Trinity Men's Tennis

Fall Season Recap

2011-11-06T13:47:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Trinity Men's Tennis Blog. This is long overdue, but just wanted to bring everyone up to speed on where the Men's program is headed.

First off, I'm happy to report that I was able to maintain my assistant coach and brother, Jacob McMindes. He is now part of the full-time family here at Trinity and we couldn't be happier. We undertook the endeavor of becoming the coaching staff for both men and women's programs and its been a fantastic journey so far.

There were quite a few changes taking place this fall and we'll start with the roster. We graduated 3 valuable seniors last year in Bobby Cocanougher, Cory Kowal, and Donnie Murray. They will definitely be missed but we welcome our largest incoming class of recruits made up of 8 players from all over. We have Aaron Skinner (Columbia, MO), Charlie Curtis (St. Louis, MO), Greg Marifian (Belleville, IL), Jordan Mayer (San Antonio, TX), Eric Schluter (San Antonio, TX), Brandon Thompson (Freeport, ME), Pablo Diaz Boom (Cancun, Mexico), and Thomas Knight (Vancouver, Canada). Not only was this the largest class, but arguably our best from a talent standpoint as well. More on that later.

The fall season is always a bit of a whirlwind as its only 6 weeks. We only have 2 events during that time, the first being our annual Quad tournament. We played this year at UIW on account of our facility renovation being in progress (more on that later). The teams present were UIW, St. Mary's and us (I know that only makes a trio, but the Quad is the name of the tourney). We had very encouraging results throughout this event and you could see the guys came into this season ready to play. We were particularly impressed with the performances of the new class. We were excited to see how these results would translate into the regional tournament.

USTA/ITA Southwest Regional Championships

The main event of the fall was the USTA/ITA Southwest Regional Championships hosted by us here in San Antonio. The winner of this event becomes an All-American and qualifies for the National Small College Championships. The objective was to use this tournament to make a statement. The guys didn't disappoint! As with the women, we swept everything! We had 10 guys make the round of 16 in singles, 7 made it to the quarters (thats the most that could have), and then an all-Trinity semifinals and beyond with Max Frey, Erick DelaFuente, Greg Haugen, and Aaron Skinner all advancing to the semis. Max went on to beat Greg in the final to claim his second regional title of his career. He had made the finals all 4 years. Quite an accomplishment!

In doubles, the guys showed more of the same. We had all 6 of our doubles teams advance to the quarterfinals. From there we ended up with another all-Trinity semifinals and beyond with Max pairing with Erick, Greg pairing with Aaron, Ben Carroll pairing with Jordan Mayer, and Charlie Curtis pairing with Brandon Thompson. Max and Erick went to claim the title over Greg and Aaron to secure their spot at Nationals.

And as I said, we swept the event with first-year Pablo Diaz Boom winning the B draw singles and Pablo paired with Eric Schluter to win the B draw doubles.

This was a great effort from the entire team. We were very impressed to see how "ready" our first-year proved to be. This showed our depth and how exciting the spring season could be. And the best part is to see their hunger to improve during the off-season. They really exude the character of our team.

Jake and I pictured with the winners from both men's and women's events

USTA/ITA National Small College Championships

With these results, Max and Erick moved on to Mobile, Alabama for the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships. This is really a unique and special event. At one site, they host the national championships for NCAA Division 2 and Division 3, NAIA, and JuCo. Each championship is made up of the 8 regional winners. The winner of each "divisional" championship then goes into a combined tournament known as the "Super Bowl". The winner of this then receives a wild-card entry into the NCAA Division 1 National Indoor Championships in Flushing Meadows. There's no other tournament like it.

What really adds to the drama is our region actually has to play a feed-in match against the winner of the northwest region to qualify for the final 8. We started with singles. Max was up against Andrew La Cava from Whitman College. Unfortunately, he ran into a red-hot La Cava and came up a bit short. The toughest part was to put the loss behind him to get ready for the doubles.

Just an hour later, Max was back on the court with partner Erick to the play the feed-in match against Whitman College yet again. This time against Conor Holton-Burke and Matt Tesmond. Our guys came out very strong and clinched the win in straight sets, securing their spot in the final 8.

With the win, they guaranteed themselves the 3 seed as well as 3 more matches. The journey began with a team from Christopher-Newport, King and Shulman. This proved to be a wild match as we split the first 2 sets and found ourselves in a super-tiebreaker to determine the match. Both teams went back and forth and never separated by more than 2 points. Both teams fought off multiple match points but ultimately, we came up on the wrong side with a 14-16 loss in the decider. Their next match was against DePauw's Miles and Kopecky. Our guys put the last match behind them and played very strong to take a straight sets victory to give them a chance to play for 5th place. This match would be against the Guzick brothers from Vassar. Max and Erick showed their poise and played very efficiently to take another straight sets victory and clinch a 5th place finish.

While we always hope to come away with titles, we were still encouraged by these results. Both guys would agree they didn't play their best and they still had a chance to play for it all. I still believe our guys are among the very best in the country. But these results help provide motivation to improve during the off-season. They are extremely hungry for the team spring season. We couldn't be more excited!

Upgraded Tennis Facilities

One last exciting change this semester was the complete renovation of our tennis facilities. We are fortunate to have 16 courts on campus comprised of 3 separate banks of courts. Our 2 two main banks were overhauled. The first was the bank of 4 previously known as Varsity Stadium. This stadium was the original stadium from the Division 1 days. They house countless memories such as handing John McEnroe his only collegiate loss. There was a lot of history here and it was important to restore them to their previous glory. The renovation included restoring the office, new fencing, new surface, new nets and net posts, new windscreens, new seats with a much nicer covering, and a first-rate electronic scoreboard. Pictures of the new Al G. Hill, Jr Stadium can be found here.

The more extensive project was renovating the previous Delavan Stadium. This was our bank of 8 courts where most of our Division 3 matches have been played. This was converted into a first-class facility. The layout has been adjusted to have the 8 courts separated into groups of 2, all new surfacing, new nets and net posts, new fencing, new windscreens, new stadium seating with incredible covering, professional grade lighting of all 8 courts, a new storage shed, and an incredible electronic scoreboard donning the name of the new facility: Butch Newman Tennis Stadium. This is a fitting tribute to our director of tennis. Quite an honor and we're thrilled to be able to call these facilities home. They wouldn't have been made possible without tremendous donor and alumni support as well as the support of our administration. Can't thank everyone involved enough for this upgrade. It shows they are committed to making sure Trinity remains an elite institution at all levels. Pictures of the new Butch Newman Stadium can be found here.

Well that should bring you up to speed. We're now in the off-season, which serves as a great time for the players to focus on their academics and making any improvements in their fitness and game. Its an exciting time to be part of Trinity Tennis and I hope you stay tuned for the spring season. Check back soon!

- Coach McMindes

USTA/ITA National Small College Championships - Day 4

2010-10-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

New day, but still high off the victory yesterday. Hope to build on that momentum today.

As always, first up, singles. Bobby played Andrew Guzick of Vassar. We knew this would be another tough match as Guzick doesn't give many free points. The first set looked bleak as Guzick got out to a lead, but Bobby showed resolve and fought back but came up just a bit short, losing 7-5. In the second set, Bobby stormed out and seemed to take the fight and the legs out of Guzick with a 6-0 set victory. Third sets are usually about determination and execution. Bobby battled, but Guzick proved a bit too resilient and squeaked out a 6-3 final set to seal the victory. It was a tough loss, but you have to take away the positive. The format of playing every match out can trap you into forgetting that although you may accumulate more losses than you're prepared for, you're still competing and positioning with the top 8 players in the country. Not a bad place to be and very proud of Bobby's accomplishments!

Had a little more time to regroup today to prepare for the doubles. Great opportunity to go against the best in D2 for a place in the Super Bowl final. The team was from Armstrong Atlantic. It was a challenging match in that the Armstrong Atlantic players were very boisterous with everything they did. This can create anxiety and frenzy that doesn't really depict what is actually happening during points or within the match. Our guys got out to a bit of a nervous start and dropped the first 3 games. But then they settled in and stayed even but couldn't quite dig out of the opening hole as they lost the opening set 6-3. Trying to build on the positive and getting past the nerves, they had great looks in the second set but couldn't quite capitalize as the Armstrong players came up big when they needed it. They rode that out to another 6-3 set to secure the victory.

It marked the end of a long, but very successful week. There were so many positives to take from the tournament. Obviously, Bobby and Cory had become National Champions and secured their place at the top of Division 3 and they deserve huge amounts of kudos for their accomplishments. Bobby had established that he will be a force in our singles lineup this year. But the greatest was the momentum this gives our team headed into the offseason preparing for the spring. We have a great group of guys who are hungry to reach their potential and have success as a TEAM! I just wish we could get started this week. Instead its that annual trip to the offseason. Can't wait for the spring and lets go Tigers!!!

-Coach McMindes

USTA/ITA National Small College Championships - Day 3

2010-10-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

Big day today. Have an opportunity to win our first national title of any kind since 2003.

But first up is another singles match for Bobby. Its another stiff challenge as he plays the #2 seed, Sam Sweeney from North Central. Sam is a very complete player and never allowed Bobby to find his groove. Bobby fought hard but came up short in a 6-2, 6-1 loss.

As with the day before, have to have a short-term memory and regroup for a huge doubles match. In the finals, playing against an always very tough Emory team. Our guys were pumped but very focused. Then they went to work. I have to say, it was one of the cleanest, start to finish, matches they've played. There were no free points from our side and we were able to make Emory work for everything. The first set was very clean and won after a second break of serve. Had to stay focused and disciplined in the second set as we knew Emory would make a push. Our guys were up to the task and won the second set with another couple of breaks to go on to a 6-2, 6-2 victory. Plenty of joy and excitement as they triumphed to bring home the National Title and cement themselves as the #1 doubles team in the country! As a bonus, this qualified them to participate in the Super Bowl.

The unique nature of the Small College Championships is that it hosts the D2, D3, NAIA, and JuCo championships. The winner of each division advances to the Super Bowl. The winner of the Super Bowl receives a wildcard into the Division 1 National Indoor Tournament at Flushing Meadows. Very cool opportunity.

We're excited for Bobby and Cory and excited for Trinity Tennis. We look forward to see how they fare against the top of D2 doubles tomorrow in the Super Bowl! Stay tuned.

-Coach McMindes

USTA/ITA National Small College Championships - Day 2

2010-10-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

Now its time for the main event. Lots of action for Bobby today as he was slated to play one singles match and two doubles matches.

Singles first. He had to play the #3 seed Eric Shulman from Christopher Newport University. The match started off tight, but ultimately, Eric showed why he was the 3 seed and was too good today, winning 6-3, 6-0.

There wasn't time to dwell on that result as doubles was up in just a few hours. First up was a team from UW-Whitewater. This posed an interesting scenario in that one of the players was actually Cory's cousin. It never posed a problem as Bobby and Cory were all-business and took care of the match with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 victory. The Whitewater team showed promise, but our guys were too solid.

In their second match of the day, against Illinois-Wesleyan, things weren't quite as straight-forward. As is the case when facing a higher seed, the Wesleyan team came out with nothing to lose and played extremely well. We hadn't quite found our groove yet and were suddenly down a break and then ultimately the first set. So again, they had their backs against the wall and needed to get things going in a hurry. Could they turn the tide yet again? The second set didn't start off looking that way. They found themselves down an early break again. But they kept it together and continued to battle. They got the break back midway through the set and then grabbed another one to close out the second set. On to another match tiebreaker for the third. Just as they had before, they jumped out to a big lead and closed with a 10-4 victory to seal their place in the final.

Once again high drama but our guys keep coming up clutch in the big moments. One more to go!!! Stay tuned.

-Coach McMindes

USTA/ITA National Small College Championships - Day 1

2010-10-19T14:45:00.000-07:00

Made it safely to Mobile, Alabama for the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships and excited to get underway.

Being in the Southwest Region, we unfortunately have to play a feed-in match against the winner of the Northwest Regional. We're the only split region so this creates a lot of anxiety going into the tournament knowing you have to win one match to actually get into the final 8 draw. You lose, you go home!

We ended up facing a familiar opponent, Whitman College. They have a very good program and seem to produce their regional winner year after year. Always a tough match.

Bobby was up first in singles. His opponent, Andrew La Cava, was very skilled and played a variety of styles. Bobby won a solid first set 6-3. He was up a break in the second and looked to be headed toward the finish line, but La Cava showed his fight and came back to win the second set 6-4. On to a deciding third set to determine who made it to the final 8. Breaks were exchanged throughout the set, but Bobby was able to come up with one extra to close out the match with a competitive 7-5 third set. He showed his senior composure and came up big when he needed it, securing his spot in the final 8!

After sufficient rest and lunch, doubles was up next. Bobby and Cory faced a Whitman team which included La Cava again and his partner Conor Holton-Burke. The first set felt like our team dominated throughout, yet we couldn't quite get a break of serve. This resulted in losing a tight first set in a tiebreaker. With the pressure mounting, we needed to win the second set to stay alive. Things didn't start out promising as we got down an early break. But again, showing tremendous guts and the experience of being seniors, they got the break back at the last possible chance with Whitman serving at 5-4. They took this momentum with them into a second set tiebreaker. This is when the drama and tension escalated. We were down an early mini-break and clinging to hopes of staying alive. Bobby and Cory proved to be too tough by getting the mini-break back while saving a couple match points. One match point in particular was a "hold your breath" moment. Serving for the match, Whitman poached off Cory's return and tried to hit a cut-back volley. It hit the tape and rolled along for what seemed like an eternity and then fell back on their side. Momentum shifted! Our boys sealed the tiebreaker 9-7 to force a deciding match tiebreaker for the third set. With the energy and momentum, we got out to an early and decisive lead and held on to close it with a 10-6 victory in the third.

Huge sigh of relief and then excitement for the next step. With their success last year, Bobby and Cory came in as the #1 team in the country. This gave them the honor of now being the #1 seed in the National Championships.

It was an exciting day and can't wait to see how the next few days unfold! Stay tuned.

-Coach McMindes

USTA/ITA Southwest Regional Recap

2010-10-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay, but just wanted to bring you up to speed on our results at the USTA/ITA Southwest Regional Championships held at Trinity.

First off, we kicked the event off right by having one of our very own, first year Greg Haugen, do an outstanding job singing the National Anthem (See video below). Made us all very proud!

Now, back to the real deal. We'll start with singles. We had 14 players in the tournament, 10 in the A draw including the top 4 seeds, and 4 in the B. Everyone won their first round. So in the A draw, we had 10 of the remaining 32. We lost 2 in the second round to seeded players leaving us with 8 of the final 16. All of our players were in separate sections, so we weren't playing each other yet. Saturday morning when those matches were played, it was really awesome to look out at our 8 courts and see a player from Trinity on each of them, matched up against other schools. Very cool. This round produced some fantastic matches. The most dramatic match was a gutsy win by junior Ben Carroll against the 6 seed from McMurry. He won 7-5 in the third as body cramps started to set in. His teammates helped provide the energy he needed to push through the end. Great result. We did lose 2 players in tough matches to top seeds, which left us with 6 of the last 8 players remaining. At this point we had to start playing each other, but we managed to get the final 4 players of the tournament as all Trinity players. At this point we were guaranteed a national qualifier, which was very exciting. In the semis we had junior Max Frey against senior Cory Kowal and first year Greg Haugen against senior Bobby Cocanougher. The higher seeds prevailed, although the matches were highly competitive. Max and Bobby played a high level final in which Bobby came out victorious in 3 tight sets. This would be his first time as a Singles All-American.

In the B draw we also had an all-Trinity final, in which first year Rohit Goswamy defeated sophomore Trevor Sipos in a third set super tiebreaker.

Now to doubles. In the A draw we had 5 teams, and the top 2 seeds. After the first round, we still had all 5 teams remaining, leaving us with 5 of the 16 teams. We lost one team in a super tiebreaker, giving us 4 of the last 8. A pleasant surprise upstart team was first years Greg Haugen and Brendan Gibbons. It was unfortunate they had to play their teammates in the third round. The higher ranked team came out victorious leaving us with all 3 of our top 3 teams remaining in the semis. Our 2 team played our 3 team in a very good match with the higher ranked team again coming out on top in a tight one. On the other side, our 1 team made it through to the finals setting up an all-Trinity final. This match featured our #1 team of Bobby Cocanougher and Cory Kowal against sophomore Erick DelaFuente and Max Frey. This marked the fourth consecutive year Bobby and Cory had advanced to the finals, winning 2 of their previous trips. With Max still suffering from the effects of his singles match earlier, they started a bit slow but this turned into a high quality match in a hurry. Bobby and Cory took the opening set but Max and Erick battled back to take the second. This brought us to a deciding super buster for the title. Max and Erick took the early lead, but Bobby and Cory fought their way back and even saved match points. They were then able to seal it with an 11-9 victory in the tiebreaker. Fantastic match. This provided Bobby and Cory with their 3rd regional title in 4 years and another trip to the National Small College Championships. Tremendous effort.

We completed the Trinity sweep of all events with a victory in the B draw doubles by first years Julio Benavides and Rohit Goswamy.

With the sweep, we left the regional feeling very confident in the direction of the program. There were some encouraging results from all of our first years and our returners. Despite the success, it was apparent the other teams at the tournament were improving as well and they will pose some dangerous competition in the spring. It will be critical for us to continue to stay hungry and improve so we can fulfill our potential. Right now though, we'll enjoy these victories and get ready for the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships in Mobile, Alabama! Check back for updates.

-Coach McMindes

Welcome Back!

2010-09-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

The fall season is underway and the excitement is building! Its a great time to be part of Tiger Tennis!

We made some great additions to our program this year. A huge lift we received was being able to bring back my assistant coach, (and, more importantly, brother) Jake! He was an invaluable asset to the success of our team last year and I couldn't be happier to have him along my side for the year to come.

We also added 5 new players. Greg Haugen from Austin, Texas, Julio Benavides from El Paso, Texas, Brendan Gibbons from Portland, Oregon, Arvind Fernando from Sri Lanka, and Rohit Goswamy from Saudi Arabia. Rohit actually made the team through our walk-on tournament and shows a lot of promise.

With the addition of the new talent joining the entire returning lineup from last season, we are excited by the prospects of the upcoming season!

We were able to get a brief glimpse during our annual Quad tournament hosted at Trinity. Unfortunately the doubles was completely rained out and none of the singles finals were completed due to rain. But at the time of suspension of play, we did have finalists in 4 of the 5 flights of singles.

This weekend we host the USTA/ITA Southwest Regional Championships. There will be a lot of stiff competition, so this will be a great barometer to see where we are. They've put in the work and now they finally get to go out and compete. Jake and I are fired up and we know the guys will be too. Follow the results online and look back here after the weekend for a recap. Go Tigers!

- Coach McMindes

Season Recap - From a Coach's Perspective

2010-07-06T22:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry this post is long overdue, but its been a busy summer already. I just wanted to post a follow-up to Cory's post. I couldn't agree more with his assessment. It was a fantastic year and I couldn't have been prouder of our team. Watching the guys grow and develop in less than a semester was truly remarkable. Winning conference again, winning regionals to extend our streak to 14, and making a strong showing at the national tournament. They were rewarded with a final ranking of #10 in the country (and a clean-shaven coach); a great finish! I don't want to repeat everything Cory mentioned, but there are a few things that need to be added.

First, as our only traveling freshman, Erick DelaFuente made a huge impact on our team this year. Playing 3 singles and 2 doubles, he rose to nearly every occasion he was presented with. The great thing is the way he carries himself and is constantly looking to improve. This was rewarded by being recognized as the West region Rookie of the Year. I can't wait to see what's in store for him the remainder of his college career. We're very fortunate to have him.

Next, even though our team season came to an end with that loss to CMS, we still had players who qualified for the NCAA National Individual tournament. Sophomore, Max Frey, in singles and Juniors, Cory Kowal and Bobby Cocanougher, in doubles. These were the same participants we had competing last year as well. Unfortunately, Max had the same misfortune of drawing the #1 seed first round for the second consecutive year. I was disappointed for him because this result didn't accurately depict what a great year he had and how much he had improved. I believe he has established himself as one of the best #1 players in the country and a force for his remaining 2 years.

Our doubles team was a different story. Since their freshman year, Cory and Bobby have become a dynamic team, winning the fall ITA regional right off the bat. We knew we had something special. As sophomores, they were a dominant #1 doubles team and made it to the semi-finals of the NCAA National Individual tournament. As juniors, they still held the reigns as our #1 doubles team. Unfortunately, our doubles was so strong as a whole, they didn't always get the respect they deserved. They showed why they're truly one of the best doubles teams in the country with their performance at Nationals. This time they made it to the finals, beating the #1 seed along the way. The finals was an incredible match that really came down to Santa Cruz being just a bit better that day. But, with this result Bobby and Cory confirmed their place among the elite teams in the country. With their senior season on the horizon, I look for their trend of being one match better to continue!

The final thing really made me prouder than any other accomplishment we achieved this year. Our men's team was recognized by the ITA with the ITA National Team Sportsmanship Award for the month of May. This award spans all divisions of ITA (D1, D2, D3, NAIA, and JuCo). This is a tremendous honor that speaks volumes for the character of our team. To be selected in May, when only the elite teams are still competing, is really incredible. I couldn't be more proud!

I share in the team's excitement at what next year has in store. We return all travelers and have made some great additions. Although the summer is a great time to recharge, I can't wait for the fall season to arrive.

Team Season Comes To An End

2010-06-07T22:29:00.000-07:00

After an extremely succesful spring, the 2010 Trinity Tennis campaign has finally come to an end with a 5-2 loss in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps colleges. Playing a team who had stomped us 9-0 earlier in the year, we knew we would have our hands full, but we also knew that we were a completely different team from that previous match, and it showed immediately. After splitting the top two doubles spots, things were looking pretty sour when our #3 team of Murray and Carroll went down 5-1 in their match tiebreaker. I can honestly say that what followed was the six most incredible doubles points I've ever seen as those guys hit a ridiculous variety of clutch volleys, overheads, and outright winner returns to storm back and take the breaker and give us a 2-1 lead going into singles. We tried to carry that momentum into every singles, but CMS proved why they were the third seeds and took #2, #5, and #6 singles in straights sets, giving them a 4-2 lead. Our freshman De la Fuente lost a tough three setter to a senior at line 3 and play was halted with Max on the brink of victory at #1 and me up a break in the third - If the match played out it could very easily have been 5-4, just proving how close we were to the final four. It was a tough way to end the year but I can't say enough about every single one of the guys really doing an incredible job over the entire season and especially our 14 match win streak.

We were left with a bitter taste in our mouths, as we stuck around to see CMS finish 3rd in the tournament, but we also left with a ton to look forward to for next season: we return every travelling team member, we have a great incoming class who will be looking to contribute, and we get to see what Russ actually looks like now that he is clean shaven again (when the win streak goes, so does the beard). Thanks to all for following and we will see you again when things kick off in the fall!

Cory

Oberlin Bound!

2010-05-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

The #13 Trinity Men’s team had another successful weekend, winning the Whitewater, WI region of the NCAA championships and advancing to the Elite Eight in Oberlin, Ohio! We proved we weren’t quite ready for summer by taking out Carleton 5-0 in the round of 32, and then upsetting #9 Kenyon, 5-2, in the Sweet 16 to advance to our first Elite Eight since 2007. After a few weeks with no matches following our reclaiming of the SCAC title, we were tested in doubles by a tough Carleton team in the round of 32, escaping with 9-8 victories at line 1 and 2. We picked up play in singles, picking up two quick victories from Bobby Cocanougher and myself to seal the win.

We knew the Kenyon match would be extremely competitive despite the fact that we were the underdogs on paper, and we were determined to come away with the victory. Solid doubles play at the bottom two spots gave us a 2-1 lead going into singles, and freshman Erick de la Fuente picked up a quick third point at #3 singles to give us a 3-1 lead. Kenyon fired right back, as former NCAA champion Mike Greenberg took out Max Frey at #1. Ben Carroll (subbing for the injured Andrew Hoing), had a great win at #6, and with #2 Bobby Cocanougher and #5 Don Murray still battling, I was able to pull out a 6-1, 7-6 win to clinch the dual. One of the most exciting moments of the season, it only further motivated us to keep the season and 14-match winning streak (and Russ’s beard) alive – even on the trip back, we are already looking forward to our rematch with Claremont in the national quarterfinals.

At this point, I think I should acknowledge something that has been overlooked on this blog so far this year – we have talked a lot about match and on-court results but up to now haven’t addressed our coaching staff. Russ and Jake have done a truly spectacular job this year, and deserve every bit as much credit as the guys who are on court. Every coach can get their team pumped for a conference or regional championship, but few can motivate their guys to go 120% on a Tuesday afternoon fitness session in March like Russ and Jake can – my point being that it’s the little things, coupled with their level of dedication, that make these guys without a doubt one of the best coaching staffs in the nation. The entire Trinity men’s team definitely owes them our thanks for an outstanding season that still hasn’t ended. Follow us as we take on Claremont next Tuesday, May 26^th in Oberlin, Ohio. Thanks for reading and go Tigers!

Cory

2010-04-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

SCAC CHAMPIONS!

The TU Men’s tennis team has finally brought back home the SCAC championship! After three years of losses to Depauw, and one INCREDIBLY hard fought win on Sunday, we earned the right to bring home the trophy for the first time in my playing career. After quick 5-0 wins against Colorado College and Oglethorpe on Friday and Saturday, we knew that doubles would be our greatest strength against Depauw early Sunday morning. We came out with an unbelievable performance, starting with the #3 guys, Don Murray and Ben Carroll, who played what I thought was their best match of the year in an 8-1 win that gave us a 1-0 lead. Our #2 guys, Max Frey and Erick Delafuente, did what they have done all year long and gave us a 2-0 lead with an 8-4 win. Bobby and myself had somewhat of a battle at #1, breaking the first game and then getting 7 straight holds for an 8-6 win to complete the sweep.

Coming out of the doubles, we knew that Depauw would be crushed after going down 3-0 to their biggest rival, so we wanted to jump on them as quickly as possible in singles. We did just that, with Max, Erick, and myself taking first sets at 1,3 and 4. After I got up a break and had a chance to serve for the match and the 4^th team point, it looked like we would cruise to a routine victory. But Depauw did what they always do, and found a way to grind, fight, and make shots; they started to push their way back into the match. Mine and Erick’s opponents fought back to win second sets, and meanwhile, Depauw got wins at #2, #5, and #6 singles to even the match at three. So after having a chance to put the match almost out of reach thirty minutes before, we were now locked at three matches apiece with third sets at lines 3 and 4 – amazing how quickly the momentum can shift. Depauw did everything to capitalize on this, as their bench players and those who were finished really got into the remaining matches, trying to help their players get through. Thankfully, I got up a break in the third, and as I was serving at 4-3, Max won his match to give the team a 4-3 lead. I managed to fight through nerves and get a hold and a break to win the match, and clinch the duel to bring us back the conference championship – a truly incredibly experience that I will never forget. I have to give a ton of credit to Depauw for an amazing fight – but then again, that’s something to expect year in and year out from both teams as this rivalry continues to be one of the biggest in Division III.

The best part about the victory is that with the win we qualified for the NCAA Tournament, the first rounds of which will be played May 14-16. We don’t know where we are headed or who we play yet – the announcement comes next Tuesday, May 10. Until then, thanks for your support and let’s go Trinity Tennis!

-Cory

P.S. – If you read this blog, add yourself as a follower on the right side of the screen! The women’s team has more followers than we do and my competitive side says that I should probably try to do something about that. Thanks.

Tiger Men Extend Streak

2010-04-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

The TU men had another successful weekend, extended our winning streak to 9 matches with 8-1 and 7-2 victories over DIII McMurry and DII St. Mary’s, respectively. After sweeping the doubles against McMurry, they showed some fight in singles, forcing three super tiebreaker third sets after the match had been decided – we were glad to get the win but also anxious to improve on our performance. As a whole, the guys were sharper Saturday morning against St. Mary’s, taking #1 and #2 doubles and the bottom five singles spots against talented competition. We were glad to keep the winning streak (and Russ’s beard) alive, and are excited to avenge an earlier loss to Incarnate Word with a regular season rematch this coming Saturday, and conference only two weeks away.

Cory

Season Update

2010-04-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

After realizing that our only blog entry was Russ’s “Welcome to TU Tennis” entry, the team felt that we should give our loyal followers some sort of update/midseason report. We are all currently in a 15 passenger van en route from Tyler, TX back to San Antonio following a solid performance at a four team round robin hosted by UT-Tyler. We came started out Friday with a great 9-0 win against Tyler followed by an 8-1 beating of Luther in the afternoon. The team finished things off with a 6-3 win over an underrated Rhodes team, a match that ended up being a great challenge and a good finish to the weekend. Some highlights from the weekend the team felt I should mention:

· 8 for 9 in doubles matches on the weekend, including 8-0 victories at lines 1 and 2 against Rhodes

· Bobby Cocanougher (Jr.), Max Frey (So.), and Andrew Hoing (Jr.) going undefeated on the weekend

· Max pulling out 3 setters against Tyler and Rhodes, with the Rhodes win being especially important and clinching a 5-3 victory

· One of the most heated arguments in Trinity history in which Don Murray(Jr.) refused to concede his argument that he could hold serve against Roger Federer, if Donnie got a partner and Federer only had the singles court.

As a whole, the team felt like this trip was a perfect start to the three week build up to our conference tournament, where we look to take back the conference crown from Depauw for the first time since 2006. Other results of note on the season (could be going back a ways here since we were slow to update this thing):

1. Trinity 7, Bowdoin 2: We finished off our California trip on a positive note with a drubbing of a very good Bowdoin team. After taking 2 of the 3 doubles, we got wins from Max and Bobby at #1 and #2 before I clinched with a 6-4 in the third win at #4. We finished with wins from Erick at #3 and Donnie at #5 to complete the 7-2 win. Coaches included, we felt that a win here was much needed after a rocky start to the trip, which included losses to Cal Lutheran, Carnegie Mellon, Claremont, and Redlands. In retrospect, we played four really, really tough teams on their home courts (with the exception of CMU, a 5-4 loss), and ultimately decided that those losses were good for us –playing against the highest level of D3 competition has no doubt bettered our training, preparation, and match play preparations. Stuff that I think for sure paid off against Rhodes this morning.

2. Great D2 wins against Midwestern State and St. Edward’s, 5-4 in each – two scholarship teams that we pulled off great confidence booster wins against. Against Midwestern, we swept the doubles and then got good wins from Max and Bobby at 1 and 2 to clinch the win against a deeper team. Against St. Ed’s, we took 1(Bobby and I) and 2(Max and Erick de la Fuente(Fr.)) doubles , and 4 and 6 singles before Max clinched a 5-3 win with a huge win at #1 singles.

I think the team agrees that we are ready to get back to the practice courts this week, because while we played good tennis this weekend, we aren’t peaking yet. We’ve said all year long that our goal was to take back the conference, and being only three weeks away should up the practice and match intensity every day until the weekend of April 24. Hopefully we can be a little better with the blog updates from here on out; I’ll do my best to let everyone know how things go for the rest of the season. Thanks for following!

Cory Kowal, Junior

Welcome to Trinity University Men's Tennis Blog!

2009-12-08T09:00:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the Trinity University Men’s Tennis blog! We have just concluded our Fall Season and are encouraged with the results. The season kicked off with our returning players joined by the addition of 3 freshmen: Erick DelaFuente from El Paso, Texas, Ben Jasny from McKinney, Texas, and Trevor Sipos from Alamo, California. The Fall Season went by in a blur and concluded with Erick DelaFuente qualifying for the ITA National Small College Championships in Mobile, Alabama. This earned him All-American honors and he became the second freshman in as many years to qualify for the event. The result came bittersweet as he won the ITA Regional Championships with a walk-over given by his injured teammate and defending champ, sophomore, Max Frey. Trinity also represented all 4 of the semi-finalists in the regional singles draw. In doubles, 2-time defending ITA Regional Champs, juniors, Bobby Cocanougher and Cory Kowal, lost in the Regional finals. All this brings excitement for the Spring Season to come around. The guys are hard at work during the off-season striving to improve themselves and our team. I look forward to great things from this group of guys and what the future holds! Thanks for visiting and check back for updates.

-Coach McMindes