Men's Tennis - 2014

valpotx · March 10, 2014, 01:24:34 PM

We are now 10-3, and beating teams we would have lost to in the last few years (even the non-D1 teams we have played). We also played both Northwestern and Purdue much closer than we would have in the past, with both being ranked teams! This top 35 recruiting class appears to be legit!

vu72 · March 10, 2014, 01:33:53 PM

Quote from: valpotx on March 10, 2014, 01:24:34 PM
We are now 10-3, and beating teams we would have lost to in the last few years (even the non-D1 teams we have played). We also played both Northwestern and Purdue much closer than we would have in the past, with both being ranked teams! This top 35 recruiting class appears to be legit!

And, our Freshman #1 player has beaten the No.1 players at both Purdue and Northwestern, both of whom are ranked in the top 100 nationally. Very impressive and indicative of how fast you can turn a program around with good recruiting.

valpotx · March 10, 2014, 03:11:34 PM

I am assuming that our indoor court option at the NWI Courts of IN helped quite a bit. It wouldn't make sense that after 25+ years, our coach was finally able to bring in top talent. I am assuming that he was always a good recruiter, but didn't have the courts to back it up.

VULB#62 · March 10, 2014, 05:54:02 PM

In another life many years ago, I coached football and baseball at Concordia Bronxville (now called Concordia NY). After I left they targeted tennis as a way to develop a higher profile (jeeze, this sounds weird). Back in the late 70's they built an indoor tennis complex and started recruiting. They have had incredible local and, to a degree, national success as a D-II tennis power for 3 decades. They recruit South America big time and are perennial conference and regional champs. At Concordia it came down to creating a tennis niche with a facility on campus. Looks like VU is doing the same.

BTW The baseball field is the same one I left many years ago - right field is a 20' high slope and there is no fence anywhere. Their soccer field is not regulation (only the width of a football field). But the tennis facility is very good.

Today, people seem to denigrate the non-revenue sports, but an excellent non-revenue program (like tennis, golf, soccer, bowling, T&F), can bring similar positive publicity to VU just like a mid-profile revenue sport. (Tex -- I consider BB and Softball more on the revenue side despite the fact that there are no ticket sales - at least at Valpo, right?). A headline about a winner is a headline.

valpotx · March 12, 2014, 05:22:17 PM

Solid win against Creighton today! This team is going to cause a ruckus in conference this year

VULB#62 · March 13, 2014, 02:39:48 PM

They just closed out their southern swing in great form shutting out 5 of their 7 opponents. I went to their web site on Valpoathletics.com.

They have 3 loses: 2-5 V. Butler (first match of the season) and 2-5 to #75 Purdue and 1-6 to #29 Northwestern.

The whole 10 man team is made up of 4 freshmen and 5 sophomores and 1 senior. That's it. ~~No upper classmen~~. Still Remarkable!

vu72 · March 13, 2014, 02:57:52 PM

Erik Honert is a senior

VULB#62 · March 13, 2014, 03:50:14 PM

Fixed it. All those 's' words got "senior" buried

valpotx · March 13, 2014, 03:55:12 PM

Awesome, good to see that we CAN turn around a program. Keep it up in conference, guys!

vu72 · September 21, 2014, 03:15:34 PM

BIG WIN today for Jeffrey Schorsch and Charlie Emhardt who won the A Flight (Championship)in doubles, at the Purdue Invitational today. The win was over teams that included DePaul, Purdue and Iowa.

Overall, Valpo played in five championship matched, an amount only tied by Western Michigan. Purdue played in 2.

Great stuff and the stars of this team are only sophomores!!

vu72 · November 25, 2014, 12:36:07 PM

Tennis is probably the greatest turnaround of a program in Valpo history. We have two nationally ranked players who are sophomores and now have added two new recruits with potentially higher ceilings. Great news!!

http://valpoathletics.com/mtennis/news/2014-15/14159/mens-tennis-receives-two-nlis/#.VHS-CovF8vw

valpotx · November 25, 2014, 03:38:21 PM

Was Bryce Drew a 5 star recruit? Might this tennis recruit be our first 5 star athlete??

LaPorteAveApostle · November 25, 2014, 03:52:14 PM

If they had stars back then...actually, probably not. only about 25 each year get 5-star in basketball.

bryce was good, but there were health concerns and stuff. top 100 is four star. i'd think he was 4-star material.

valpo tundra · December 04, 2014, 11:11:00 PM

Actually, Chad Kissell is a 4 star recruit, just like Valpo's present number one player was - Jeffrey Schorsh. Present freshman, Garrett Gardner, and present sophomore, Kyle Dunn, were also 4 star recruits. Current sophomore and number two player on the team, Dave Bacalla, has been the only 5 star recruit so far. Having an indoor facility nearby, an upgraded home tennis facility, and young assistant coaches have certainly helped Valpo tennis ascend to the top half of the conference. When the first 4 star player signed, that's what helped put Valpo on the tennis map. After the best tennis season in Valpo history last year, look for the team to challenge for the conference championship, and an NCAA berth, with Wisconsin-Green Bay and Cleveland State next spring.