Tech tennis teams bid for OVC titles this weekend in Paducah
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- – First-year Tennessee Tech tennis
coach Dan Silverstein has high hopes for his women’s and
men’s squads this weekend when the Golden Eagles travel to
Paducah, Ky., to compete in the 2009 Ohio Valley Conference
Championships.
An automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament goes to the winner of
each tournament, which will take place Friday through Sunday at the
Larry Heflin Tennis Center on the banks of the Ohio River.
The Tech women (7-9/6-3 OVC) finished the year tied for third in
the OVC and are the fifth seed. They will open play Friday at 10
a.m. against fourth-seeded Jacksonville State, with the winner
meeting No. 1 Eastern Kentucky Saturday at 10 a.m. The
women’s championship is scheduled for Sunday at 10 a.m.
The Golden Eagle men (11-7/6-2 OVC), meanwhile, have earned the No.
3 seed in the six-team gathering, and will open play Friday at 2
p.m. against No. 6 Eastern Illinois. The winner faced No. 2
Jacksonville State Saturday at 2 p.m., with the men’s
championship scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m.
A look at the women’s team:
“This has been a great season for our women’s team, and
I applaud the girls for finishing third after barely making the
tournament last year,” Silverstein said. “Considering
the injuries we’ve had, this is a great
accomplishment.”
“Jacksonville State will be a tough opening round opponent,
but we feel like we match up pretty well,” he said.
“The bottom line is that we have to go out there and compete,
and I believe we have a chance. We need to have some girls step up
and play at the top of their ability.
“The six ladies we have going to the conference tournament
will represent Tennessee Tech with great pride and great
effort,” he said. “We feel like we can compete well.
They have shown commitment to our program, and the future looks
like bright because of them.
Tech is led by sophomore Kelly Holtzhausen, who has posted a 14-1
dual match record this spring.
“Kelly has had just a tremendous season,” Silverstein
said. “Certainly she is a Playaer of the Year candidate. From
the first week of practice, I knew Kelly was special and she could
be one of the top players in the OVC. We feel she can be a Top 100
player in the country. With the recruits we have coming in along
with our returnees, she can lead us to a chance to win two OVC
championships in the next two years.”
Two sophomores in the Tech lineup, Katie Barnhill at No. 2 and
Diana Woodcock at No. 6, have battled injuries all year.
“We’ve been playing with two injured players all
year,” Silverstein said. “Katie has been battling a
knee and foot injury the past two months, playing through pain, and
I really appreciate her efforts. She will help lead this team over
the next two years.
“Diana is back in the lineup after working though a leg
injury. She is ready to go for the conference tournament, and she
will help us with our depth,” he said.
Also in the Tech lineup in Paducah will be senior Evgenia Yartzeva,
and freshmen Laura Porras and Joanna Corkern.
A look at the men’s team:
The Tech men’s squad hopes to make its fourth appearance in
the NCAA Tournament in seven years.
“Our goal was to win the regular season and be the No. 1
seed,” Silverstein said. “We were just a few points
away from achieving that, and every player on the team feels we
have a good chance to win the conference tournament this
weekend.
“Dean O’Brien and Justin Kirstein have led us all along
with undefeated conference seasons, and they’ll lead us into
Paducah,” Silverstein said.
Tech opens the event facing an Eastern Illinois team that the
Golden Eagles defeated 7-0 in Cookeville on April 5.
“We played very well against them at home, but we know it
will be a much tougher match at the OVC tournament,” he said.
“Right now, that’s our only goal. We’re focusing
on beating EIU so we can advance. That’s all we’ll
focus on. We told our guys that to win the OVC and go to the NCAA,
we need to focus on one point at a time.”
O’Brien, who is ranked 110th nationally, went 8-0 in
conference play and 17-1 in dual matches this spring.
“ Dean has had a sensational year and we think he is a really
strong candidate for Player of the Year,” Silverstein said.
“He only lost one match, and that was to the 12th ranked
player in the country. We believe he has already qualified for the
NCAA singles championships at Texas A&M in May, and he will
lead this team to being an NCAA Tournament participant.”
Kirstein has also gone undefeated against OVC foes with an 8-0
record, and finished the spring with a 14-4 dual match record.
“Justin is a strong candidate for Freshman of the Year in the
league,” Silverstein said. “He has been dominant at the
No. 4 position, and he’s a true competitor. That’s why
we call him ‘The Bulldog,” because he just fights to
the end.”
Oscar Pachon, another freshman, has also posted a 14-4 overall
record this spring and went 7-1 in the OVC. Tech’s lineup
will also include sophomores Josh Girling, James Crawford and Mario
Gutierrez, and freshman Alex Chen.
“This week, we’ve concentrated on our serve and return
game for doubles,” Silverstein said. “We believe that
the doubles point is crucial, and can give us the added momentum
heading into singles. Winning the doubles point coupled with our
singles lineup, we feel we’ll be a tough team to beat.”
