-4, 6-3 and Karine Redon fell 6-1, 6-0 at #6. Two Lady Blazers were victorious; Natali Gumbrecht won 6-3, 6-1 at #4 while Hollie Bees pulled out a win 7-6 (7), 4-6, 1-0 (7). Valdosta State tennis travels to Huntsville, Alabama to compete in the GSC Crossover March 6-8th.

Blazers Down Barry 7-2, Lady Blazers win 6-3

2008-02-19

MIAMI, Fla.- Cruising to a 4-0 overall record, the second best team in the nation, the Valdosta State men's tennis team, defeated Barry 7-2 on Monday night. The women's tennis team also pulled out a 6-3 win, after winning two out of three doubles matches. The Blazers, coming off a 6-3 win over the #1 nationally ranked Lynn University, won two of three doubles matches at Barry. Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek won 8-3 at #1 doubles while Florian Halb and Otto Lenhart, the #3 pair, were victorious 9-8. In singles play, Halb lost his first match of the season, 6-0, 6-1 at #1, but the rest of the Blazers were all victorious. Ekkenga won 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 at #2, Jelinek won at #3 singles 6-0, 0-6, 6-3 and Richard Malobicky won 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 at #4. At the #5 spot Lenhart was victorious 6-3, 2-6, 10-6 and Ben Cattan easily won #6 singles 6-1, 6-3. On the women's side, Tina Trautman and Dominique Rothlaender lost their second straught doubles match at #1, 8-2. At the #2 spot, Raphaelle Durante and Karine Redon won 8-2 and Natali Gumbrecht and Hollie Bees won 8-2 at #3. Four of six Lady Blazers won at singles play, including Rothlaender who won at #2 6-1, 7-6. Gumbrecht played at #4 singles, winning 6-3, 6-2, Bees won at #5 6-1, 6-4 and Redon won 6-0, 6-0 at #6 singles. Both men's and women's tennis take on Georgia Southwestern at the Tennis Complex on Friday, February 22 at 2 pm.

#2 Men's Tennis Upsets #1 Lynn 6-3

2008-02-17

BOCA RATON, Fla.- The #2 Valdosta State men's tennis team defeated #1 Lynn University 6-3 on Saturday afternoon. The Blazers (3-0) went into singles play down 2-1 after falling in two doubles matches. Florian Halb and Otto Lenhart were the only victorious pair, winning 8-6. VSU dominated singles play with Halb winning his first set easily at 6-1 but falling 2-6 in the second set. The junior easily won his third set 6-3. Joerg Ekkenga came away with a victory at #3 singles, 7-6, 7-5 and Richard Malobicky won 6-4, 6-3 at #4. Lenhart fell in his first set at #5 singles but came back in the second set 6-4. In the tie-breaker set, the freshman pulled away with a 10-7 win. Ben Cattan was also victorious at the #6 spot, 6-4, 6-2. This win puts the Blazers at 3-0 on the season. VSU plays at Barry University tomorrow for a 2 pm match.

Men's and Women's Tennis Defeat Flagler

2008-02-16

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla.- The Valdosta State men's and women's teams defeated Flagler College in a non-conference match on Saturday night, with the men winning 8-1 and the women winning 7-2. The Valdosta State men (2-0) won two-of-three doubles matches. Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek won 8-5 at #1 doubles while Florian Halb and Otto Lenhart were victorious at the #3 spot. Halb and Jelinek each picked up another win at singles, with Halb winning 7-5, 6-2 at #1 and Jelinek with a 6-4, 6-2 win at #2. Richard Malobicky was victorious at #3 singles with a 6-3, 6-0 win while Lenhart almost pulled off a sweep at #4 with a 6-0, 6-1 win. Ben Cattan defeated Flagler at #5 singles, 6-2, 6-0 while Michael Keuch only played one set at #6 singles and won 8-3. VSU took home an 8-1 victory, picking up their second win of the season. The Lady Blazers (2-0) were just as victorious, with all three doubles teams defeating the Lady Saints. Dominique Rothlaender and Tina Trautman won 8-2 at #1, Karine Redon and Raphaelle Durante won at #2 8-3 and Natali Gumbrecht and Hollie Bees were victorious at #3, 8-2. Going into singles play with a 3-0 lead, the Lady Blazers did not let down. Rothlaender crushed her competition with a 6-0, 6-2 win at #1 singles while Sonya Haggstrom swept #5 singles, 6-0, 6-0. Redon went 6-1, 6-2 at #4 singles and Bees was victorious at the #3 spot, 6-2, 6-2. The Lady Blazers extend their record to 2-0 with a 7-2 defeat of Flagler. Both teams travel to Lynn University tomorrow for 10:30 am matches.

Blazers Take Second in a Row

2008-02-08

Tennis Sweeps USC-Aiken

2008-02-02

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State opened its 2008 tennis season with a pair of victories as the men's team defeated USC-Aiken 8-1 while the women blanked the Lady Pacers 9-0 at the VSU Tennis Courts Saturday. The VSU men (1-0) jumped out to an early lead as they claimed two of the three doubles points. Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek blanked Dagoberto Darezzo and Ed Horne 8-0 at No. 1 while Florian Halb and Benjamin Cattan claimed an 8-1 win over Diego Duran and Nathan Berlyn at No. 3. USC-Aiken (1-1) claimed their only point at No. 2 doubles, where Bruno Seves and Chris Kaetz defeated Michael Kuech and Otto Lenhart 8-2. In singles action, Halb downed Darezzo 6-1, 6-1 while Ekkenga defeated Seves 6-2, 6-2. Jelinek claimed a 6-3, 6-3 win over Horne at No. 3 while Richard Malobicky defeated Kaetz 6-2, 6-1 at No. 4. Kuech defeated Duran 6-4, 6-2 at No. 5 and Lenhart closed out the match with a 6-0, 3-6 (10-6) over Berlyn at No. 6. On the women's side, Valdosta State (1-0) won 8-2 at both No. 1 and No. 3 while claiming an 8-5 victory at No. 2. At No. 1 Raphaelle Durante and Karine Redon topped Kristin Hunter and Maria Soledad Angel while Lady Blazers Tina Trautmann and Sonya Haggstrom downed Marianne Blattes and Mathilde Gienet at No. 2. Hollie Bees and Clair McKinnon defeated Brittany Telford and Stephanie Humphrey at No. 3. Hunter gave USC-Aiken (1-1) its best shot at No. 1 in singles play, claiming a 6-4 win in the first set, but Durante rebounded with a pair of 6-3 wins in the next two sets. Trautmann defeated Grenet 6-1, 6-2. Redon downed Blattes 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3 while Bees claimed a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Humphrey at No. 4. Haggstrom topped Telford 6-1, 6-1 at No. 5 and McKinnon claimed a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over Angel to end the match. Both Valdosta State teams returns to action Monday, February 11 when they host Abraham Baldwin at 3:00 p.m.

Men's Tennis Competes at ITA National Championships

2007-10-15

MOBILE, Ala.- Three of the Valdosta State University men's tennis players traveled to Mobile, Ala. to compete in the ITA National Championships last weekend. In singles, Florian Halb placed third while Leos Jelinek and Joerg Ekkenga places fifth in doubles play. Halb, who defeated Robert Jendelund in the first round, lost to Stefan Borg of Drury 6-2-, 6-2 in the semifinals. On Saturday, he played Henry Estrella from Incarnate Word and took home third place, winning 6-4, 6-4. Ekkenga and Jelinek, who lost in the first round against Eric Rubens and Blake Meister from UC San Diego 7-6(6), 7-6(7), defeated Emilio El Alabi and Daniel Prerad from SW Baptist on Friday afternoon 7-5, 6-3. The pair played for fifth place and defeated Romas Racak and Diego Rodriguez from Lynn 6-3, 6-2. The men's and women's tennis season begins in the spring of 2008.

Tennis Competes at ITA Small College Championships

2007-10-12

Mobile, ALA.- Three of the Valdosta State men's tennis team members traveled to Mobile, Ala. to compete in the ITA Small College National Championships. The event is held over four days, the first two days determing the national champion of DII, DIII, NAIA and Junior College men's and women's doubles and singles. October 13 and 14 will determine the overall small college national champion (all divisions)in the "Super Bowl" of Small College Tennis. Each small college division features eight singles players and eight doubles teams who earned spots into this national event by winning their respective Wilson/ITA Regional Championships held over the past three weeks throughout the country. All told, nearly 5,000 student-athletes competed in 61 regional tournaments to earn spots in the national event. Florian Halb made the trip as VSU's single competitor. He took on Robert Jendelund of Armstrong Atlantic on Thursday morning, defeating AASU 6-4, 6-3. Halb will play this morning against Stefan Borg of Drury. If he wins, he will play at 9:30 am on Saturday. Leos Jelinek and Joerg Ekkenga represented VSU's double partner and were defeated by UC San Diego's Eric Rubens and Blake Meister in a close match 7-6(6), 7-6(7). The pair will play today and if they win will play for fifth place on Friday at 4 pm.

Tennis Competes at ITA South Regional

2007-10-03

Penscaola, FLA. - The Valdosta State men's and women's tennis teams competed in the ITA South Regional Tournament held in Pensacola, Fla. last weekend where Florian Halb won the men's singles competition and will advance to the National Championships. Halb, who was ranked first, defeated Carlin Tighe from West Alabama in the round of 16 and went on to defeat Luis Arboleda in the quarterfinals. He then palyed his teammate, Leos Jelinek, who defeated Jose Ycaza, of West Florida, in the quarterfinals. Halb defeated Jelinek 6-3, 3-1 before the match was called due to injury. Halb then defeated Nicolas Barrientos from West Florida, 6-4, 6-2. Ben Cattan and Joerg Ekkenga also reached the quarterfinal round, falling to players from West Florida. Cattan was defeated 6-3, 6-4 and Ekkenga had to retire due to injury in the third set after losing the first 4-6 and winning the second, 6-2. In men's doubles, Ekkenga and Jelinek defeated two teams from West Florida to make it to the finals and beating Barrientos and Yzaca 8-4. Ekkenga and Jelinek will advance to the National Championships. Halb and newcomer Michael Keuch made it to the seminals, but lost to West Florida 9-8. On the women's side, Raphaelle Durante made it to the finals of the singles competition, falling to Suzanna Cavalante of West Florida in three sets: 3-6, 7-5, 3-6. Durante defeated girls from West Alabama and North Alabama and had to play teammate, Natali Gumbrecht in the semifinals. In doubles, Durante and Karine Redon teamed up and defeated Rachel Hardeway and Amanda Molsen in the quarterfinals before beating teammates Gumbrecht and Sonya Haggstrom. Durante and Redon fell in the finals to Cavalcante and Paola Arevaki 8-5. Anne Corten and Clair McKinnon had a bye their first round and went on to defeat Mariana Feltas and Brittany Williams from West Alabama, 8-0. The pair fell in the semifinals to West Florida. Halb, Ekkenga, Jelinek and the seven other doubles and singles winners from the other regions will compete for the ITA National Championships.

Tennis Competes at Thomasville Collegiate Invitational 2007

2007-09-24

Thomasville, GA. - The Valdosta State men's and women's tennis teams competed in the Thomasville Collegiate Invitational last weekend, with Florian Halb winning the men's singles and Joerg Ekkenga winning the men's singles consolation bracket. Halb defeated Matthew Holland from ABAC in the first round (6-2, 6-4) and then defeated Jason Hood from Florida State in the quarterfinals (6-0, 6-1). In the semifinals, he beat Clifford Malivert from FAMU (6-1, 6-0) and went on to defeat the #1 seed, Daniel Plasa from Auburn Montgomery (2-6, 6-4, 10-8) to win the men's singles competition. Ekkenga lost in the first round to Robert Hodel but won the rest of his matches against Anze Cevka from Georgia State (6-3, 6-3) and Holland from ABAC (6-2, 6-1) to win the men's singles consolation bracket. In men's doubles, Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek defeeated the #1 seed team from Georgia Southern in the quarterfinals. Advancing to the semifinals, they beat a team from Florida State (9-8) and then defeated the pair from West Florida (8-3) to win the men's doubles competition. On the women's side, Raphaelle Durante won in the first round against Sarah Brinkley from FAMU (6-2, 6-0) and then defeated Monika Lalewicz 6-1, 6-1. Durante was defeated by Dariana Kozmina from Georgia Southern in the semifinals, 7-5, 6-4. Dominique Rothlaender lost in the first round to the #1 seed, Kozmina, and made it to the finals of the consolation bracket before retiring due to a pulled muscle. Anne Corten won her first match against Rachel Malina (6-1, 6-3), but fell to Nitkova rom Georgia Southern (6-0, 6-0). In the consolation bracket, Corten lost to Laleqicz in the finals (6-1, 6-1). In doubles play, Durante and Karine Redon were victorious in the first round, defeating a team from Arkansas-Monticello (8-3) before beating the doubles team from Georgia Southern (8-2). The pair lost in the finals to the #1 seed from GSU, 8-4. Corten and Rothlaender were defeated in the first round, but made it to the finals of the consolation round, where they were to take on the team they defeated in the first round. Both pairs retired due to injury. The Blazers and Lady Blazers will continue play this weekend at the ITA South Regional. The winners of the regional will continue to the national tournament.

Drury Sneaks By #3 Men's Tennis 5-4

2007-03-19

SAVANNAH, Ga.-The #3 Valdosta State men's tennis team fell to Drury University on Wednesday afternoon, 5-4, in a non-conference match up in Savannah, Ga. Leos Jelinek and Dominik Hansen fell at #1 doubles 8-4 and Mickael Andreo and Tom Provost lost 8-5 at #2 doubles. Joergy Ekkenga and Ben Cattan were the only doubles team that was victorious, winning 8-2. Down 2-1 after doubles, the Blazers still had hope as Andreo, Provost and Cattan all won at #3, #4 and #5 singles. Andreo won in three sets 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 while Provost and Cattan won in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2 and 6-1, 6-2. But VSU could not pull out a win as Ekkenga lost at #1 singles in three sets: 6-4, 3-6, 2-6 and Jelinek was defeated 6-7, 5-7 at #2 singles. Hansen also fell at #6 singles 6-4, 3-6, 3-6. The VSU Blazers overall record is 7-4 with nine regular season matches still ahead. The tennis team is back in action on Saturday, March 24 at 9 am on the tennis courts. The men take on Ouachita Baptist while the women play Florida Southern.

Men's Tennis Defeats Delta State 6-2

2007-03-11

VALDOSTA, Ga.-The #3 Valdosta State men's tennis team defeated Delta State University 6-2 on Sunday afternoon in Pensacola, Fla. Dominik Hansen and Leos Jelinek defeated Kirill Pervoun and Pascal LaPlace 8-2 at #1 doubles while Joerg Ekkenga and Ben Cattan defeated Rafael Weigard and Mathiew Prouvost at #3 doubles. Ekkenga swept LaPlace at #2 singles, 6-0, 6-0 at #2 singles while Mickael Andreo defeated Prouvost in three sets, 6-4, 2-6, 6-0 at #4 singles. Cattan defeated Julien Beckensteiner at #5 singles, 6-1, 6-0 and Hansen defeated #6 singles opponent, Weigard, 7-5, 6-3. The Blazers extend their record to 7-3 overall and 4-1 in Gulf South Conference play. VSU returns to action on Monday, March 19, hosting Drury at 2 p.m.

Men's Tennis Falls at Armstrong Atlantic

2007-02-17

VALDOSTA, Ga.-The top-ranked Valdosta State University men's tennis team was defeated by Armstrong Atlantic State on Saturday afternoon at the AASU Tennis Complex. Dominik Hansen and Leos Jelinek defeated No. 6 Robert Jendelund and Christian Bergh 8-5 while Thomas Provost and Joerg Ekkenga lost a close match to No. 5 Taavo Roos and Davor Zink 8-6. Michael Millner and Ben Cattan were also defeated, losing 8-5 to Paul Bishop and Henrik Llija. Jelinek and Provost were the only singles winners for VSU. No. 6 Jelinek defeated the No. 5 Davor Zink 7-6, 6-4 while No. 24 Provost won 6-2, 6-4 over Robert Jendelund. Ekkenga was defeated by the No. 18 Bishop 6-3, 6-4 and Dominik Hansen lost in three sets to #43 Bergh, 6-2, 6-7, 6-0. Both men's and women's tennis picked up their second loss of the season, giving them each a 1-2 overall record. The Blazers take on rival West Florida next Friday, February 23, for a 2:00 pm match.

Freed-Hardeman Defeats Men's Tennis

2007-02-06

VALDOSTA, Ga.-Both the men's and women's Valdosta State tennis teams fell to NAIA opponent Freed-Hardeman on Tuesday night outside the P.E. Complex, 6-3. The afternoon started off on a sour note when all three men's doubles teams fell to the Lion's. Joerg Ekkenga and Dominik Hansen fell to Alberto Gonzalez and Francisco Redondo 8-3 while Leos Jelinek and Michael Miller teamed up at the No. 3 spot to Iran Lopez and Vincente Jolie, 8-2. In singles competition, Ekkenga took Gonzalez to a third set after losing the first one 6-2 and rallying back in set number two 7-6 to finally win set number three. Thomas Provost defeated Jolie at No. 3 and Hansen defeated Lopez at no. 5. Both Blazers teams fall to a 1-1 record and look to take on Armstrong Atlantic on February 17, in Savannah, Ga. for a 1:00 match.

Blazers Defeat Flagler

2007-02-02

VALDOSTA, Ga..-The Valdosta State men's tennis team opened up the 2007 season with a win over Flagler College on Friday night, sweeping Flagler in doubles competition. The VSU men's team (1-0) is coming off of a 28-1 season which ended with the 2006 National Championship trophy. Leos Jelinek and Dominik Hansen partnered up at No. 1 doubles to defeat Mario Jutronic and Jeremy Lamonoe, 9-7. Joerg Ekkenga and Michael Millner defeated Flagler at the No. 3 doubles 9-7, after being down 3-6 earlier in the match. In singles competition, Ekkenga defeated Jutronic in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4 while Thomas Provost sailed through the No. 3 spot, defeating Aaron Haines 6-1, 6-0 while Benjamin Cattan blew by his opponent, Kyle Maloof, at the No. 4 spot, 6-6, 6-3. The Blazers were victorious in all three doubles and all six singles competitions, defeating the Saints 9-0. VSU returns to action on Tuesday, February 6th, hosting Freed-Hardeman at 2 p.m.