Azusa Pacific finished a productive week with a 7-2 victory over NCAA Div. III’s No. 4-ranked Middlebury (Vt.) on Saturday, March 20, at the Munson and Bavougian Tennis Complex.
The Cougars swept the doubles docket and won four of six singles matches to earn the non-conference victory.
At No. 1 doubles, senior Matthijs Bolsius and freshman Jochem Hoefnagels registered an 8-3 victory, with four games pushed to the deuce stage, including the final game in which the Cougars faced a 40-love deficit as Middlebury attempted to hold off its defeat. Hoefnagels served three aces and the Cougars won the final five points to clinch the match.
Senior Mathias Weber and sophomore Janosch Apelt cruised to an 8-4 victory at No. 2 doubles, despite falling behind 2-1 early in the set.
The most tightly contested match of the day was that of senior Ronald Chow and sophomore Alex Lane at No. 3 doubles. The tandem won their match, 9-8, with a 7-5 tiebreaker score.
“Today, we played very well,” Bolsius said. “It was our best doubles performance of the season. Getting ahead 3-0 after doubles was huge.”
Bolsius won 6-4, 6-3 at No. 1 singles, followed by victories from Apelt (No. 2), Hoefnagels (No. 4) and senior Mathias Weber (No. 5).
Azusa Pacific started the week with a 6-3 home victory over Montana State on March 15.
Similar to how professional baseball teams compete in spring training, the Cougars split its squad in half on March 18 to earn two victories at the same time on two different sites: an 8-1 home win over Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) and a 7-2 victory at Biola.
“We showed how strong we can be this week,” Bolsius said. “We have a lot of talent from the top to the bottom and we’re eager to win when we come on the courts.”
Azusa Pacific advanced its record to 10-3 overall. In the GSAC, the Cougars are currently in third place at 5-2. Next, the Cougars will host Point Loma Nazarene on Saturday, March 27.
Publication: The Clause
Issue: March 24, 2010; Vol. XLV, No. 17
Section: Sports
The Azusa Pacific tennis program is stepping back on the Munson and Bavougian courts with a fresh swagger, surviving an offseason of grueling strength and conditioning workouts as the Cougars prepped for the upcoming battles the 2010 season brings.
“The bottom line is we want to get bigger, faster and stronger,” Cougar head coach Mark Bohren said.
Men’s tennis had a flurry of unparalleled success in the 2000s decade, including a 58-match conference winning streak and five consecutive trips to the national championship match, Azusa Pacific men’s 2009 campaign fluttered to uncharacteristically rocky start to say the least.
Injuries took its toll on the squad, but the Cougars, have healed those injuries, brought almost every returning player back and added even more depth with a trio of newcomers.
“We are going to be a very deep team,” senior Ronald Chow said. “From the first player to the twelfth, everyone has the potential to be great.”
Chow is one of five seniors, all of whom are impact players for the Cougars. As the core of the team, they had their best year in 2007, when as a team primarily comprised of freshmen surprised National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) observers, storming their way to the national championship title match.
The Cougars intend to return this year and they believe they have the talent to do so.
“We want to win a national championship for the seniors,” Cougar head coach Mark Bohren said.
The Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) once again is loaded with talent from top to bottom, including NAIA defending champion Fresno Pacific. Azusa Pacific hosts the other eight GSAC teams at the Munson and Bavougian Tennis Complex along with a competitive non-conference schedule. Among the eight non-conference squads visiting the “Canyon City” in 2010 are Hawaii Pacific, ranked No. 5 in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division II, and Middlebury (Vt.), ranked No. 4 in NCAA’s Division III.
“It’s going to be difficult, but we have a decent shot of winning the conference,” Bohren said.
Azusa Pacific’s rallying cry for the season is “only we can stop ourselves.”
“The only thing that stops our season going is ourselves,” Chow said. “We are going to push ourselves all the way to the end.”
The women’s tennis team had a youth movement in 2009 to rejuvenate the Cougar program as the regular singles lineup comprised on all sophomores or freshmen. One year later, Azusa Pacific’s stamina as a team is ready for the competitive challenges of the GSAC.
“We got a new fitness coach,” junior Sheryl Bon said. “He helped us with fitness and I think it helped us a lot. It was hard doing 6:30 a.m. workouts but it will make us stronger as we go through the season.”
Azusa Pacific has qualified for 11 straight NAIA postseason tournaments, highlighted by a national runner-up finish in 2004. The Cougars have not appeared in the NAIA semifinals since the 2006 season, though, but they hope to return to that round in 2010.
“We’re doing what we do to represent Azusa Pacific,” Bon said. “Having that in mind will encourage us to play harder as the season moves forward.”
Women’s tennis sets its 2010 season in motion as road warriors, playing seven of its first 10 matches away from Azusa, before the home-court advantage comes alive in the season’s second half as the Cougars play the last eight of 11 matches on campus, the season-closing stretch beginning on Mar. 20.
“We hope to have people out here since we have a nice venue to watch competitive tennis,” Bohren said. “We hope the students can see the brand of tennis we have to offer and it will be fun to watch what happens.”
Men’s tennis opens the 2010 season against Loyola Marymount on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m., one of two NCAA Division I schools to visit Azusa, the other is Montana State, followed by a President’s Day matinee with Hawaii Pacific at 11 a.m., two days later.
Women’s tennis launches its 13th season today, as the Cougars visit Cal Poly Pomona. First serve is scheduled at 1:30 p.m., pending a weather delay or postponement. The Cougars open their home schedule against Westmont on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m.
Publication: The Clause
Issue: February 10, 2010; Vol. XLV, No. 12
Section: Sports
Azusa Pacific’s men’s and women’s tennis teams open 2009 NAIA Tournament play in Mobile, Ala., on Wednesday, May 13.
AZUSA, Calif. — Azusa Pacific’s men’s and women’s tennis teams have both received first-round byes in their respective fields of next week’s NAIA Tennis National Championship tournaments in Mobile, Ala. The Cougar men will be making their 13th consecutive appearance while the Cougar women notched the program’s 11th straight appearance. Both teams are at-large representatives from the Golden State Athletic Conference, which sent a tournament-high 6 teams into both the men’s and women’s draws.
On the men’s side, the No. 6-seeded Cougars will play a second-round match at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13, taking on the winner of a first-round matchup between GSAC rival Point Loma Nazarene and tournament host Mobile (Ala.). Azusa Pacific swept the season series over Point Loma Nazarene, a 5-4 home win that christened the new Munson and Bavougian Tennis Complex along with an 8-1 road victory later in the year.
The Azusa Pacific women, seeded seventh, also open tournament play with a Wednesday, May 13 second-round matchup against the winner of the Bethel (Kan.)-Brenau (Ga.) match. Either opponent provides a first-time meeting between the schools for the Cougars.
Azusa Pacific’s men finished 13-12 in regular season play, 10-6 in GSAC play, and the Cougars closed out the regular season with wins in 6 of the final 8 matches. Azusa Pacific played a competitive non-conference schedule, featuring a pair of top 10-ranked teams from NCAA’s Div. II and 5 top 10 schools from Div. III. All of the Cougars’ 12 losses ended up coming to top-10 NCAA Div. II, III or NAIA teams. Highlights of the 2009 season included a 5-4 win over Div. III’s No. 2-ranked UC Santa Cruz and another 5-4 victory over the NAIA’s No. 5-ranked Concordia.
Azusa Pacific brings to the tournament a strong singles trio in juniors Matthijs Bolsius (15-6) and Mathias Weber (10-9) along with successful newcomer Janosch Apelt (15-6), a true freshman. Weber finished the season with 6 straight victories and Bolsius had a 10-match winning streak in the heart of the schedule. The second-year doubles tandem of sophomore Daniel Moore and junior Ronald Chow nabbed a team-high 11 victories.
Meanwhile, freshman Natalie McNall (16-3 in doubles), Emily Ignas (13-6 in doubles), and Leah Hoffee (11-6 in singles) energized the Cougar women with strong campaigns to lead Azusa Pacific to a 14-8 overall record that included a 13-5 mark in GSAC play. The Cougars engineered a handful of 5-4 come-from-behind victories, 5 in all.
Sophomore Marie Tanaka had a team-high 12 wins on the singles docket, and the University of Hawaii transfer will be seeing her first national tournament action. Senior Katy Jelsma is making her fourth and final appearance in the tournament, while sophomores Sheryl Bon and Casey Wetzig are expected to return near full strength after extended late-season layoffs due to injuries.
Should Azusa Pacific win its men’s and women’s second-round contests, the Cougars would likely be slated against GSAC rival Fresno Pacific in the quarterfinals in both sides of the draw. The Sunbirds won the men’s and women’s conference championships.
The Azusa Pacific men won the 2005 NAIA championship, made 5 trips to the national title match this decade, and have advanced to at least the quarterfinal round every year since the tournament changed to a team dual match format in 2000. The Cougar women collected a 2003 NAIA runner-up finish and have made 3 semifinal appearances this decade. Azusa Pacific’s women have a 5-year streak of advancing to at least the quarterfinals.
Publication: Azusa Pacific Sports Information
Date Posted: May 9, 2009
Link: http://www.apu.edu/athletics/tennis/mens/stories/13963/
Azusa Pacific rallied from behind in every match it won in a narrow 5-4 victory over Concordia Tuesday afternoon.
AZUSA, Calif. — Freshman Janosch Apelt and junior Mathias Weber survived a pair of match points for a 9-7 victory at No. 2 doubles, then provided key singles victories to spur the NAIA’s No. 8-ranked Azusa Pacific to a 5-4 dual match victory over No. 5-ranked Concordia Tuesday afternoon at the Munson and Bavougian Tennis Complex. The Cougars won the top 3 singles and the top 2 doubles matches, rallying for each and every team point that was tallied.
“All of the guys stepped up today,” Cougar head coach Mark Bohren said. “Overall, it was a really good win. We’re a dangerous team at this point of the season, because we have the ability to win when it counts. We’re starting to believe in ourselves, which is going to be very important for the upcoming national tournament.”
In the No. 2 doubles match, the Apelt/Weber tandem faced a 7-5 deficit before Apelt’s tough service helped pull the Cougars to within 7-6. Concordia broke through with a pair of volley winners to serve with a 40-15 lead, but the Cougars won 4 straight points, 2 of them match points, to tie the set at 7-7.
“We were really relaxed after we got through the match points,” Apelt said. “I knew it was the turning point, and it took the pressure off of us.”
Apelt and Weber took 8 of the set’s final 10 points to earn a 9-7 decision. For the clinching point, Apelt fell down to his feet at the net after deflecting a tough volley, recovered, and delivered a powerful overhead slam to help send Azusa Pacific into singles play with a 2-1 lead.
Junior Ronald Chow and Daniel Moore provided the Cougars with the other doubles point. Chow and Moore tallied an 8-4 score at No. 1 doubles, recovering from an early 3-2 deficit, and Concordia rolled to an 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles over junior Matthijs Bolsuis and Ilja Ikonnikov.
Apelt provided Azusa Pacific the decisive fifth team point of the match with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles, registering 94 of the match’s 178 total points. Two marathon games provided important shifts in momentum for both Apelt and Concordia’s Augusto Elias. The first marathon game provided Elias with a 6-4 opening-set win, after he scored 9 of the game’s final 16 points to edge Apelt, who battled through 5 set points in the final game before faltering the last point on a shot hit long. The second marathon game, an 18-point epic in favor of Azusa Pacific, gave Apelt a 2-0 lead in the third set.
“I was confident I would win the match when I got up 2-0,” Apelt said. “It was a tough service game to get through with my opponent holding most of the deuce advantages. After that, he was done. He started double faulting and wasn’t playing with the same intensity he had before. It was helpful for me to see Matthijs (Bolsius) and Mathias (Weber) winning as I was going to my third set.”
Weber rallied from a 2-0 opening-set deficit in impressive fashion, taking 12 of the ensuing 13 games for his sixth consecutive singles win, a 6-2, 6-1 victory at the No. 3 position. His win pushed Azusa Pacific’s team lead to 3-1 in the dual match, and Bolsius rallied twice to commandeer his match at No. 1 singles in straight sets. Bolsius improved to 15-6 in singles play on the season with the 7-5, 6-4 victory, and his win gave the Cougars a 4-2 lead in the match.
Concordia won the lower 3 singles matches, including the concluding pair of matches decided in super tiebreakers after Azusa Pacific clinched the victory with a 5-2 dual match lead. Chow had the No. 5 singles match in his grasp with a 6-2, 3-0 lead but he tired down the stretch, handing a 2-6, 6-4, (10-0) decision to Concordia’s Tom Young.
Freshman Whitman Hough finished the dual match with a 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), (10-3) loss at No. 6 singles to Bruno Santarelli.
“It was important for us to win the last big match of the regular season so we can learn that we can win the big ones,” Apelt said. “We saw that we were stronger today, and that gives us a lot of confidence for the national tournament.”
With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 12-12, 9-6 in GSAC, while Concordia drops to 15-5, 11-4 in GSAC. The victory returns Azusa Pacific to a .500 overall record and gives the Cougars an opportunity to ensure it will avoid a losing season with a victory over Biola in the regular-season finale next Tuesday, April 28, at the Munson and Bavougian Tennis Complex. Azusa Pacific has clinched sole possession of fourth place in the Golden State Athletic Conference.
SINGLES
1. Matthijs Bolsius (APU) def. Andrey Potapkin (CUI); 7-5, 6-4
2. Janosch Apelt (APU) def. Augusto Elias (CUI); 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
3. Mathias Weber (APU) def. Kareem Berdai (CUI); 6-2, 6-1
4. Oliver Fabre (CUI) def. Daniel Moore (APU); 6-3, 6-3
5. Tom Young (CUI) def. Ronald Chow (APU); 2-6, 6-4, (10-0)
6. Bruno Santarelli (CUI) def. Whitman Hough (APU); 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), (10-3)
Order of finish: 3, 4, 1, 2*, 5, 6
(*=clinching match)
DOUBLES
1. Chow/Moore (APU) def. Fabre/Potapkin (CUI); 8-4
2. Apelt/Weber (APU) def. Elias/Santarelli (CUI); 9-7
3. Ryan McNamara/Young (CUI) def. Bolsius/Ilja Ikonnikov (APU); 8-3
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Publication: Azusa Pacific Sports Information
Date Posted: April 21, 2009
Link: http://www.apu.edu/athletics/tennis/mens/stories/13784/
Junior Mathias Weber engineered a comeback victory at No. 1 singles, highlighting an 8-1 victory over Hope International Saturday afternoon.
AZUSA, Calif. — The NAIA’s No. 8-ranked Azusa Pacific took one more step towards a winning record after posting an 8-1 victory over No. 25-ranked Hope International Saturday afternoon at the Munson and Bavougian Tennis Complex. Hope International conceded 3 points by default and the Cougars took care of the rest, winning 5 of the 6 remaining matches.
Junior Mathias Weber had the performance of the day for Azusa Pacific at No. 1 singles in just his second-ever match at the top position in his 3-year career. He defeated Hope International’s Rajko Mladenovic, ranked No. 20 in the NAIA’s individual singles rankings, in a 7-5, 6-3 decision, coming back from a 5-2 deficit in the first set. Weber has now won 5 consecutive singles matches to even his season mark at 9-9, collecting back-to-back straight-set victories over nationally-ranked players.
Weber partnered with freshman Janosch Apelt for doubles play, earning an 8-1 victory at No. 1. Junior Matthijs Bolsius and freshman Ilja Ikonnikov followed with a 8-3 triumph at No. 2, clinching the dual match for the Cougars.
Apelt was the only Cougar to capture a set sweep, taking a 6-0 opening-set shutout at No. 2 singles before Hope International’s Dominic Tinodi retired due to injury. Junior Ronald Chow commanded his match at No. 4 singles with a 6-2, 6-2 victory.
Hope International’s Johan Weich prevailed over sophomore Daniel Moore for the Royals’ only point, a 3-6, 6-3, (10-6) super tiebreaker victory at No. 3 singles.
With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 11-12 overall, 8-6 in GSAC, while Hope International drops to 7-14 overall, 3-11 GSAC.
The Cougars will host No. 5 Concordia on Tuesday, April 21, at 2 p.m., and a victory would clinch a winning GSAC record for the 13th straight season for the Cougars. It would also give Azusa Pacific an opportunity to avoid its first losing regular-season record since 1996 with a win over Biola in the April 28 conference finale.
SINGLES
1. Mathias Weber (APU) def. Rajko Mladenovic (HIU); 7-5, 6-3
2. Janosch Apelt (APU) def. Dominic Tinodi (HIU); 6-0, (ret.)
3. Johan Weich (HIU) def. Daniel Moore (APU); 3-6, 6-3, (10-6)
4. Ronald Chow (APU) def. Sebastian Bunescu (HIU): 6-2, 6-2
5. APU wins by default
6. APU wins by default
Order of finish: 2, 4, 1, 3
DOUBLES
1. Apelt/Weber (APU) def. Tinodi/Weich (HIU); 8-1
2. Matthjis Bolsius/Ilja Ikonnikov (APU) def. Bunescu/Mladenovic (HIU); 8-3
3. APU wins by default
Order of finish: 1, 2*
(*=clinching match)
Publication: Azusa Pacific Sports Information
Date Posted: April 18, 2009
Link: http://www.apu.edu/athletics/tennis/mens/stories/13766/
Azusa Pacific recaptured a lost swagger, commanding an 8-1 victory over Point Loma Nazarene Saturday afternoon in San Diego.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — It was a victory the NAIA’s No. 6-ranked Azusa Pacific was in dire need of—a match to dominate wire-to-wire against a quality opponent with a full, healthy lineup.
Azusa Pacific commanded almost every aspect of an 8-1 victory over the No. 12-ranked Point Loma Nazarene Saturday afternoon at the PLNU Courts. Junior Matthijs Bolsius extends his singles consecutive winning streak to 9 matches, only needing a pair of matches to tie his career-long 11-match streak established in the 2007 season.
“Slowly but surely, we’re coming into form with this group of guys,” Cougar head coach Mark Bohren said.
For the first time in 9 matches, Azusa Pacific swept doubles play. The No. 2 doubles tandem of junior Ronald Chow and sophomore Daniel Moore along with the No. 3 tandem of freshmen Ilja Ikonnikov and Janosch Apelt delivered a pair of identical 8-2 scores. At No. 1 doubles, Bolsius and junior Mathias Weber had a close 8-6 win but never trailed in their match.
The singles docket moved swiftly and efficiently in the Cougars’ favor. The top 5 singles positions collected straight-set decisions: a 6-2, 7-6 victory for Bolsius at No. 1, a 6-1, 6-1 triumph for Apelt at No. 2, a 6-2, 6-3 tally for Weber at No. 3, a 6-1, 6-2 win for Chow at No. 4, and another 6-1, 6-2 score for Moore at No. 5.
At No. 6 singles, freshman Whitman Hough won 6-3 in the first set, but opponent Josh Nelson responded with a 6-3 score in the second set, and Nelson took the super-tiebreaker, 10-8, to prevent a Cougar shutout. It was the fifth consecutive loss for Azusa Pacific at No. 6.
“We’ve been working on our team’s energy level, trying to pick it up,” Bohren said. “As a group, they continue to improve. They didn’t get down when we were losing. They just kept on working hard to be better. That’s a sign of a good team.”
With the win, Azusa Pacific advances to 9-10 overall, 6-4 in GSAC, while Point Loma Nazarene drops to 8-9 overall, 4-7 in GSAC. The Cougars next play Westmont at the Munson and Bavougian Tennis Complex on Tuesday, Mar. 31, at 2 p.m.
SINGLES
1. Matthijs Bolsius (APU) def. Joel Myers (PLNU); 6-2, 7-6
2. Janosch Apelt (APU) def. Travis Albaugh (PLNU); 6-1, 6-1
3. Mathias Weber (APU) def. Landon Hilker (PLNU); 6-2, 6-3
4. Daniel Moore (APU) def. Andy Hong (PLNU); 6-1, 6-2
5. Ronald Chow (APU) def. Trent Brown (PLNU); 6-1, 6-2
6. Josh Nelson (PLNU) def. Whitman Hough (APU); 3-6, 6-3 (10-8)
Order of finish: 2, 5*, 4, 3, 1, 6
(*=clinching match)
DOUBLES
1. Bolsius/Weber (APU) def. Albaugh/Myers (PLNU); 8-6
2. Chow/Moore (APU) def. Jeff Nelson/Brown (PLNU); 8-2
3. Ilja Ikonnikov/Apelt (APU) def. Hilker/Josh Nelson (PLNU); 8-2
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
Publication: Azusa Pacific Sports Information
Date Posted: March 28, 2009
Link: http://www.apu.edu/athletics/tennis/mens/stories/13667/
The NAIA’s No. 6-ranked Azusa Pacific made strides of improvement in a 6-3 loss to No. 2-ranked California Baptist Tuesday afternoon.
AZUSA, Calif. — The NAIA’s No. 6-ranked Azusa Pacific suffered its third consecutive loss in a 6-3 decision to No. 2-ranked California Baptist Tuesday afternoon at the Munson and Bavougian Tennis Complex. Juniors Matthijs Bolsius and Ronald Chow, along with sophomore Daniel Moore, tallied 3 team points together for the Cougars.
California Baptist won 2 of the 3 doubles contests, first posting an 8-3 victory at No. 1, then breaking through for an 8-2 win at No. 3.
Chow and Moore held on for an 8-6 decision at No. 2, after establishing themselves with a 7-3 lead over Lancer tandem Lucas Pereira and Gabor Toth. Azusa Pacific won 47 of the match’s 89 total points, bolstered by a 30-16 run to convert a 2-1 deficit into a 7-3 lead. The Cougars controlled a 22-11 advantage in winners.
At No. 1 singles, Bolsius attained his seventh consecutive singles victory, battling Lancer Alessandro Ventre to a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 result. Within the streak, he has defeated a pair of players ranked in the NCAA Div. III’s top 10 and an reigning NAIA All-American in Ventre. Bolsius improves his season mark to 11-4 and is 4 matches away from tying his 11-match career-long winning streak established in the 2007 season.
Chow tallied the other Cougar point in singles, holding a 5-4 first set lead at No. 5, before California Baptist’s Oliver Andrzjczuk retired. The Lancers took the other 4 singles matches in straight-set decisions.
With the loss, Azusa Pacific drops to 7-10 overall, 5-4 in GSAC, while California Baptist improves to 11-1 overall, 9-1 in GSAC. The Cougars host their final non-conference match against the NCAA Div. III’s No. 8-ranked UC Santa Cruz on Wednesday, Mar. 25, at 2:30 p.m., concluding a 2-week stretch of hosting half of the Div. III’s top 10 teams at the Munson and Bavougian Tennis Complex.
SINGLES
1. Matthijs Bolsius (APU) def. Alessandro Ventre (CBU); 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
2. Carlos Cirne-Lima (CBU) def. Janosch Apelt (APU); 7-5, 6-3
3. Lucas Pereira (CBU) def. Mathias Weber (APU); 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
4. Martin Vaisse (CBU) def. Daniel Moore (APU); 6-1, 6-2
5. Ronald Chow (APU) def. Oliver Andrzjczuk (CBU); 5-4 (ret.)
6. Gabor Toth (CBU) def. Ilja Ikonnikov (APU); 6-0, 6-2
Order of finish: 5, 6, 4, 2*, 3, 1
(*=clinching match)
DOUBLES
1. Cirne-Lima/Ventre (CBU) def. Bolsius/Weber (APU); 8-3
2. Chow/Moore (APU) def. Pereira/Toth (CBU); 8-6
3. Sebastian Gruber/Vaisse (CBU) def. Jack Zapala/Apelt (APU); 8-2
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
Publication: Azusa Pacific Sports Information
Date Posted: March 24, 2009
Link: http://www.apu.edu/athletics/tennis/mens/stories/13642/
Azusa Pacific lost a 6-3 match to the NCAA Div. III’s No. 4-ranked Middlebury (Vt.), after a series of comebacks did not swing in the Cougars’ favor.
AZUSA, Calif. — The NAIA’s No. 5-ranked Azusa Pacific could not finish a series of comebacks in 5 of the matches it lost, faltering to the NCAA Div. III’s No. 4-ranked Middlebury (Vt.) in a 6-3 decision Saturday afternoon at the Munson and Bavougian Tennis Complex.
Middlebury took 2 of the 3 doubles matches, starting with an 8-5 win over freshman tandem Ilja Ikonnikov and Jack Zapala at No. 3. Junior Ronald Chow and sophomore Daniel Moore took an 8-4 decision at No. 2 doubles to split the doubles docket at 1-1.
At No. 1 doubles, Middlebury’s aggressive serve-and-volley strategy helped the Panthers to a 8-6 win over juniors Matthjis Bolsius and Mathias Weber. The match featured 14 deuce points in the first 5 games, which all went to the deuce stage. The Panthers took a 4-1 advantage in that stretch to propel a 7-4 lead. Azusa Pacific diminished to the lead to 7-6, but the Panthers closed the set, 8-6, sweeping the last game in 4 points.
Bolsius and Weber were successful in singles play after the doubles setback and were the only pair to register singles wins for the Cougars. Bolsius rolled to a 6-2, 6-1 decision at No. 1 singles and Weber won 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3 singles.
The remaining singles matches in favor of Middlebury had near-comebacks, most dramatically in Moore’s No. 2 singles match. In the second set, Moore overcame a 5-2 deficit to force a second tiebreaker and faced a 5-0 deficit within that tiebreaker. Five points down, he scored 7 of the next 8 points to give himself a 7-6 lead, but 3 consecutive errors handed the 7-6, 7-6 victory to Middlebury’s Andrew Thomson.
In a 7-6, 6-3 loss at No. 4 singles, Chow forced a first set tiebreaker after rallying from a 4-1 deficit, but he lost the tiebreaker, 7-2. Furthermore, in a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 loss at No. 5 singles, Ikonnikov forced a 3-3 third set tie after falling behind 3-1. Finally, in a 6-4, 6-1 loss at No. 6 singles, sophomore Jonathan Sosnowski was down 5-2 in the first set, but could only close the gap to 5-4 there.
With its eighth loss in 11 matches, its worst slump in 13 seasons, Azusa Pacific drops to 7-9, while Middlebury improves to 5-0. The Cougars conclude a season-long 5-match homestand next week, hosting a Golden State Athletic Conference match with California Baptist on Tuesday, Mar. 24, at 2 p.m., then their final non-conference match with the NCAA Div. III’s No. 8-ranked UC Santa Cruz on Wednesday, Mar. 25, at 2:30 p.m.
SINGLES
1. Matthijs Bolsius (APU) def. Conrad Olson (MC); 6-2, 6-1
2. Andrew Thomson (MC) def. Daniel Moore (APU); 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (9-7)
3. Mathias Weber (APU) def. Andrew Lee (MC); 6-2, 6-3
4. Andrew Peters (MC) def. Ronald Chow (APU); 7-6 (7-2), 6-3
5. Peter Odell (MC) def. Ilja Ikonnikov (APU); 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
6. Derrick Angle (MC) def. Jonathan Sosnowski (APU); 6-4, 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 6, 1, 2, 4*, 5
(*=clinching match)
DOUBLES
1. David Farah/Thomson (MC) def. Bolsius/Weber (APU); 8-6
2. Chow/Moore (APU) def. Olson/Peters (MC); 8-4
3. Rich Bonfiglio/Chris Mason (MC) def. Jack Zapala/Ikonnikov (APU); 8-5
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
Publication: Azusa Pacific Sports Information
Date Posted: March 21, 2009
Link: http://www.apu.edu/athletics/tennis/mens/stories/13620/
Azusa Pacific lost a 5-4 decision to Montana State Thursday afternoon, after attempting a 4-1 comeback during singles play.
AZUSA, Calif. — The NAIA’s No. 5-ranked Azusa Pacific attempted to convert a 4-1 comeback, but came up a match short in a 5-4 loss to the NCAA Div. I’s Big Sky Conference member Montana State. Juniors Matthijs Bolsius, Mathias Weber, and Ronald Chow led the Cougars to split the singles docket, after the Bulldogs took 2 of the 3 doubles matches.
Bolsius and Weber tallied a 8-1 win at No. 1 doubles, the tandem’s greatest margin of victory together. They improved their season record to 7-4. The Bulldogs earned a 8-3 win at No. 2 doubles and a 8-1 win at No. 3 doubles.
Montana State took the first 2 singles matches through identical decisions of 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2 and No. 6, leaving the Cougars to fend off a 3-match deficit.
At No. 1 singles, Bolsius took a 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) decision over Corey Smith, his fifth consecutive singles win. Weber cut Montana State’s match lead to 4-3, with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles.
Pawel Turzanski clinched the dual match for the Bulldogs, when he defeated sophomore Daniel Moore, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1, at No. 3 singles.
Chow concluded the dual match with a 6-7, 6-2, 7-6 win at No. 5 singles, and recorded 4 consecutive winners to recover from a 3-1 deficit in the final tiebreaker.
With the loss, Azusa Pacific drops to 7-8 overall, while Montana State improves to 8-6. The Cougars next host the NCAA Div. III’s No. 4-ranked Middlebury (Vt.), 4-0 overall, on Saturday, Mar. 21, at noon.
SINGLES
1. Matthijs Bolsius (APU) def. Corey Smith (MSU); 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
2. Jakub Dybala (MSU) def. Janosch Apelt (APU); 6-3, 6-2
3. Pawel Turzanski (MSU) def. Daniel Moore (APU); 6-2, 2-6, 6-1
4. Mathias Weber (APU) def. Fletcher Keyes (MSU); 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
5. Ronald Chow (APU) def. Alberto Fuentes (MSU); 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
6. David Kovas (MSU) def. Ilja Ikonnikov (APU); 6-3, 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 6, 1, 4, 3*, 5
(*=clinching match)
DOUBLES
1. Bolsius/Weber (APU) def. Dybala/Turzanski (MSU); 8-1
2. Fuentes/Smith (MSU) def. Apelt/Chow (APU); 8-3
3. Esteban Ferrero/Myles Perkins (MSU) def. Whitman Hough/Moore (APU); 8-1
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
Publication: Azusa Pacific Sports Information
Date Posted: March 19, 2009
Link: http://www.apu.edu/athletics/tennis/mens/stories/13607/
Azusa Pacific dropped a 5-4 conference match in Irvine, its first loss to Concordia since the Eagles returned to intercollegiate tennis in 2006.
IRVINE, Calif. — Throughout the past decade, the NAIA’s No. 5-ranked Azusa Pacific enjoyed unparalleled success in the Golden State Athletic Conference, notching a 58-match conference record winning streak from 2001 to 2008. The Cougars posted 4 of those victories within that span over the NAIA’s No. 6-ranked Concordia, upon the Eagles’ return to intercollegiate tennis in 2006.
Concordia took a close 5-4 decision over the Cougars Saturday afternoon, using a pair of set tiebreaker wins along the way to snag the dual match victory. The Eagles now becomes the fourth GSAC team to defeat Azusa Pacific since Fresno Pacific snapped the record winning streak on Apr. 1, 2008, followed by Vanguard last season and California Baptist earlier this year.
Freshman Janosch Apelt and Ronald Chow established Azusa Pacific with a solid start, collecting a 8-4 win at No. 2 doubles. Sophomore Daniel Moore and freshman Jack Zapala dropped a 8-3 loss at No. 3 doubles.
Junior tandem Matthijs Bolsius and Mathias Weber battled to a 8-8 tie at No. 1 doubles, before relinquishing the match with a 9-7 result in the tiebreaker. Concordia took a 2-1 dual match advantage into singles play.
Bolsius, Apelt, and Weber collected half of the singles matches for the Cougars, but the Eagles broke through for 3 victories of their own, good enough for a 5-4 dual match victory.
With the loss, Azusa Pacific drops to 6-7 overall, 5-3 in GSAC, its first sub-.500 record since a season-opening loss to UCLA in the 2005 season. Concordia improves to 9-2, 6-1 in GSAC.
SINGLES
1. Matthijs Bolsuis (APU) def. Andrey Potapkin (CUI); 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
2. Janosch Apelt (APU) def. Augusto Ellis (CUI); 0-6, 6-4, 6-3
3. Kareem Berdai (CUI) def. Daniel Moore (APU); 7-5, 6-7 (2-7), 6-2
4. Mathias Weber (APU) def. Bruno Santarelli (CUI); 6-3, 6-1
5. Oliver Fabre (CUI) def. Ronald Chow (APU); 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
6. Tom Young (CUI) def. Danny Colten (APU); 6-1, 6-1
DOUBLES
1. Fabre/Potapkin (CUI) def. Bolsius/Weber (APU); 9-8 (9-7)
2. Apelt/Chow (APU) def. Ellis/Santarelli (CUI); 8-4
3. Ryan McNamara/Young (CUI) def. Jack Zapala/Moore (APU); 8-3
Publication: Azusa Pacific Sports Information
Date Posted: March 14, 2009
Link: http://www.apu.edu/athletics/tennis/mens/stories/13610/
