2/28 d3 Men's National Rankings

***update 3/2....two results that show what a crazy inexact science ranking Schools deep across the country can be

2/28 #23Pomona 8 #15Mary Washington 1
2/28 #65Whittier 7 #15Mary Washington 2

Pretty sure Whittier will set a record for most ranking spots moved upwards on 3/7!

1 Amherst
2 Emory
3 Claremont
4 WashU
5 UC Santa Cruz
6 Middlebury
7 Williams
8 Trinity(TX)
9 Kenyon
10 Carnegie Mellon
11 Johns Hopkins
12 Bowdoin
13 NC Wesleyan
14 Redlands
15 Mary Washington
16 Trinity(CT)
17 Depauw
18 Chicago
19 Cal Lutheran
20 Bates
21 Denison
22 Whitman
23 Pomona
24 MIT
25 Case Western
26 Christopher Newport
27 Wash & Lee
28 Whitewater
29 Kalamazoo
30 Brandeis
32 Salisbury
32 Skidmore
33 Gustavus
34 Luther
35 TCNJ
36 Carleton
37 Vassar
38 McMurry
39 Hampden Sydney
40 Stevens Tech
41 Swarthmore
42 UT Tyler
43 Rhodes
44 Wash College
45 Rochester
46 Tufts
47 Linfield
48 Grinnell
49 Coe
50 Chapman
51 St Thomas(MN)
52 Eau Claire
53 Willamette
54 Occidental
55 Mississippi College
56 Haverford
57 Carthage
58 Franklin & Marshall
59 St Lawrence
60 Colby
61 Ithaca
62 Birmingham Southern
63 NYU
64 LaCrosse
65 Whittier
66 Oshkosh
67 Augustana(IL)
68 Ohio Northern
69 Whitworth
70 Wabash
71 Monmouth(IL)

What I learned Yesterday....

Yesterday the Kohawk Men face an unusual opponent. Carthage fields a very diverse lineup with three experienced, talented, and high level players at the top three positions. Their bottom half is filled with very inexperienced players. Our previous opponents have had good players, but this was the first time we were not favored at three flights.

Thus, I was looking at two items in the Carthage match: how we would compete at the top spots, and secondly, how the bottom half of our lineup would respond to having to bear the burden of winning the match for us. Despite the 5-4 final outcome, and losing the top of the lineup battle, I wasn't discouraged at all. The singles matches went three close sets, and the doubles match went to 97. As we move into the second month of the season our schedule improves, and close individual matches within the team match are very likely to occur.

I will be looking for our players to embrace the challenge of playing quality opponents, to enjoy the uncertainty of the outcome, and accept the uncomfortable nature or stress that these types of matches put on the individual. After all, isn't that what a good Competitor does, embrace difficulty?

And the bottom half of our lineup? Came through with flying colors, and they look ready to be challenged themselves! Looking forward to Spring Break!

Coach E

I spent yesterday on the road with the ladies' squad. The women opened up their Spring season against two very strong competitors - Calvin College (won 5-4) and Wheaton College (lost 4-5). Despite dropping a closely contested battle to #22 ranked Wheaton College, I was very pleased with the opening day of play. It is quite evident that the women have grown considerably (throughout the line-up!) since last being tested in the Fall.....especially as competitors and doubles players.

On the doubles court, our winning % was a mere 16.67%......objectively, not very good! However, the 5 doubles matches that we lost were each by a margin of 2 games (7-9, 7-9, 6-8, 6-8, 6-8). The women put themselves in a position to win each and every one of those matches and I'm proud of them for doing so. The fight, and will to win, was apparent! As such, and from a coaching perspective, the potential for growth is there! On the practice court, we'll be focused on implementing more aggressive doubles tactics.

From a competitive standpoint, the ladies started singles play with a deficit to make up in both matches (1-2, 0-3). Our top 3 are recognized for their match toughness, and they certainly responded in peak form. The "surprise" to those outside of Kohawk Tennis was likely the fight displayed by our #4 (Sara Ohlman), #5 (Natalie Bordignon) and #6 (Elizabeth Hoffmann) players. I'm very proud of the ladies for making up the deficit against Calvin, and fighting til the end against Wheaton....can't complain when the MATCH comes down to a single SET against #22 in the country.....especially after losing all 3 heated doubles matches!

To conclude, a GREAT start to the season! I am VERY excited about the potential and continued improvement that lies ahead. Back on court with the women tomorrow!

Coach Kris

Women's Tennis - Coe vs Wheaton - Feb 26th

Coe College 4 Wheaton College 5

Singles:

#1 Hannah Jensen vs Elizabeth Worsowicz 76 62

#2 Michelle Schupbach vs Sara Federschmidt 63 61

#3 Tai Lucero vs Lindsey Hallett 64 62

#4 Sara Ohlman vs Sarah Ray 76 62

#5 Natalie Bordignon vs Kirsten Boyer 62 16 06

#6 Elizabeth Hoffman vs Marissa Shults 26 26

#7 (Exhibition) Hannah Helms vs Grace Min 38

#8 (Exhibition) Millie Osburn vs Sarah Swanson 58

Doubles:

#1 Lucero/Schupbach vs Worsowicz/Federschmidt 68

#2 Ohlman/Bordignon vs Hallett/Shults 68

#3 Jensen/Hoffman vs Ray/Boyer 68

#4 (Exhibition) Helms/Osburn vs Min/Swanson 81

Women's Tennis - Coe vs Calvin - Feb 26th

Coe College 5 Calvin College 4

Singles:

#1 Hannah Jensen vs Melissa Oosterhouse 57 46

#2 Tai Lucero vs Kaitlin Spoelhof 16 36

#3 Michelle Schupbach vs Michelle Busscher 60 61

#4 Sara Ohlman vs Lauren Schlagenhauf 61 62

#5 Natalie Bordignon vs Jordan Ipema 62 62

#6 Elizabeth Hoffman vs Bethany Zoerhof 62 61

#7 (Exhibition) Hannah Helms vs Elise Doezema 4-8

#8 (Exhibition) Millie Osburn vs Nicole Sheppard 0-8

Doubles:

#1 Lucero/Schupbach vs Oosterhouse/Spoelhof 79

#2 Ohlman/Bordignon vs Busscher/Doezema 79

#3 Jensen/Hoffman vs Schlagenhauf/Zoerhof 83

#4 (Exhibition) Helms/Osburn vs Calvin 48

Coe vs. Buena Vista 2-26-2011

Coe:9 BV:0

Singles:

#1 Jonathan Roger vs Remy Nshuti 6-0, 6-0

#2 Curtis Newman vs Mike Sporer 6-1, 6-0

#3 Jeff Damisch vs Jason Ehrhardt 6-0, 6-0

#4 Kyle Tucker vs Keifer Newius 6-2, 6-0

#5 Sean Stokstad vs Cole Renkem 7-5, 6-0

#6 Daken Starkenburg vs Dillon Newius 6-1, 6-0

Doubles:

#1 Newman/Janssen vs Sporer/Renkew 8-1

#2 Damisch/ Roger vs Newius/Ehrhardt 8-3

#3 Klaas/Starkenburg vs Nshuti/Stone 8-0

#4 Land/Leovic vs Buena Vista 8-4

Coe vs.Carthage 2-26-2011

Coe: 5 Carthage: 4

Singles:3-2

#1 Victor Khristenko vs. Jeff Lotz 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 4-6

#2 Elliot Rausa vs. Daneric Hazelman 3-6, 6-3, 5-7

#3 Scott Stegemann vs. Matt Whiteside 2-6, 2-6

#4 Jonathan Roger vs. Nick Boomgardern 6-4, 6-2

#5 Curtis Newman vs. Russell Mull 6-0, 6-0

#6 Jeff Damish vs. Brian Howes 6-3, 6-0

Doubles: 2-1

#1 Rausa/Stegemann vs. Lotz/Hazelman 7-9

#2 Newman/Tucker vs. Whiteside/Boomgarden 8-5

#3 Khristenko/Stokstad vs. Mull/Howes 8-1

#4 (Exhibition) Starkenburg/ Klaas vs. Carthage 8-3

This Week in d3 Central

Men

#2Kenyon 6 vs Carnegie-Mellon 3
#3Depauw 7 hosts Grand Valley State(FRIDAY) 2
#3Depauw 5 hosts #11Luther 4
#3Depauw 6 vs #9Gustavus(SUNDAY) 3
#4UChicago 6 vs #9Gustavus 3
#6Whitewater 5 vs #7Kalamazoo 4
#6Whitewater 4 vs #8Case Western 5
#7Kalamazoo 2 vs #8Case Western(SUNDAY) 7
#8Case Western 9 vs Hope 0
#10Carleton 8vs #14St Thomas 1

Women

#1UChicago 9 vs Kalamazoo(SUNDAY) 0
#3Gustavus 9 vs Hamline 0
#3Gustavus 8 vs St Benedict 1
#4Depauw 2 vs Grand Valley State(FRIDAY) 7
#4Depauw 5 vs Luther(SUNDAY) 4
#4Depauw 9 vs Oberlin(SUNDAY) 0
#5WashU 9 vs Southern Indiana 0
#6Wheaton vs Calvin(FRIDAY) http://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2011/2/25/WTEN_calvin.aspx?path=wten
#6Wheaton 5 vs Coe 4
#8Carleton vs Bethel(FRIDAY)http://apps.carleton.edu/athletics/box_score.php3?id=713688
#9St Olaf 5 vs St Marys 4
#9St Olaf 5 vs St Scholastica 4

2/26 Preview

A busy Saturday for Kohawk Tennis up ahead! The Women open their Spring Season with a roadtrip to Chicago to challenge both Calvin and Wheaton College. Both schools are ranked ahead of the Kohawks in the National and Central Region polls. The Men stay home for their Final February Saturday hosting #56 Carthage and IIAC foe Buena Vista University.

Calvin

The Calvin Women's Tennis Team is defending their 2010 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Conference championship. They also advanced to the 2nd round of the 2010 NCAA tournament. Coach Jerry Bergsma's squad is led by NCAA Qualifier Melissa Oosterhouse and Kaitlin Spoelhof. The Kohawk match will be their 2nd competition of the the year, they visit Wheaton College on February 25th.

Wheaton

Wheaton is currently the #22 ranked Women's Tennis squad in the country. The perennial champions of the Collegiate Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin are a fixture in the top 25 of the NCAA rankings. Coach Jane Nelson's squads typically play error-free tennis and are led this year by Elizabeth Worsowicz. The Thunder has a spotless 11-0 record.

Kohawks

The Spring version of Coe Women's Tennis has been diligently working for the past two weeks as a team in preparation for their 12 match Spring season. The Kohawks will be led by their interchangeable top three players(Hannah Jensen, Michelle Schupbach, Tai Lucero) who have continued in the off-season expanding their tennis games. The remaining starters(Natalie Bordignon, Sara Ohlman, Elizabeth Hoffmann) have logged plenty of off-season hours on court steadying up their consistency and the entire Team is looking forward to the challenging schedule and measuring the Team's improvement.

Carthage

A longtime Kohawk rival, the Redmen and the Kohawks have had memorable contests in past years. This year's looks to be no exception as the #56Redmen(6-0) and #50Kohawks(6-0) collide. Coach Brady Lindsley's teams play with passion & skill, always win the CCIW Conference, and the Redmen do not like to lose! The 2011 Carthage team is loaded at the top of the lineup, featuring Jeff Lotz, Daneric Hazelman, and Matt Whiteside. The Trio is unbeaten on the year and will pose a sizable hurdle for the top of the Kohawk lineup.

Buena Vista

Coach Kevin McCadams has the best squad in his five years in Storm Lake. Returning #1 player Remy Nshuti has settled into the top spot and leads the Beavers as they challenge for the Iowa Conference playoffs. Last weekend BVU gave defending IIAC Champion, Luther College, quite the scare before falling to the Norse, 6-3. Two of Luther's six points came in overtime, where BVU dropped two Match Tiebreakers.

Kohawks

After a successful opening three weekends, Coe takes on their final two foes before heading southward to Florida for their annual Spring Break Trip. The Kohawks are looking to regain full squad health, as many players are recovering from illness, and nagging injuries. The focus in this week's practices has been on consistency, determination, and stubbornness in singles play. Emphasis on positive energy and emotions are the hopeful highlights to this week's doubles! In addition to the Saturday matches, intrasquad competition for the final roster slot for the Florida Trip will take place over the weekend.

PICTURES!

Pictures have been added to the Kohawk Tennis album. To view, click on the Coe Tennis Slideshow in the upper right hand corner of our blog, then select My Photos in the upper left corner. Alternatively, utilize the link below:

Pictures

A special thanks to Betty Damisch for sharing the pictures with us!

Weather Comparison!

Today in Cedar Rapids....a high of 35 degrees, but in just a few days, "Kohawk Tennis" moves to Altamonte Springs, Florida, for a fun-filled week of training and competitive tennis against teams from the Northeast and Atlantic South regions of the NCAA D3.

Altamonte Springs, FL (32701) Weather

	Today	Tonight	Tomorrow
Sunny	Mostly Sunny	Mostly Clear	Partly Cloudy
66°F	82°	58°	79°
	High	Low	High
Past 24-hr: Precip: 0 in Snow: 0 in	Chance of Precip: 0%	Chance of Precip: 10%	Chance of Precip: 10%
Wind: From SW at 5mph	Wind: W at 12 mph	Wind: W at 8 mph	Wind: N at 10 mph

Updated Men's National Rankings

Men's d3 National Rankings 2/21

1 Amherst
2 Emory
3 CMS
4 WashU
5 UC Santa Cruz
6 Middlebury
7 Williams
8 Carnegie Mellon
9 Trinity(TX)
10 Johns Hopkins
11 Bowdoin
12 NC Wesleyan
13 Redlands
14 Kenyon
15 Mary Washington
16 Cal Lutheran
17 Trinity(CT)
18 Depauw
19 Chicago
20 Bates
21 Denison
22 Whitewater
23 Whitman
24 Pomona
25 MIT
26 Vassar
27 Christopher Newport
28 Wash & Lee
29 Kalamazoo
30 Brandeis
31 Salisbury
32 Case Western
33 Gustavus
34 Carleton
35 TCNJ
36 Luther
37 McMurry
38 Hampden Sydney
39 Skidmore
40 Stevens Tech
41 Swarthmore
42 UT-Tyler
43 Rhodes
44 Linfield
45 Washington College
46 Ithaca
47 Tufts
48 Willamette
49 Grinnell
50 Coe
51 Occidental
52 St Thomas(MN)
53 Eau Claire
54 Franklin & Marshall
55 St Lawrence
56 Carthage
57 Birmingham Southern
58 Haverford
59 Colby
60 Rochester
61 NYU
62 LaCrosse
63 Oshkosh
64 Augustana(IL)
65 Whittier
66 Ohio Northern
67 Whitworth
68 Monmouth(IL)
69 Wabash

What I learned yesterday

So again the Kohawks played twice, this time finishing at 820pm, a season's best. The playing of 3 dual matches in one day on 4 slow indoor courts makes for a long, and often mentally taxing day for the coaches. We work all week with the players training and tweaking their psyches & tennis games, shaping them for what we hope will be a performance that registers improvement from the previous Saturday.

Yesterday I learned(probably for the 54th time...I seem to be a slow learner)that this is not always the case, nor should I expect a guarantee of improvement just because I want it to happen, deem it imperative that it happen. Match experience on a tennis court cannot be bought. Growth occurs on its own timetable, different for every singles player and every doubles pair. Despite my whims, desires, and impatience!

So, I learned that some of our players are ready to perform consistently, some are not. Yet. I once again was reminded(and again, I seem to be a slow learner) just how competitive tennis is mostly about managing emotions well enough to allow the majority of the physical talent inside of a player to emerge. And, each individual learns at their own rate. AND, I cannot do it for them. Which is frustrating!

I did also learn that Coe has a deep roster, full of players who have the ability to contribute in a positive manner. Each week we inch closer to being the type of performers that I believe we can be. Another difficult challenge awaits the Kohawks next week. Carthage has very talented individuals at the top of their lineup, and certainly a more than competent lower lineup, which will not only severely test Coe's top players, but place performance stress on the remainder of our lineup.

Good! I am looking forward to seeing how we handle this. The journey continues!

LIVE SCORING! Coe vs Central 2/19

Coe:9 Central:0

Doubles: 3-0

#1 Rausa/Stegemann vs Bowser/Harris 8-4

#2 Newman/Tucker vs Boswell/Dreyer 9-8 (9-7)
#3 Khristenko/Stokstad vs Freischlag/Hendricks 8-2

#4 (Exhibition) Starkenburg/Klaas vs Central 8-2

Singles: 6-0

#1 Victor Khristenko vs Dan Bowser 6-3, 6-2
#2 Elliot Rausa vs Seth Harris 6-4, 6-2
#3 Scott Stegemann vs Bryn Boswell 6-2, 4-1
#4 Jonathan Roger vs Kyle Freischlag 6-0, 6-1
#5 Jeff Damisch vs Jacob Dreyer 6-1, 6-2
#6 Alex Klaas vs Zane Hendricks 6-2, 6-1

#7 (Exhibition) Daken Starkenburg vs Central 3-2

LIVE SCORING! Coe vs Oshkosh 2/19

COE: 7 Oshkosh: 2

Doubles: 2-1

#1Rausa/Stegemann vs Kilsdonk/Lewis 8-4

#2Tucker/Newman vs Hoffmann/Price 7-6 (Retire)
#3Starkenburg/Klaas vs Blackburn/Hopfensberger 3-8

#4(Exhibition) Damish/Stokstad vs Oshkosh 8-5

Singles: 5-1

#1Victor Khristenko vs Nate Kilsdonk 7-6 (4), 6-1
#2Elliot Rausa vs Dustin Blackburn 6-1, 6-1
#3Scott Stegemann vs Robbie Price 6-2, 6-2
#4Curtis Newman vs Kevin Lewis 6-3, 0-6, 4-6
#5Jeff Damisch vs Scott Niemi 6-4, 6-2
#6Sean Stokstad vs Josh Hopfensberger 6-2, 7-6(5)

News, Tidbits, Scoops, etc.

...Coach K is back from a Family Gathering(in Mexico!) Great to have her energy around again! Daughter(2 + years old) Emmie has decided she wants to live in Puerto Vallarta.....smart girl!

...A challenging Saturday looks like it just got tougher. Kohawks battling injuries and the usual Winter illnesses. Several players will be "game-time" decision.

...Women's practice back in roaring style. Ladies have been on court daily as a Team, or in small groups as academic schedules permit. They look GOOD!

...Coe holding Academic Scholarship Weekend today and tomorrow. Record number of Tennis recruits interviewing. That is a good thing!

...22 hours of on court coaching were logged by yours truly the 1st four days of this week. Good to have dedicated & interested players!

...Coach Rob appears to be holding up well under a workload that includes going to classes, managing the building in evenings, teaching lessons, and working with players in & outside of practice. Of course, it must help that he is 24 years old!!!!!

...some good Central Region d3 tennis matches this week(besides Coe's!) the 2011 season really starting to heat up!

...at the TOP of d3 Men's Tennis, the ITA sponsored National Indoor is occurring Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Fredericksburg, VA. 8 of the top teams in the country! The Women's National Indoor next weekend in Minnesota.

...Other Kohawk Winter Teams doing well also. Women's Basketball tries to clinch top seed in IIAC tourney tomorrow, Men's Basketball has the #2 seed locked up, Wrestling is #5 in the country, Track has the top time in the country in the 800 meters, and Swimming currently 3rd in the big Liberal Arts meet on campus. Baseball & Softball throwing(outside!) daily on the FieldTurf at Clark Field.

...Pitchers & Catchers have reported to MLB Spring Training! Go Reds!

...Live Scoring for tomorrow's Tennis. See you there!

This Week in d3 Central

Men

#1WashU at ITA Indoorhttp://www.umweagles.com/news/2011/2/10/MTEN_ITA2011.aspx
#2 Kenyon at #10 Case Westernhttp://athletics.kenyon.edu/x38508.xml
#3 Depauw hosts Dubuque, Indianapolishttp://www.depauw.edu/ath/news/story/26589/
#4 Chicago hosts #7 Kalamazoo(SUNDAY)http://athletics.uchicago.edu/news-2010-11/mt-kzoo-022111.htm
#6 Whitewater at #8 Carleton (FRIDAY)http://www.uwwsports.com/news/2011/2/18/MTEN_0218112256.aspx?path=mten
#6 Whitewater at #18Augustana(IL)http://www.uwwsports.com/news/2011/2/19/MTEN_0219111127.aspx?path=mten
#9 Gustavus hosts St Johns, St Olaf, #12Grinnell
http://www.gojohnnies.com/custompages/Statistics/Tennis/2011/021911.htm
http://stolaf.edu/athletics/tennis/men/media/2010-11/box/sto-gac.htm
http://wm.grinnell.edu/athletics/mtennis/statistics/MTENN11/0219gac.htm
Women

#1 Chicago at #5 WashUhttp://bearsports.wustl.edu/Stats/TeamStats/tennis-womens/2010-2011/match2.htm
#6 Wheaton at Hopehttp://athletics.wheaton.edu/custompages/wten/stats/hope.htm
#6 Wheaton vs Kalamazoohttp://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2011/2/19/WTEN_kzoo.aspx?path=wten
#7 Carleton vs Hamline(FRIDAY)http://apps.carleton.edu/athletics/varsity_sports/womens_tennis/schedule_and_results/?story_id=711880&event_id=668739
#8 St Olaf vs St Catherine's(FRIDAY)http://www.stolaf.edu/athletics/tennis/women/media/2010-11/box/sto-scu.htm

2/19 Preview

On Saturday, February 19th the Coe College Men's Tennis Team will take on two more quality opponents in the Clark Racquet Center. The Titans of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and the Dutch of Central College.

Oshkosh

Judging from last week's results the Titans are a vastly improved squad in 2011. Although they dropped the match 8-1 to #21Whitewater, a number of the individual contests could have gone either way against the impressive Whitewater lineup. Oshkosh also destroyed a very talented Wheaton College team over the weekend. This could be the year Oshkosh moves into 2nd place in the challenging WIAA. Coach Steve Francour's teams always play with emotion and intensity, and they are led this year by Nate Kilsdonk and Dustin Blackburn. Coe edged Oshkosh 6-3 in 2010 with four of the nine matches going extra time.

Central

Likewise the Dutch had a very competitive loss to a highly ranked team last weekend. Central was felled by #37 Luther College on the extremely fast court surface in Decorah. Again, within the individual contests were a number of matches that could have gone either way. Central is a very well-coached team that plays the game with passion and discipline. They return their entire lineup from last year with the addition of two newcomers in the starting rotation. Dan Bowser and Seth Harris headline the Dutch lineup and Bowser is acknowledged as one of the top players in the Iowa Conference. This is the second IIAC contest for Coe this year. Central owns the 2nd most number of IIAC titles in history.

Kohawks

Fresh off of two competitive duals last Saturday the Kohawks prepare for what should be their most competitive February Saturday. Expect a long day as all three matches look to be hotly contested. Coe played much improved doubles last Saturday, and that trend must continue for the Kohawks to come out ahead on the 19th. The health of the Team will be a question as three rotation players are battling illness this week. Look for good emotion in doubles, combined with patience and discipline in singles to be the team goals for the Kohawks.

Schedule of Play

9am Coe College vs Oshkosh
1pm Central College vs Oshkosh
5pm Coe College vs Central College

Snowmelt! Outdoor Tennis Near?

Cedar Rapids is in the midst of a five day Snow Melt with temperatures "soaring" into the 40's and 50's! Clark Racquet Center's outdoor courts are slowly emerging from the Winter and should be clear of the white snow by week's end! This means Spring Break is nearing. Temperature today in Altamonte Springs, Florida......72 degrees!

Updated Men's d3 National Rankings

Although there has been a lot of play in the Midwest, not so much in other climates. Hence very little movement amongst schools. Play begins in earnest across the country the next two weekends.

Men's NCAAd3 Rankings (2/14/11)

1 Amherst
2 Emory
3 Claremont
4 Santa Cruz
5 WashU
6 Trinity(TX)
7 Middlebury
8 Williams
9 NC Wesleyan
10 Cal Lutheran
11Johns Hopkins
12 Bowdoin
13 Carnegie Mellon
14 Redlands
15 Kenyon
16 Trinity(CT)
17 Depauw
18 UChicago
19 Bates
20 Denison
21 Whitewater
22 Whitman
23 Pomona
24 Mary Washington
25 UT Tyler
26 MIT
27 Vassar
28 Christopher Newport
29 Wash & Lee
30 Kalamazoo
31 Salisbury
32 Brandeis
33 Carleton
34 Gustavus
35 TCNJ
36 Case Western
37 Luther
38 Hampden-Sydney
39 Skidmore
40 Stevens Tech
41 Swarthmore
42 Rhodes
43 Linfield
44 Washington College
45 Ithaca
46 Tufts
47 Willamette
48 Grinnell
49 Coe
50 Occidental
51 St Thomas(MN)
52 Eau Claire
53 Franklin & Marshall
54 St Lawrence
55 Birmingham Southern
56 Carthage
57 Haverford
58 Colby
59 Rochester
60 NYU
61 LaCrosse
62 Augustana(IL)

What I Learned Yesterday...

What I learned yesterday as the Men's Team held their 2nd Saturday of competition in Clark Racquet Center.

I learned that after a "scratchy" week of doubles practice, we were a bit better in the morning, and (finally!) in the evening brought a bit of the intensity and emotion I feel is necessary for good doubles play. It was nice to see all 4 courts focused and intent at the same time. Now if we can do that from the beginning next Saturday and sustain throughout, I would be content. At least for an hour or so!

Singles play demonstrated improvement, just not on the same scale as doubles. It is a very nice luxury for the coaches to have 11 players vying for court time. And deserving of it. The opportunity to compete on a regular basis, to perform repetitions in a match setting, and to have competitive foes across the net, all contribute to our growth.

I also know from looking at the match boxscores of next week's opposition(UW-Oshkosh & Central) that we NEED to have a good week of practice, good health and continued improvement to have an opportunity to succeed again next Saturday!

http://www.central.edu/athletics/tennismens/statistics/2010-11/game-07.htm

http://www.titans.uwosh.edu/MTennis/2011/UWW1.html

A challenging Saturday awaits us on February 19th!

LIVE SCORING! Coe vs Cornell College

Coe College 9 Cornell College 0

Rausa/Stegemann 1d Bradfield/Shonkwiler 8-4
Tucker/Newman 2d Russikoff/O'Donnell 8-4
Khristenko/Damisch 3d Wilkinson/Klauer 8-4
Janssen/Stokstad 4d* 8-0

Victor Khristenko 1s Justin Bradfield 6-4 6-3
Scott Stegemann 2s Garrett Russikoff 6-3 6-3
Elliot Rausa 3s Neal Klauer 6-1 6-0
Curtis Newman 4s Sam O'Donnell 63 62
Kyle Tucker 5s Joseph Gelfand 61 63
Sean Stokstad 6s Orion Wilkinson 64 62
Alex Klaas xs 80
Daken Starkenburg xs 81

LIVE SCORING! Coe vs LaCrosse

Coe College 7 Wisconsin-LaCrosse 2

Rausa/Stegemann 1d Piotrowksi/Stadum 84
Khristenko/Damisch 2d Fekete/Quiring 48
Newman/Tucker 3d Schwind/Mirasola 82
Klaas/Starkenburg 4d* 81

Victor Khristenko 1s Nick Piotrowksi 4-6 7-6 5-7
Elliot Rausa 2s Bud Fekete 6-3 6-3
Scott Stegemann 3s Steven Quiring 7-5 7-5
Jonathan Roger 4s Peter Stadum 7-5 4-6 6-4
Jeff Damisch 5s Vic Mirasola 75 26 10-8
Curtis Newman 6s CJ Schwind 6-1 6-2
Mike Janssen * 7s 82

This Week in d3 Central

Ranked Men's Teams in action:

#1 WashU vs McKendree http://bearsports.wustl.edu/Stats/TeamStats/tennis-mens/2010-2011/match3.htm
#2 Kenyon vs #3 UChicago http://athletics.kenyon.edu/x38408.xml
#3 UChicago vs #6 Denison http://www.denison.edu/athletics/mens/tennis/1011/denm0212.htm
#2 Kenyon vs #7 Kalamazoo http://athletics.kenyon.edu/x38423.xml
#5 Whitewater vs Oshkosh http://www.titans.uwosh.edu/MTennis/2011/UWW1.html
#5 Whitewater vs Lake Forest http://www.uwwsports.com/news/2011/2/11/MTEN_0212110209.aspx?path=mten
#5 Whitewater vs Wheaton http://www.uwwsports.com/news/2011/2/11/MTEN_0212110209.aspx?path=mten
#8 Carleton vs St Mary's http://apps.carleton.edu/athletics/varsity_sports/mens_tennis/statistics/
#9 Gustavus vs Hamline https://gustavus.edu/athletics/mt/archives/2011/stats/gachu.htm
#9 Gustavus vs Minnesota Statehttps://gustavus.edu/athletics/mt/archives/2011/stats/gacmsu.htm
#10 Luther vs Central http://www.central.edu/athletics/tennismens/statistics/2010-11/game-07.htm

Ranked Women's Teams in Action:

#2 Denison vs California(PA) http://www.denison.edu/athletics/womens/tennis/1011/denw0211.htm
#3 Gustavus vs Drake https://gustavus.edu/athletics/wt/archives/2011/stats/gacdu.htm
#3 Gustavus vs Omaha https://gustavus.edu/athletics/wt/archives/2011/stats/gacuno.htm
#3 Gustavus vs Graceland(IA) https://gustavus.edu/athletics/wt/archives/2011/stats/gacgrace.htm
#8 Carleton vs St Mary's http://www.carleton.edu/departments/publ/sportsinfo/wtennis/2011/0213smuw.htm

Blackout Clark Racquet Center!

This Saturday, February 12th, will be the Annual Men's Tennis Blackout!

Faculty, Staff, Students: WEAR YOUR BLACKOUT T-SHIRT TO THE 9 AM MEET AND GET FREE POPCORN, AND AN ENTRY INTO THE SPIRIT BUCKET RAFFLE!

Spirit Bucket Includes:
Coe College Sticky Notes
Coe College Pen
Coe College Pencil
Coe College Postcard
$10 Itunes Giftcard
I <3 Coe Mouse Pad
Coe College Chap Stick
Kohawk Stickers
Kohawk T-Shirt

BLACKOUT T-SHIRTS WILL BE FOR SALE AT THE MEET:

$6 FOR STUDENTS/FACULTY/STAFF

$10 FOR EVERYONE ELSE

2/12 Preview

Saturday, February 12th marks the 2nd weekend of play for the Coe College Men's Tennis Team. The Kohawks(2-0) will be hosting UW-LaCrosse and Cornell College.

UW-LaCrosse

LaCrosse narrowly missed the NCAA field in 2010 as a member of Pool B(Independents) and they are currently ranked #16 in the Central Region by the ITA Ranking Committee. Coach Bill Hehli does a fantastic job with his doubles lineup year in and year out. 2010 was no exception as the Eagles rode a doubles sweep to a 5-4 win over Coe. In addition to having outstanding doubles, LaCrosse has a top #1 singles player in left-hander Nick Piotrowski. He topped IIAC MVP Greg Janssen by a 62 62 count in 2010. Bud Fekete, Steven Quiring, and top freshman Peter Stadum will highlight the Eagles' starting lineup.

Cornell College

Cornell College from nearby Mt Vernon, Iowa, will be the 1st Iowa Conference foe in 2011 for the Kohawks. Last year's 6th place finisher in the IIAC, adds 3 first-year starters to a young roster that includes no seniors, and only one junior. Coach Patrick Cote has made roster depth a priority, and the young Rams are expected to provide a stern test for opponents throughout their lineup. Sophomore Garrett Russikoff leads the team with his double-fisted groundstrokes, and expect to see a large contribution from the talented Sam O'Donnell, a Cedar Rapids Washington HS grad.

Kohawks

Coe defeated UW-Eau Claire(6-3) and St Ambrose University(9-0) last Saturday despite struggling all day with their doubles play. Fortunately outstanding singles countered the slow start in doubles. Look for an incremental improvement in doubles basics this week and a continuing display of tenacity in singles.

Schedule of Play

9am Coe vs UW-LaCrosse
1pm UW-LaCrosse vs Cornell College
5pm Coe vs Cornell College

(We will attempt to again supply our "Live-Scoring" feature to the Blog.)

Milestone

Somebody asked me a question the other day about a W/L mark from a season in the 1990's. In checking for the answer, I discovered an intimidating fact(at least to me!) On March 8th, 2011, in a Women's match vs Meredith College, in sunny(hopefully) Orlando, Florida, I am going to "coach" my 900th collegiate dual match. Now technically speaking, I haven't actually "coached" that many. Mark Murphy, Kris Diehl, and soon, Rob Rye will have taken their turns driving vans and tempering emotions while I was doing the same in a different locale. All the same 900 is a big number and when I started(against Indiana State while at Evansville in September 1985) I never, ever, EVER thought I would be approaching being involved in 900 meets.

It is humbling to have had the opportunity to work with college tennis players for so long. I still sleep very restlessly during seasons, I still have to "force" myself to eat on days of matches, and I still despise losing! (speaking of which, you would think I would be used to it, having lost over 300 times!) Coaches talk about journeys, about enjoying the competition. Well, I really have. What I treasure the most has been the practices, the preparation prior to the weekend matches, watching and helping players improve their tennis games, their emotional control.

Thanks to the University of Evansville, to Coe College, to Mark, Kris, & Rob, and most of all to the hundreds of players who I have gotten to know. I cannot wait to check back in after 1000 matches, or 1100, or 1200......

What I Learned Yesterday...

As one would hope, I learned a few things about the 2011 edition of the Kohawk Men's Tennis Team after yesterday's Opening Day. Here are a few random observations.....

a) everyone is nervous on Opening Day...even seniors with over 300 collegiate matches between them.
b) Coe has a lot of players with significant upside in singles. The daily competition in practice carried over into Saturday play where we looked good for the first time out.
c) doubles is not there yet, but showed signs of having the potential of being at least solid, if not above average.
d) fitness was good, seemingly on its way to being a big positive
e) emotional control and balance was, for a change, largely a positive. if that continues to maintain and even improve......it could turn out to be the single most important gain of the day!

and finally,

the Kohawk Women's Tennis Team is awesome! The Ladies spent virtually as much time in the Center yesterday(without playing) as did the Men. They successfully ran Kid's Day(which was very cute!) and teamed up to paint Room #205 such that the finished product(excepting some brilliant artwork that we await from Nat) can only be described as bold!

I am looking forward to next week's challenge presented to us by UW-LaCrosse and Cornell!

Live Scoring - Coe vs. St. Ambrose

Doubles: 3-0

#1 Rausa/Stegemann vs. O'Donnell/Gonzales 8-3

#2 Newman/Tucker vs. Harts/Frandsen 8-5

#3 Starkenburg/Klaas vs. Goodnight/Jensen 8-4

Singles:

#1 Khristenko vs. Gonzalez 6-2, 6-2

#2 Roger vs. Harts 6-1, 6-3

#3 Newman vs. Frandsen 6-0, 6-1

#4 Damisch vs. Goodnight 6-1, 6-0

#5 Tucker vs. Jensen 6-0, 6-0

#6 Janssen vs. Rolfe 6-2, 6-0

#7 (Exhibition) Stokstad vs. Rolfe 8-0

Saturday Afternoon in the Racquet Center

Following their victory over Wisconsin-Eau Claire (6-3), members of the Men's team enjoying lunch.
Following Campus Kids' Day, the Women's team decided it imperative to redecorate the player's lounge (located on the upper level of Clark Racquet Center overlooking the courts). Personally, I'm very excited to see the end product! Look for pictures in the near future of the updated, modern, player's lounge featuring artwork by Natalie Bordignon, and her fellow 2010-2011 Kohawk teammates.

Campus Kids' Day a Success!

Coe hosted a Campus Kids' Day this morning preceding and during the Men's match against Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The Women's team played an integral part in making the event a success. Thank you to all of the ladies! The kids engaged in several activities (racquet and fitness) prior to the match, and then headed out on court to watch the Kohawks play doubles! Each participant received a Coe College Tennis t-shirt.

Live Scoring - Coe vs. Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Coe 6, Wisconsin-Eau Claire 3

Singles: 5-1

#1 Khristenko v. Kuna 5-7, 3-6 W-EC

#2 Rausa v. Olson 6-1, 6-3 COE

#3 Stegemann v. Wollum 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 COE

#4 Roger v. Marco 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) COE

#5 Damish v. Thorton 6-3, 6-1 COE

#6 Newman v. Robertson 6-2, 6-3 COE

Doubles: 1-2

#1 Rausa/Stegemann v. Kuna/Olson 7-9 W-EC

#2 Khristenko/Damisch v. VanRybroek/Wollum 8-9 (2-7) W-EC

#3 Newman/Tucker v. Robertson/Marco 9-7 COE

#4 (Exhibition) Starkenburg/Klaas v. Eau Claire 8-5 COE

#5 (Exhibition) Starkenburg/Stokstad v. Eau Claire 4-8 W-EC

#6 (Exhibition) Janssen/Wilson v. Eau Claire 1-8 W-EC

Saturday 2/5 Preview

Finally!

On Saturday, February 5th, the Coe College Men's Tennis Team will open their 2011 dual match season, hosting #49 ranked Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Iowa's top NAIA program, St Ambrose University.

Eau Claire

The BluGolds played in the NCAA tournament the past two years, and had a fantastic 2010 season, beating area power, Carleton. Their one slip-up was a 5-4 loss to Coe, where the Kohawks capitalized on a 4% chance of winning after getting swept in doubles. Eau Claire is led by one of the top #1 players in the Central Region, Chris Kuna. He along with Lars Olson, Eric Wollum and Dirk Van Rybroek return to lead the BluGolds.

St Ambrose

The Bees from nearby Davenport, are historically the top NAIA Tennis school in the state of Iowa. Santiago Gonzalez from Leon, Mexico has been holding down the top spot for the Bees, followed by Michael Harts and Luke Wood. Don't be surprised if former Cedar Rapids Washington High School standout Barney O'Donnell appears at, or near, the top of the lineup, after starring at quarterback this past Fall. His addition to the roster makes St Ambrose a difficult foe. Coe won last year 7-2.

Kohawks

#50 Coe has the good fortune of having 11 players vying for starting positions. Seniors, Elliot Rausa and Scott Stegemann return as the most experienced on the roster and they will team up again at #1 doubles in the only set roster spot. Juniors Victor Khristenko and Jonathan Roger, sophomores, Curtis Newman and Kyle Tucker provide experience also. Newcomer, and former local standout, Jeff Damisch should bolster the strength of the Kohawk lineup. Mike Janssen, Alex Klaas, Daken Starkenburg, and Sean Stokstad also are competing for court time.

Schedule of Play

9am UW-Eau Claire vs Coe
1pm St Ambrose vs UW-Eau Claire
5pm Coe vs St Ambrose

BLIZZARD!

A blizzard rumbled in mid-afternoon yesterday and blanketed Cedar Rapids and the surrounding area with 10 inches of snow. Gusts of snow (attributed to 30 mph winds) made travel very difficult. In fact, Coach Kris decided it best to stay overnight in the Racquet Center. The campus is essentially shut down today (Wednesday classes were canceled Tuesday evening). Despite that, the Racquet Center is OPEN! The above meager trail(s) to the Racquet Center represents 40 minutes of shoveling this morning. The Men's Team will be practicing at noon today. As always, I expect several of the guys to be putting time in outside of the regularly scheduled practice time as well....on court with one or multiple coaches, teammates, conditioning on own, etc. Looking forward to a GREAT day ahead!

A Day in the Life of Coach Rodgers.....

5:45am to 6:15am - Wake Up and Ride the Bike Trainer

6:15am to 7am - Shower, Breakfast, Glance at Paper, Let Dogs In/Out 3x

7am - Arrival at Racquet Center

7:05am to 8:30am - tennisrecruiting.net, Glance at 6 Newspapers, ITA Results Page, Program Plan with Coach Kris

8:30am to 9:30am - String Racquets for Mike and Curtis

9:30am - Pick Up and Deliver Athletic Department Mail

10am to 11am - Work with Alex on Court (Serves)

11am to 12pm - Email Women's Team Regarding Practice Availability, String Victor's New Frames

12pm to 1pm - Athletic Department Head Coaches Meeting

1pm to 2pm - Work with Curtis and Kyle on Court (Volleys, Returns)

2pm to 3pm - Work with Coach K on Court (Breaking Down 2 Handed BH Technique)

3pm to 3:30pm - Practice Plan

3:30pm to 6pm - Men's Tennis Practice

6pm to 6:30pm - Sauna, Shower

6:30pm to 9:30pm - Watch Tennis Channel, Dinner, Decompress

TOTAL TIME ON COURT: 5.5 HOURS

TOTAL TIME STRINGING RACQUETS: 2 HOURS

TOTAL TIME DEDICATED TO KOHAWK TENNIS: ALL OF IT!