ONU Beats BW, 5-3, to Win OAC Men’s Tennis Tournament Title and NCAA Berth
Box Score | Updated Season Statistics | OAC Tournament Web site
Sam Burris
BEREA, OHIO -- The Ohio Northern University men’s tennis team defeated Baldwin Wallace University, 5-3, today (Saturday, May 8, 2010) in the championship match of the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. The victory qualified the Polar Bears for next week’s NCAA Division III National Tournament.
With its win, ONU is now 19-2 overall while BW ends its season at 19-4 overall. Despite the loss, BW has won 18 or matches in each of the past nine years, including five 20-win seasons. The combined seven-year record is an amazing 178-31 with an .852 winning percentage and includes OAC regular season and OAC Tournament titles in 2004 and 2005.
ONU gained an early 2-1 advantage after doubles play as its number one and No.2 tandems were both victorious by identical 8-3 scores. The Yellow Jackets gained their point as the No.3 duo of freshman No.4 singles player Joe Horvath (North Royalton) and fellow sophomore Ty Beaton (Bemus Point, N.Y./ Maplegrove) won by an 8-3 score.
Horvath and Beaton end the season at 19-2 overall and won nine straight doubles matches dating back to April 10. Despite their loss at No.1 doubles, senior No.3 singles player Andy Redd (Archbold) and junior No.2 player Matt Lachman (Cleveland Heights/Lakewood St. Edward) were 14-8 overall and the No.2 doubles tandem of No.1 singles player Alex Trzeciak (Avon Lake) and sophomore Taylor Long (Ashland/ Senior) finish at 17-3 overall.
In singles play, the Polar Bears won three of the five matches that were completed to secure the win. The Yellow Jacket singles winners were Horvath at No.4 and junior Sam Burris (Wooster/ Senior) at No.5. With their singles wins, Horvath is 24-1 overall, Burris is 18-5. In addition, No.6 player Bobby Irwin (Wooster/ Senior) finished the season at 16-4 overall. Despite their losses, Trzeciak finished 17-8 overall, Lachman was 14-8 overall and Redd was 14-10 overall. Horvath’s 24 wins ties him with former BW Academic All-American and 2000 OAC Player of the Year Bryan Bartunek for fifth on the single-season victory list.
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