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Men's
Tennis |
Men’s Tennis Team
Heads to National Tournament after winning Region IV State Tournament
Coming off an undefeated season, the Cyclones nearly faced a
coin toss to determine who won the NJCAA Region IV State Tournament April 26,
but in the end the men’s tennis team claimed its fourth title. The win also
earned the young team a bid to the 2008 NJCAA Men’s National Tennis Tournament.
The Region IV Tournament was held April 25 and 26 at Moraine Valley’s tennis
courts amid windy conditions, forcing some matches indoors. Moraine Valley
competed against eight other colleges, including close runnerup Elgin Community
College.
After two days both Moraine Valley and Elgin teams had roughly the same number
of points earned and needed a tie-breaker to decide a clear champion, said head
coach Bill Finn. Before resorting to a coin toss to determine the winner,
officials tallied the total number of games won by each player over the two-day
tournament. Moraine Valley beat Elgin by 0.2 percentage points. Sophomore Jorden
Helstern (Oak Lawn) was the singles champion and first-year player Will Cundy (Thorton
Fractional South) earned a fourth-place finish among the field. Helstern and
sophomore Matt Tanulanond (Andrew) were doubles champs.
“It was very exciting, and we played extremely well. We have more talent and
have been really lucky. They hung tough and are a mentally tough team,” Finn
said. “I thought it’d be a three-team match between Illinois Valley, Elgin, and
us. All three of us could have won. It was a close, long two days, but our guys
did well.”
During the regular season the Cyclones were undefeated with an 11-0 overall
record and 10-0 conference record. This marks the third conference title and
fourth consecutive Region IV State title for the team. Finn earned Region IV
Coach of the Year for the fourth consecutive year as well as Illinois Skyway
Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year. Helstern (Oak Lawn) was also selected
as Conference Player of the Year.
The men’s tennis team will face a strong international field when they head to
Plano, Texas for the national championship May 11-16.
“The talent level is ridiculous there. They just dominate,” Finn said of the
upcoming tournament. “It’s a great experience, and it’s an open period for
college scouts to watch players vie against other top players in the world.”
2008 Season Preview
Cyclones have game; set to match
challenge
If the men’s tennis team is to net its fourth consecutive NJCAA Region IV title,
their “youngsters” will have to age quickly. The Cyclones return only two
players from their championship teams from a year ago.
“We have
won three straight Region IV state titles,” says Coach Bill Finn, “but we lost a
lot of great players and leadership to graduation. (Tony Giordano, Mike
Wojnarowski, Jerry Thor, and Alvin Baloun). We will be counting heavily on
returning National Semifinalist Jorden Helstern (Oak Lawn) and National
Quarterfinalist Matt Tanulanond (Andrew) to lead this very young and
inexperienced team.”
The men’s
tennis program, coached by Finn since its inception four years ago, has been a
force to be reckoned with in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference, where
the Cyclones have won or shared the past two conference titles, and in Region
IV, where it has dominated the past three years. To continue that domination,
the team will have to rely on newcomers. “Our top two freshman recruits are Will
Cundy (Thornton Fractional South) and Erick Dobrzynski (Argo), and I expect them
to be very competitive in the middle of the lineup,” said Finn, who serves as
the college’s Athletics director. “The fate of this team, however, may lie in
the three unknowns—our walk-ons Dan Hicks (Richards), Damian Hahn (Reavis) and Bill Drzewiecki (Stagg).”
Finn, who
has received Region IV coach of the year honors the past three seasons, is
optimistic that his young team may very well come of age at the right time.
“This team is very dedicated and a lot of fun to be around. If we can get are
eyes on the prize and be more intense during matches, we’ll have a chance to
place again in the Region Finals,” he said.
Circle April 25-26—Region IV tournament—as the weekend to see whether the
Cyclones are set to match the past three seasons. |
