Ohio Valley Conference

Murray State took home the titles on both the men’s and women’s sides Sunday at the 2001 OVC Tennis Championships at Centennial Sportsplex in Nashville.

On the men’s side, 4th-seeded Murray State pulled an upset for the second day in a row, knocking off 2nd-seeded Tennessee-Martin 4-2. The Racers captured the doubles point and then got singles victories from #2 Thiago Gondim (6-2, 6-4), #3 Alex Sundsten (6-4, 6-7, 6-3) and #4 Alex Hoyem (6-4, 6-7, 6-3). The OVC championship is the first for MSU since 1989, when the Racers ran off a streak of 10 straight titles. MSU top-seed Nikola Aracic was selected as the OVC men’s tennis Player of the Year for the second time, while Racers’ head coach Mel Purcell was named OVC Coach of the Year for the first time. In other men’s action, Tennessee Tech took third place with a 4-0 victory over Morehead State, Eastern Illinois finished fifth after a 4-1 triumph over Austin Peay and Eastern Kentucky placed seventh after beating Tennessee State 4-1.

On the women’s side, 3rd-seeded Murray State beat a higher seed for the second day in a row with a 4-1 win over #1 Tennessee Tech. The Lady Racers captured the doubles point and then got singles wins from #2 Erica Heshelman (6-2, 6-1), #3 Maria Alonte (0-6, 6-3, 6-3) and #4 Kerry-Lea Glass (6-4, 6-2). The OVC championship is the first for the MSU women’s team since 1987. Tennessee Tech top seed Lupita Hernandez was selected as the OVC women’s tennis Player of the Year for the second time, while Murray State head coach Connie Keasling earned Coach of the Year honors for the third time. In other women’s action, Tennessee-Martin took third place with a 4-1 win over Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois placed fifth after beating Eastern Kentucky 4-0 and Morehead State placed seventh after a win over Tennessee State 4-2.

Both MSU squads earn automatic berths to the NCAA Tennis Championships. The field will be announced on May 3.

2001 OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE MEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Centennial Sportsplex - Nashville, Tenn.

FINAL ROUND - APRIL 22

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

#4 Murray State 4, #2 Tennessee-Martin 2

Singles


#1 Tom Wride (TM) vs. Nikola Aracic (MU) - did not complete
#2 Thiago Gondim (MU) def. Peter Allnutt (TM), 6-2, 6-4
#3 Alex Sundsten (MU) def. Paulo Hexsel (TM), 6-4, 6-7, 6-3
#4 Alex Hoyem (MU) def. Danilo Castro (TM), 6-4, 6-7, 6-3
#5 DeWit Stegmann (TM) def. Zakaria Bahri (MU), 6-1, 7-5
#6 Lucas Tregansin (TM) def. Jordan Yeiser (MU), 6-1, 6-0

Doubles

#1 Aracic/Sundsten (MU) def. Wride/Castro (TM), 8-4
#2 Gondim/Hoyem (MU) def. Allnutt/Stegmann (TM), 8-6
#3 Hexsel/Jay Clark (TM) def. Bahri/Yeiser (MU), 8-1

THIRD PLACE MATCH

#1 Tennessee Tech 4, #3 Morehead State 0

Singles

#1 Gernot Fischer (TT) vs. Santiago Sahagun (MO) - did not complete
#2 Piotr Wawrzyniak (TT) vs. Benny Schmid (MO) - did not complete
#3 Luis Aguerrevere (TT) vs. Lahiru Jayasuriya (MO) - did not complete
#4 Razvan Ilie (TT) def. Greg Dawkins (MO) - 6-4, 6-3
#5 Simon Tremblay (TT) def. Aki Gido (MO) - 6-1, 6-4
#6 Jorge Ascensio (TT) vs. Alejandro Hernandez (MO) - 6-2, 6-1

Doubles

#1 Fischer/Ilie (TT) def. Schmid/Gido (MO), 8-4
#2 Wawrzyniak/Tremblay (TT) vs. Dawkins/Hernandez (MO) - did not complete
#3 Aguerrevere/Ascensio (TT) def. Richelle/Jayasuriya (MO), 8-3

FIFTH PLACE MATCH

#6 Eastern Illinois 4, #5 Austin Peay 1

Singles

#1 Blazej Tondel (EI) def. Justin Keller (AP), 6-0, 6-1
#2 Lukasz Pluta (EI) def. Marcus Rutsche (AP), 6-2, 6-2
#3 C.J. Weber (EI) def. Vincent Burki (AP), 6-2, 6-2
#4 Matthew Gregory (AP) vs. Brandon Blankenbaker (EI) - did not complete
#5 Ilyes Hassib (EI) def. Steve White (AP), 6-2, 6-3
#6 Oscar Lopez (AP) vs. Jason Braun (EI) - did not complete

Doubles

#1 Tondel/Pluta (EI) def. Peter Morsley/White (AP), 8-5
#2 Keller/Gregory (AP) def. Weber/Blankenbaker (EI), 8-6
#3 Luis Delfin/Rutsche (AP) def. Hassib/Andy Baker (EI), 8-6

SEVENTH PLACE MATCH

#7 Eastern Kentucky 4, #8 Tennessee State 1

Singles

#1 Brad Herrera (EK) vs. Johnnie Meadors (TS) - did not complete
#2 Luke Recker (EK) vs. Ramsey Covington (TS) - did not complete
#3 Alvin Cheng (EK) def. Rodney Covington (TS), 6-1, 6-0
#4 Kwadjo Glenn (TS) def. John Forrister (EK), 6-1, 6-0
#5 Lee Lester (EK) def. Carleton White (TS), 6-0, 6-1
#6 Brian Stephenson (EK) def. Ben Holman (TS), 6-1, 6-0

Doubles

#1 Herrera/Cheng (EK) def. Meadors/Ra. Covington (TS), 8-0
#2 Cheng/Lester (EK) vs. Ro. Covington/Glenn (TS) - did not complete
#3 Forrister/Stephenson (EK) def. White/Holman (TS), 8-4

2001 ALL-OVC MEN’S TENNIS TEAM

Justin Keller, Austin Peay
C.J. Weber, Eastern Illinois
Eduardo Richelle, Morehead State
Benny Schmid, Morehead State
Nikola Aracic, Murray State
Thiago Gondim, Murray State
Alex Hoyem, Murray State
Paulo Hexsel, Tennessee-Martin
Peter Allnutt, Tennessee-Martin
Tom Wride, Tennessee-Martin
Gernot Fischer, Tennessee Tech
Luis Aguerrevere, Tennessee Tech
OVC MEN’S TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Nikola Aracic, Murray State
OVC MEN’S TENNIS COACH OF THE YEAR: Mel Purcell, Murray State

2001 OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE WOMEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Centennial Sportsplex - Nashville, Tenn.

FINAL ROUND - APRIL 22

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

#3 Murray State 4, #1 Tennessee Tech 1

Singles
#1 Lupita Hernandez (TT) def. Melissa Spencer (MU), 6-1, 6-3
#2 Erica Heshelman (MU) def. Luciana Tamburini (TT), 6-2, 6-1
#3 Maria Alonte (MU) def. Karmelina Rivera (TT), 0-6, 6-3, 6-3
#4 Kerry-Lea Glass (MU) def. Anastassia Mirnova (TT), 6-4, 6-2
#5 Anita Obando (TT) vs. Cheryl Graham (MU) - did not complete
#6 Louise Holmvik (TT) vs. Annette Steen (MU) - did not complete

Doubles

#1 Spencer/Glass (MU) def. Hernandez/Rivera (TT), 8-6
#2 Mirnova/Obando (TT) vs. Heshelman/Graham (MU) - did not complete
#3 Alonte/Steen (MU) def. Carey Lay/Tamburini (TT), 8-5

THIRD PLACE MATCH

#2 Tennessee-Martin 4, #4 Austin Peay 1

Singles

#1 Martha Montano (TM) def. Judy Liwanpo (AP), 6-4, 6-3
#2 Ana Bakran (TM) vs. Jessica St. John (AP) - did not complete
#3 Karla Azuara (TM) def. Celeste Tompkins (AP), 6-2, 6-3
#4 Masumi Yamamoto (TM) vs. Zarinah Brown (AP) - did not complete
#5 Olivia Shipley (TM) def. Kim Laub (AP), 6-2, 6-1
#6 Georgina Argaez (TM) def. Veronica Carr (AP), 6-0, 6-2

Doubles

#1 Liwanpo/Tompkins (AP) def. Azuara/Yamamoto (TM), 8-5
#2 Montano/Bakran (TM) vs. Brown/Carr (AP) - did not complete
#3 Laub/St. John (AP) def. Shipley/Argaez (TM), 8-5

FIFTH PLACE MATCH

#7 Eastern Illinois 4, #5 Eastern Kentucky 0

Singles

#1 Becky Brunner (EI) def. Susan Ferguson (EK), 6-4, 6-2
#2 Tara Williams (EK) vs. Becky Carlson (EI) - did not complete
#3 April Dixon (EK) vs. Caryn Hague (EI) - did not complete
#4 Yovita Widyadharma (EI) def. Kelli Williams (EK), 6-4, 6-1
#5 Andie Hill (EK) vs. Kristi Martin (EI) - did not complete
#6 Barb Wolfe (EI) def. Rachel Long (EK), 6-3, 6-4

Doubles

#1 Brunner/Hague (EI) def. Ferguson/Dixon (EK), 8-4
#2 Carlson/Widyadharma (EI) def. T. Williams/Long (EK), 8-6
#3 K. Williams/Hill (EK) vs. Martin/Wolfe (EI) - did not complete

SEVENTH PLACE MATCH

#6 Morehead State 4, #8 Tennessee State 2

Singles

#1 Julie Ryan (MO) def. Danielle Blancada (TS), 6-1, 6-1
#2 Karla Zaldo (MO) vs. Danette Rachel (TS) - did not complete
#3 Isabelle Soucy (MO) def. Deadra Stevenson (TS), 6-0, 6-1
#4 Tendai Chingoka (MO) def. Julia Davis (TS), 6-1, 6-1
#5 Marisa Richelle (MO) def. Cayte Schissel (TS), 6-0, 6-2
#6 Roxanne Brooks (TS) win by default

Doubles

#1 Blancada/Rachel (TS) def. Soucy/Chingoka, 8-4
#2 Zaldo/Richelle (MO) def. Stevenson/Davis (TS), 8-0
#3 Schissel/Brooks (TS) win by default

2001 ALL-OVC WOMEN’S TENNIS TEAM

Barb Wolfe, Eastern Illinois
Julie Ryan, Morehead State
Kerry-Lea Glass, Murray State
Erica Heshelman, Murray State
Melissa Spencer, Murray State
Cheryl Graham, Murray State
Masumi Yamamoto, Tennessee-Martin
Martha Montano, Tennessee-Martin
Karla Azuara, Tennessee-Martin
Georgina Argaez, Tennessee-Martin
Lupita Hernandez, Tennessee Tech
Louise Holmvik, Tennessee Tech
Anastassia Mirnova, Tennessee Tech
Anita Obando, Tennessee Tech

OVC WOMEN’S TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Lupita Hernandez, Tennessee Tech
OVC WOMEN’S TENNIS COACH OF THE YEAR: Connie Keasling, Murray State