Print Story | Email Story

Issued: September 30, 2007

MEN’S TENNIS TEAM COMPETES AT ITA MIDWEST REGIONAL

ST. PETER, Minn. – This weekend the UW-Eau Claire men’s tennis team tested their skills as they competed at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) and Midwest Regional Championships hosted by Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.).

The ITA championship is a golden opportunity for many of the best tennis players of the region to display their skills. Jake Znidarsich (Jr.-La Crosse, WI/Central), Kevin Fawcett (So.-Madison, WI/Verona), Brett Gressick (Sr.-De Pere, WI), and Philip Loprinzi (So.-Rochester, MN/Mayo) are the members of the Eau Claire team who competed in the singles bracket of ITA Championships this weekend. Of the four players, Loprinzi had the most success during the weekend.

Loprinzi won in the first two rounds of the tournament before losing in the third round on Friday. He defeated Chad Olson of Gustavus 6-1, 6-1 in the first round. He then went on to defeat Scott Stegemann of Coe College (Iowa) 6-2, 7-5. However, in the third round he would be over-matched by sixth seeded Colin Russell of Carleton College (Minn.).

On the doubles side of the equation in the ITA Championships, the Blugolds didn’t fare too much better. The combinations of Fawcett and Steve Lantz (So.-Rochester, MN/Century), Loprinzi and Znidarsich, and Gressick and CJ Rose (Jr.-Lakeville, MN/Apple Valley) represented the Blugolds. Two of the tandems were eliminated in the first round, while Fawcett and Lantz were defeated in the second round 8-4 by Andy Bryant and Charlie Paukert of Gustavus.

Mike Olson (Fr.-Ham Lake, MN/Blaine), Chris Thornton, (Fr.-St. Paul, MN/Cretin-Derham) and Rose all competed in the Midwest Regional Championship, and they all made it to the fourth round. Olson cruised past Eric Brandenburg of St. Olaf (Minn.) 6-4, 6-1 and Cory McCarthy of Dubuque 6-2, 6-3 in the first two rounds. He would then hit a little bit of a road block in the third round having to go to a tiebreaker to beat Eirik Thoen of Carleton 0-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-5). However, in the fourth round Olson’s luck would run out as he would lose to Alex Mory of Whitewater.

Rose was not any more fortunate after winning his first three matches. He was eliminated from title contention in the fourth round, for a second straight year, losing 6-4, 6-3 to Julian Tokarev of Carleton College (Minn.).

Thornton would be the second Blugold to be eliminated by a member of the Whitewater tennis team, as he would lose 6-4, 6-2 to Kyle Wuthrich.

One bright spot for the Blugolds in the doubles side of the tournament was the tandem of Lars Olson (Fr.-De Pere, WI) and Eric Wollum (Fr.-Eau Claire, WI/Memorial). The two youngsters combined forces on Friday and Saturday to make it to the quarter finals, where they were defeated by Mark Mateski and Jake Reitz of Luther College (Minn.). Mateski and Reitz would go on to lose in the semis.

The Blugold men’s tennis team will be back in action again next spring.

ITA Website

- TT -

Go Back