Clippers Defeat Caldwell...

Not much to report today other than the title of this post. We defeated Caldwell 9-0 without surrendering a game in the entire mach. I would love to tell you that we played great today and needed to but the honest truth is that Caldwell presented little opposition.

Of course, the good news is that the ITA National Team Rankings were released and we are #3 just behind Valdosta and Armstrong, two very impressive traditions of college tennis.

Up next will be the Bloomfield soccer team on our home courts this on Saturday at the Meyers Tennis Center.

Nuff said...

Clippers Beat USP...

We notched another win in the CACC by beating USP 9-0. It was another cold day for tennis but we were able to travel to Philadelphia once again and come back to Bronxville with a nice win in the conference. We are now a perfect 3-0 in the CACC.

Andrey and Daniele were tested a bit by a scrappy USP pair but were able to hold on for the win 8-5. Easy wins were on tap and #2 and #3 to start off with the 3-0 lead before the singles matches.

Andrey again was tested but was able to come out on top in the end
6-4, 6-3. All other matches were essentially one-sided for us.

In other news, Clipper Geza Bazula was named CACC Player of the Week and Ricardo Frey was named CACC Rookie of the Week. This is the third consecutive week where we were awarded both honors.

We will be back in action tomorrow 3/30 versus CACC opponent Caldwell College at the Meyers Tennis Center on the home campus of Concordia College. First serve will be at 3:30pm.

See you there.

Nuff said...

Back To Philadelphia...

We will drive down the turnpike again today to play USP in another CACC match. We hope to stay undefeated in conference play and continue our winning ways. It certainly is not warm again today so we will need the winter gear to get through the afternoon. Not sure what the day will bring but I am quite sure we will be driving back to NY during rush hour and will get home later than I would like.

Remember to follow me on twitter for live updates during the match.

Nuff said...

FINAL 4!!!

All of you Clipper tennis fans out there are aware of our back-to-back NCAA II semifinal appearances the last two seasons which have certainly been very enjoyable. I appreciate every moment of the success and would love to be back there again this year.

However, I must say, I am pretty darn pleased with my Kentucky Wildcats getting to the NCAA I Basketball Final 4 by beating UNC today in the East Regional Final in NJ.


Up next will be the UCONN Huskies who beat us early on in the season pretty badly I must say. In fact, it was our worst loss of the season. I have not been very confident going into the last three games and nothing changes now. UCONN has been on a tremendous roll with 9 tournament wins in a row and has players that are going to pose problems for us. They could be close to one of the best runs in the history of college basketball. I hope that doesn't happen.

Go Cats!!!

Nuff said...

9-0 over PU Rams...

In a CACC match up of it's top 2 teams, we defeated Philadelphia University 9-0. It was a mighty cold day more suitable for skiing rather than tennis but we were able to get the job done and look pretty good doing it too.

The 2.5 hour ride each way was a bit more enjoyable with professor Boldarev administering a pop quiz on money and banking. The coaching staff passed with flying colors!

I am pretty sure that the players brought a solid effort today so as to spend as little time in the cold as possible and also to get home for a Saturday night's worth of entertainment.

We started with a quick sweep of the doubles as we played our starting lineup. The Rams usually play pretty good doubles so we expected to be tested. We needed the good play today to win 8-2, 8-4 and 8-0.

The singles went on and finished without us dropping a set. Geza contributed today with another 6-0, 6-0 victory. In addition, we, once again, had solid fan support from the Freys and Lindells. It is a pleasure to have them support us and it is so nice that they are able to witness their sons play the game that they love.

I didn't get much sleep and am pretty tired now. I really enjoyed the UK game last night and was too excited to sleep. I will gladly give up some more sleep tomorrow night if we can get into the Final 4 over UNC.


Anyway, we will travel back to Philadelphia on Monday to play USP in another CACC match. I can say for sure that it is nice that we only play a 6 match CACC schedule this season rather than the 12 last season...too much travel to and from Philadelphia.


The win puts our record at 10-2 (2-0 CACC). We hope to continue the winning ways going forward.

Nuff said...

Sailing To Philadelphia...

Up and out early this morning heading to Philadelphia to play the Rams of PU. Seems a bit cold for tennis but this is what we do. Essentially, we will spend more time in the van in transit than actually playing the match but this is the most important match of the year, as it is the one we are playing today.

Gotta love the CACC.

Follow me on twitter for periodic in-match updates.

Nuff said...

Uk beats OSU!!!

In one of the most exciting college basketball games I have seen in recent years, the Cats defeated #1 Ohio State 62-60 to advance to the Elite 8 in the NCAA tournament.

I witnessed Brandon Knight once again hit the game winner with a silky smooth jumper from 15 feet out. I am not sure we can come out and do it again against UNC on Sunday but it seems that anything can happen this year. I hope I have time to make it down to NYC and Jack Dempsey's establishment for the game.

GO CATS!!!

Nuff said...

Let's Go Cats!!!

Upset Ohio State!!!

Nuff said...

Clippers Defeat Dowling 9-0...

Sorry for the delay in posting but in more good news, we spoiled the return of Viktor Kim to Concordia, defeating the Lions 9-0. Unfortunately, Viktor was injured and not able to compete, thus making our job quite a bit easier.

We swept the three doubles matches in short order and carried the success over into the singles taking all six matches there as well. Most of the matches featured at least one 6-0 set and at some positions, both. Dane and Ricardo both notched easy victories for the second consecutive day.

Due to cold, winter-like weather, we moved the entire match indoors. It is always extremely difficult for opposing teams to come to our indoor facility and compete. The surface is a bit faster and seems to take some adjusting by the players. We, on the other hand, have no problem resorting to fast-court tennis and using the conditions to our advantage. I certainly would not mind if the whole bloody season, including the Nationals, were played here on our indoor courts.

Next up for us will be two jaunts to Philadelphia, PA to play the "U" on Saturday @ 12noon and USP on Monday @ 3:30pm. This travel is a bit tedious but was necessary to open up the schedule to allow trips to both SC and Las Vegas. These are both CACC matches and need to be played each year. Perhaps the trips could be enhanced by timely visits to Pat's King of Steaks on the way home.

Nuff said...

Clippers Blank Chestnut Hill College...

Your Clippers started off the CACC season with a convincing 9-0 victory over CHC today at the Meyers Tennis Center.

Starting quickly, we swept the doubles on a nice but chilly Bronxville afternoon. All three matches were fairly one-sided and we looked to take that momentum into the singles. Today was a nice opportunity to get some playing time for Dane and Ricardo who have been hungry to get on the match court. Also, it was nice to have several player families in attendance. The Lindells, Ostillys and Freys were all present to cheer on their lads and witness their wins. We were able to win all six singles matches and come away with a 9-0 win. This was a nice start to the CACC schedule of matches as we look to repeat as conference champions.

I am really excited to see what Ricardo can do as he will get the chance to play several matches in a row and develop some match experience at the college level. I was also happy to see Dane get a decisive victory today as the pressure was really on him from the coaching staff.

I always enjoy meeting player relatives and friends and am pleased to add them to our tennis family. Our program always has room for them.

Next up for us will be Dowling College tomorrow. Once again we will be home at the Meyers Tennis Center with a start time scheduled for 3:30pm. Spring has come in terms of the calendar, but the weather forecast seems to be lagging behind in winter as we are expected to receive a little snow. As a result, we will probably play the match indoors and perhaps move up the start time to an earlier hour. Check back with me tomorrow and I will keep you up to date with any changes.

Nuff said...

POY / ROY...

Good News!

The CACC has announced their Players of the Week and Rookies of the Week for the first two weeks of the spring season and your Clippers have swept the awards.

Week of March 14:

Player of the Week: Tamas Dobrotka
Rookie of the Week: Daniele Piludu

Week of March 21:

Player of the Week: Daniele Piludu
Rookie of the Week: David Tisserand

Match tomorrow vs. CACC opponent Chestnut Hill College. This is our home match at the Meyers Tennis Center with first serve at 3:30pm. Stop by and witness the event.

Also, we welcome the Frey family to Concordia. We are happy to have both Ricardo and Juliana here at the college as student athletes and hope that you enjoy your visit to NY.

Nuff said...

Leaving Las Vegas...

Greetings fellow Clipper fans. Well, we have returned from fabulous Las Vegas with mixed results. However, we did get what we came for...competitive matches.

After what I would call a disappointing week of practice following a terrific Florida trip, we faced off versus the NAIA's #1 Fresno Pacific. I wasn't expecting to be at our best for a few reasons but we were able to take two doubles from a solid FPU team. However, the singles players from Fresno were very tough and beat us in spots 3-6 giving us our first loss of the season 5-4. We did win at the top two spots which included Andrey defeating the NAIA's #1 ranked player and defending superbowl champion from the fall. We did have a chance for the upset as the final match on court was at #5 with Felix. He was able to race to a 4-2 lead in the final set but he was not able to close to door on FPU's rock solid opponent. We lost a close one there 6-4 in the third.

The next day was perhaps our most important match of the trip versus Abilene Christian University. ACU was ranked just behind us in the NCAA II. Sadly, after the tough match the day before and perhaps a little over-confidence, we came out flat. ACU has always played good doubles and I was not surprised to see that continue on this day. They played with energy and desire and essentially gave us a beating. We lost quickly at #1 and #2. Luckily, we sneaked out #3 and that kept us in the match. Coach Neil and I strongly asked for more energy and focus in the singles sensing that we were in trouble in this match. However, our request was not honored right away. ACU continued their strong play and raced out to a 4-1 lead with fast wins at #5 and #6, two spots we have been wining mostly. In addition, we had lost first sets at #3 and #1. The only bright spots were at #2 and #4 where Tamas and Dani won first sets. Dani went on the win in straight sets but Tamas lost a bit of focus and had to go three to win the match. David was able to turn his match and outlast his opponent wining 6-4 in the third to tie the match score at 4-4. Andrey was last on and had turned his match as well. He won the second set and had jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the final set. We were starting to feel like we were going to steal this match on a day where we were outplayed and deserved to lose. Andrey lost focus and confidence and did not win another game and lost 6-4 and thus we lost the match 5-4. We didn't have it that day and ACU gave us a wake up call for sure.

Our final match in Vegas was a chance to bounce back versus HPU. The effort was much better and the opponent was not quite as strong as out first two of the trip. We did come out and play hard and smart which was nice to see. As a result, we swept the doubles 3-0. We kept up the strong play in the singles and took 4 out of the 6 matches losing only at #1 and #5. Dani continued his very strong play on the trip besting a tough player. David and Andreas had good efforts wining 6-0, 6-0 at positions 3 and 6. We took the match 7-2 and ended on a high note.

Next up will be CACC foe Chestnut Hill College this Tuesday in Bronxville @ 3:30pm. Stop in and support the Clippers.

Nuff said...

NY

Greetings from NY. Just got back home and apologize for the lack of posts. It seems that our hotel had just limited internet. I will get back to you tomorrow with a post. Sadly, I scheduled a full day of patients at the hospital tomorrow and getting to bed just now at 2:30am after losing 3 hours on the time change is going to slow me down a little. However, more to follow soon.

Glad to be home.

Nuff said...

Fabulous Las Vegas...

As most of you know by now, the team is off to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada tomorrow 3/13. Now some of you may feel that "Sin City" is a strange place for a tennis trip. However, rain is not a common occurrence is this desert oasis and the temperatures are a welcomed 75 degrees (F). As a result, quite a nice venue for tennis and one that figures to allow all matches to be played.

We will be staying at the Luxor in the pyramid, seen above, which should be pleasant for all. I look forward to the trip and hope the team can continue to focus on tennis. Clearly, there are many distractions in Las Vegas and we will need to handle them well to win our matches. The schedule will be as follows:

Monday 3/14 vs. Fresno Pacific (#1 NAIA) @ 12:30pm PST
Tuesday 3/15 vs. Abilene Christian (#10 NCAA II) @ 12:30pm PST
Wednesday 3/16 vs. Hawai'i Pacific (#25 NCAA II) @ 8:30am PST

All matches will be played at the Darling Tennis Center. This should prove to be another huge test for your Clippers versus more of the elite tennis teams in the country.

Speaking of huge tests, Coach Neil has one with respect to the 5+ hour flight. As you all know, he does not like to fly much and has never flown a flight of this length. At least we have him in an aisle seat for comfort. I hope Delta has the proper "medication".

We will return 3/17, St. Patrick's Day. I look forward to the NCAA Basketball tournament "March Madness" and also the CACC portion of our schedule.

17 Black!

Nuff said...

Bob Hawthorn (1931-2011)

I was sad to learn of the passing of legendary Fordham University tennis coach Mr. Bob Hawthorn. Coach Hawthorn became ill this past weekend and died Sunday (click here for Fordham University press release).

We at Concordia have always had a special relationship with Coach Hawthorn as Coach Tarangioli actually played both tennis and squash at Fordham under the coaching icon in the 1970's. Since that time, the two schools have played most every year and sometimes twice. I too remember playing some great matches versus the Rams and remember Coach Bob as a nice man and strong mentor to his team. In addition, Bob often stopped by Concordia to have racquets restrung, to order equipment and sometimes simply to visit with Neil. It was always a pleasure to see him with his warm smile and to chat a bit.

Coach Hawthorn handed over the coaching duties this past year (spring 2010) after 50 plus seasons with the Rams. I certainly hope that he was able to enjoy his short retirement and the time away from the responsibilities of college tennis coaching.

It is hard to imagine coaching for so many years as Coach Hawthorn was able to accomplish. Coach Tarangioli has been at Concordia for some 30 years and yours truly for just 12. I know that we often think about how long that seems to be and wonder how long we will keep at it. Clearly Bob had an amazing coaching career.

We will certainly miss Bob and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Rest in peace coach.

Nuff said...

First Spring Rankings...

After much deliberation, the first spring rankings have been established and announced by the ITA. Please note that the report date for this set of rankings was February 27th, and thus, prior to our Florida success.

As there was little play in our region, the ITA Eastern Regional rankings stay the same with us still at the top of the list (Click here for Regional Rankings).

We did make a small jump in the National Rankings, up to #8, as some highly rated and perhaps over-rated squads from the fall dropped out of the top ten (Click here for the National Rankings).

We will be off to Las Vegas, Nevada this Sunday 3/13 to square off with three more highly ranked teams.

Monday 3/14 vs. Fresno Pacific University (#1 NAIA)
Tuesday 3/15 vs. Abilene Christian University (#10 NCAA II)
Wednesday 3/16 vs. Hawai'i Pacific University (#25 NCAA II)

We will need to avoid complacency and a let-down after Florida to be successful out west. It seems as though the team is a little tired and satisfied this week. We will need to get recharged in a hurry to get Vegas wins. If we continue the success and are able to defeat ACU and HPU, we should ascend into the top 3 or 4 in the next set of rankings that will be published 3/30.

With our current #8 ranking we have tied our all-time high for NCAA II. We look forward to setting a new mark in a few weeks and continuing on our path to achieving greater goals in May.

Nuff said...

Back on the Horse???

Well folks, finally back in NY and the comforts of home. Always a nice feeling to be back in the fold of my own bed and familiar faces and routines. However, there is one routine that I am not sure I will ever resume. Most of you that know me understand that I promote toughness and do not like to give into fears, but rather confront them.

As you all probably know by now, our Clippers have just returned from a tremendously successful Florida trip full of matches that included a win over the #1 team in the country. However, many of you will not know that a few years ago on this same trip, my luck was not as good. On our way from the airport to Ocean Gallery, just at the very start of our trip, the team stopped at a roadside convenience store similar to 7-11. I was hungry and opted for a hotdog. After one bite, I knew that this hotdog was not so fresh and discarded the remainder in the garbage. Sadly, within a short period of time, I became violently ill and ended up in the hospital. Since this day, I have not been able to eat a hotdog from a similar establishment.

Well this year, I returned to the scene of the crime. Yes, I entered that very same store, walked up to that very same hotdog cooker (shown above at the top of this post) looked at it for a while, maybe even spoke to it a little. Decision time. Should I get back on the horse and try one? Do I risk another trip to the emergency room? Is it really important for me to be tough, confront this fear and show that hotdog cooker who is boss?

Well, I wasn't hungry, so I didn't have one. Maybe I have become weak...not so tough anymore. However, guess what, no trip to the hospital and that suits me just fine. I suppose that the hotdogs that I eat will be only the ones that I cook, and that's ok.

Nuff said...

Clippers Defeat #1 Team In Nation!!!

Wow! What can I say? How do you describe what it fells like to go undefeated in Florida while playing such great teams on consecutive days? How impressive for these young men to play four days in a row, get the job done and answer the bell and the coaches request for their best. HUGE! Just like my stomach...HUGE. Too much food on spring break here in Florida.

Yes, as I mentioned, in our last match, after playing three physical and emotional matches on consecutive days with tough conditions, we beat #1 Barry 6-3 (boxscore). We have never beaten the #1 team before and am pretty sure that this is the first time in Concordia athletics history that it has been done in any sport. Of course, Barry has beaten us in each of the last two seasons in the Final Four of tennis. Thus, it was nice to get this one. So nice to be rewarded for all of the hard work and effort and a nice boost of confidence going forward to achieve our May goals.

Today, we started out stronger in the doubles on all three courts. We changed it up a little and went with David/Felix at #2. Playing for the first time together, they were able to win 8-3. Talk about catching lightning in a bottle. Andrey and Dani also started strong and won 8-6 at #1. Playing #3, Geza and Tamas were in control the whole way but stumbled at the end and lost 9-7. This was their first loss of the season. We really could have swept the doubles and made our task much easier but it was not to be today. However, such a credit to the strength of this group that somebody different each day steps up and wins for the team.

Thus, we went into the singles up 2-1. Certainly happy with that even though having a third point was well within our grasp. In any case, we needed to battle once again and get three points to earn the victory. This was to be no easy task against Barry, a great team. Luckily we won 4.

Andrey defeated the #1 ranked player in NCAA II in three sets. Such a great 4 days for Andrey. We are very proud of his development and know that there is still plenty of room for improvement. Dani had a tough time at #2 and lost in straights to the #26 in the NCAA II. We need to get him a bit more focused. He has so much talent and just needs to get adjusted to college tennis. I expect that he will be a top 20 player in the division before too long. David, of course, played three sets but came up short. Tamas at #4 was in, what I like to call, "full grind mode" as always. He battled and defeated the #11 ranked player in the country, his best win to date. We continued the winning ways at #5 and #6 as Geza won a thrilling third set match tie-breaker 10-6 and Andreas won in straight sets.

What a tremendous effort for the team. All players 1-9 contributed to our success. I am so happy with Ricardo and Dane as well as they really help us in many ways. This is what we need as a team to achieve our goals.

We will travel back to NY today and to the cold...oh well. The good news is we will have a week of practice and be off to Las Vegas 3/13 for more great matches. I will remember to leave the ATM card at home as gambling is an NCAA violation and I have mastered the art of losing at casinos for sure. Thanks for all of your love, support and well-wishes while we have been in Florida. It makes this so much fun. I hope to share more of the good with you soon.

Nuff said...

Clippers Defeat #6 Rollins...

In another exciting college tennis match, your Clippers defeated/upset the Tars of Rollins College 6-3. Rollins is currently ranked #6 by the ITA among NCAA II teams.

We knew that we had to get the good start in the doubles and try to get out at least 2-1. However, we did not start strong anywhere. Perhaps there was some sort of hangover from the two exciting matches at ERAU and Flagler. In the blink of an eye we were down two breaks on courts 1 and 3. Luckily court 2 was hanging in there. We went on the win #2 doubles with a late match run 8-3. Down 6-2 on court 1, we turned the tide and won the next 6 games to capture the 8-6 win. On court 3, David and Andreas started to climb out of the huge hole that they created and did get back to 7-6. However, they were not able to break against the wind and lost 8-6. I certainly was happy with the two wins but we really could have taken all three. However, when you are playing a team as good as Rollins, you are happy with 2 points in doubles for sure.

We liked the match ups in singles and were not disappointed with the collective effort. Rollins is a great team and was in no way ready at any time to roll over and give us the match. Rather, they were fighting for each and every point on every court. I was very impressed with the Rollins team and they will be a force all season.

Andreas and Daniele at 6 an 2 were off to good starts and were able to win to get us to 4 points. Tamas was grinding as usual and took a tough first set at 4. Andrey, Felix and David all dropped first sets at 1, 5, ad 3 respectively. Clearly this was a battle. David and Andrey were able to fight back and take second sets but Felix was not as fortunate as he lost in straight sets. David lost his third making the score 4-3. However, needing only one more point to take the match, both Tamas and Andrey pulled out hotly contested matches to give us the 6-3 win.

In some ways, it is hard to believe the success we are having here in Florida against these great teams. We have a strong team for sure but to come here into these conditions and play such tough matches on consecutive days is quite impressive and maybe even a little surprising. In any case, we are very happy with the effort.

Today we will play #1 Barry at Flagler College at 12 noon. Clearly, we will need to be even better today. I think we have a chance if we bring the good tennis to the court but it will not be an easy task. One could argue that this is our toughest match of the year. I hope that the guys answer the bell again. I think that they will and hope to be reporting a win later today. Either way, I am so proud of the team and coaches for the success.

Wish us luck.

Nuff said...

Too Much Excitement...

Good morning friends. Sorry about the delay in posting but the schedule has kept me busy and in need of some relaxation time.

Great news to pass on again! We were able to defeat an improved and very strong Flagler team yesterday 5-4 (boxscore) in another thriller. We have had the better of Flagler these last few seasons after twenty some years of losses at the hands of the Saints and coaches Shinn and Peter Scott in the earlier years.

This time, we had our work cut out for ourselves. Anyone who knows sports is aware of how hard it is to bounce back and play well after an emotional and physical victory such as our six hour win over ERAU Tuesday. The coaching staff was unsure of what to expect out there versus Flagler but were still cautiously optimistic.

When we arrived, it was evident that Flagler was excited and pumped up for the match. They have had a strong start to their season and certainly have reason to be confident. We started the doubles a bit flat and fell behind early. We just never got it going at #1 and #3 and lost those matches somewhat easily. Flagler has a strong #1 and we could not afford to be anything but at our best. However, at #3, we just, well, stunk up the joint. David was showing early signs of fatigue after his long match the day before and Andreas had not yet found his good tennis and confidence. As a result, we were quickly outclassed 8-3. Tamas and Geza kept us in the match with a win at #2. Certainly a match needed if you want to have any chance in the nine point format.

Needing four points to win the match, we started the singles. We felt confident in three spots but were not sure where the fourth (or fifth and sixth) would come from. Indeed we were able to capture #2, #4 and #6 to go ahead of the Saints 4-2. However, we were behind on all remaining courts. David was fighting hard but just didn't have anything left in the tank today. Also, his opponent was not helping his cause as he was rock solid. As a result, Flagler amassed their third point here at #3. Andrey had lost his first set and was playing a top ten ranked opponent in the NCAA II. He did manage to battle back but eventually lost his contest 7-5 in the third set. Andreas was down early as well and things were not looking so good for us. However, he was able to find his confidence and pulled out what was the match of the day 7-5, 7-5. This was so important for Andreas who has been struggling to find his good form. His opponent was very tough and was one of the best hustlers I have ever seen on the court. If Andreas did not play well, he would not have been able to give us our fifth point. Thankfully he did. All in all another great college tennis match. Flagler was very impressive. They are a strong team and a class act for sure. Win or lose, always a gracious and hospitable Coach Shinn as well and I thank him for that.

Also, always a pleasure to catch up and visit with friends Elden and Debbie Kamla who live in the St. Augustine area. The Kamla family is familiar to Concordia as Elden was head men's basketball coach and AD at the college in the 1980's. They are always very generous and supportive of our team and we certainly appreciate their friendship. I also appreciate their loyal blog following. We love coming to Florida each spring and they are one of the reasons we enjoy the week so much. Many thanks.

Today we are off to the Winter Park to play #6 Rollins. This is a big one for us and a great opportunity to move up in the rankings. Rollins is very tough and will be playing in front of their home fans. We will have to be at our best once again to win this one. For some reason, I am pretty confident. I have been impressed with the team so far and just hope that the consecutive matches is not too much for them. We shall see. If you are in the area, stop by for the match at 2pm and say hello.

Nuff said...

A Solid Start...

Welcome to college tennis Mr. Tisserand! In as an exciting college tennis match as you can have, we edged ERAU, #3 NAIA, 5-4 (click here for boxscore). From start to finish, it was a five hour contest that would be best described as a battle. Hotly contested matches on most, if not all, courts, a questionable official, competitive spirit from all involved, 30 mph wind gusts, chili temperatures all coupled with a flat tire on I-95 and the way down to the match...it was a heck of a day for sure.

As a result, I am quite proud of the effort. I expected that ERAU would be a tough match to win being that it was our first outdoor match of the season and with limited preparation time. ERAU is stronger this year and with so many new players, I was unsure of how we would show in this match.

Well, the answer is...we played pretty darn well as a whole, and most importantly we competed and battled about as well as any coach could expect.

Highlighting the doubles was a back and forth 9-8 win at #2 by Geza and Tamas. The point of the day may have been a fairly lucky slash highly skilled top spin lob by Geza at 5-5 in the tie-breaker. We went on to win the next point and thus the match, giving us the advantage going into the singles.

You have to tip your hat to David today. He was up against a very good player who was also a senior with plenty of experience. In addition, this player had beaten former Clipper Alex Grubin last year, so you know that this guy could really ball for sure. David lost the first in a one and a half hour set ending in the tiebreaker so his work was cut out for him going forward. However, he continued to battle unfazed and won the second 6-4. The third set went to another breaker and this time David showed incredible composure, solid fitness and tremendous shot making and was able to win 8-6 to give the match to your Clippers. David really showed us something today. As I mentioned. he was very composed and played terrific tennis under difficult conditions. What was also great was the support from the team on the sidelines watching the match. Even though we were the road team, we were more of a presence out there and I think that helped David come through with a win.

All in all, it was a great college tennis match and why we all do this. Of course, it is much better to win these than lose them but still a great match for both teams. We gained a lot of confidence from this one that will help us going forward. The only drawback is that the match was so long and so physical and emotional for the team. We have a long week of tennis versus top teams ahead of us and will need to bounce back right away today as we play a strong Flagler team. In fact, the next three matches are the more important as they are against NCAA II ranked teams. We have an opportunity to move closer to #1 in the country if we can win them. However, this will be no small task, especially after yesterday. We will learn more about the team today when we see how well we compete.


Thanks for all of your comments and emails and also the love on facebook. I appreciate your support. You can find me on facebook, twitter and also reach me at danabolics@aol.com if you would like to get me a message.

Wish us luck today and see you soon.

Nuff said...

Clippers Defeat ERAU 5-4...

A bit too tired to elaborate tonight. I will be back in the morning with a post. A five hour plus match but at least we were able to squeek by over #3 ERAU.

Click here for link to ERAU story.

Nuff said...

Let The Matches Begin...

Morning greetings and blessings to all out there in Clipperland...

With all due respect to our friends at STAC and FDU, today feels like opening day. Of course, we have these two matches under our belt, but today, the first of our Florida matches will be played at ERAU (#3 NAIA) with a 3:30 pm start time. Embry Riddle is always a tough opponent. In fact, last year was the first time in our history that we were able to drive home from Daytona Beach with a win, which if you recall, prompted coach T. to essentially shave his head.

Good fortune is with us as the weather is quite a bit better than expected. The folks at the weather center predicted showers overnight and into this morning but so far, not a drop and the sky is clearing as I type. It is a little cooler however and we always expect wind in Daytona.

In other news, the team, for some reason that I will never understand, wanted to go back to CiCi's Pizza again last night. As we have two mini-vans, I had to go as well to transport the fellas. However, there was no way that I would step foot into that place ever again. As a result, it was dinner for two over at Sonic with Andrey. Nothing against CiCi, but honestly, the food is terrible and I see no real need to shovel piece after piece of processed crap down into my digestive system. Certainly not a surprise to me that there was the remnants of vomit in the parking lot most likely from some recent CiCi patron.


Follow me on twitter for match updates. Wish us luck and stay tuned.

Nuff said...