Kohawk TENNIS

LIVE SCORING

2012-02-03T14:23:00.004-06:00

As in 2011, we will provide live scoring updates throughout the Kohawk Tennis matches tomorrow. Look for updates every 15 minutes beginning at 930CST

Coe vs Wisconsin-Eau Claire 9am

Coe vs Westminster(MO) 5pm

Eau Claire is led by senior Chris Kuna who is the #5 returning ranked player from the 2011 season. Kuna sported a 19-3 record at #1 singles last year and a 20-6 record at #1 doubles. The Blugolds specialize in doubles as they posted a 70-10 record in dual match doubles play. Eau Claire appeared in both the 2010 and 2011 NCAA Tournament

Westminster and Coach David Dyson are led by #1 player, Tony Stephenson. The junior from Jefferson City sported a 12-5 record in singles and a 13-5 record in doubles. The BlueJays as a Team won 67% of their doubles matches. Westminster also was a NCAA Team participant in 2010 and 2011.

Coe College Kohawks Seniors Victor Khristenko and Jonathan Roger return to lead Coe into the 2012 campaign. The duo combined for 19 singles wins and Kohawk doubles pairs ran to a 58-31 mark during the 22-8 season.

Health & Wellness Wednesdays - Nutrition

2012-02-01T14:28:00.002-06:00

As a certified health & wellness nut (Coach too! And Rob is coming around!), I will be posting information every Wednesday that falls under the general category of. Today's topic, nutrition. Specifically, my own nutrition as disseminated to my fitness class a couple of months ago.

My personal nutrition plan is a compilation of:

High intake of SuperFoods/Magic Foods (I try for 12 a day and plan to transition to organic over time since many of those foods fall within the Dirty Dozen)
A limited intake of sugar (Sugar Busters)
Proper food combining (science based) and timing of intake / particular foods based on your body's cycle (all derived from Fit for Life)
Common Sense (much of that mapped out in the Fit for Life book as well and quite a comical read at times because of)
Indulgence / Moderation.....easier to follow "plan" as a whole if allow self to indulge now and again (frequency of indulgence determined by whether trying to maintain or lose weight). Personally, I have 12 weaknesses......with Fountain Coke being at the top of that list. I usually allow myself 3-4 indulgences per week.

The 14 Original SuperFoods:

http://pals2u.tripod.com/id19.html

The second edition (following more research) includes these additional SuperFoods (with sidekicks listed):

Apples - pears

Avocado - asparagus, artichokes, extra virgin olive oil

Dark Chocolate

Dried Superfruits - raisins, dates, prunes, figs, apricots, blueberries, cranberries, cherries, currants

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - canola oil

Honey

Kiwi - pineapple, guava

Onions - garlic, scallions, shallots, leeks, chives

Pomegranates - plums

SuperSpices: Cinnamon, Cumin, Garlic, Oregano, Thyme, Tumeric

Although there is much overlap, I also consider "Magic Foods" to fall under the category of SuperFoods. There are 57 in total - apples, avocado, barley, beans, beef, berries, bran, broccoli, brown rice, brussels sprouts, bulgur, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cheese, cherries, chicken (and turkey), cinnamon, citrus fruits, coffee, eggplant, eggs, fenugreek, fish, flaxseed, garlic, jerusalem artichokes, lamb, lemons, lentils, melons, milk, nuts, oats, olive oil, onions, pasta, peaches (apricots & plums), peanut butter, peas, pork, pumpernickel bread, rye bread, seeds, shellfish, sourdough bread, soy foods, spinach, sweet potatoes, tea, tomatoes, tumeric, vinegar, wheatberries, wheat germ, whole wheat (bread and flour), yogurt.

SuperFoods Book

http://www.amazon.com/Superfoods-Rx-Diet-Weight-SuperNutrients/dp/B00375LMFW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321381976&sr=1-1

Magic Foods Book

http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Foods-Simple-Changes-Supercharge/dp/B001QFZLS4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321381913&sr=1-1

Sugar Busters Book:

http://www.amazon.com/New-Sugar-Busters-Cut-Trim/dp/0345469585/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321382022&sr=1-1

Fit for Life Book:

http://www.amazon.com/Fit-Life-Harvey-Diamond/dp/0446553646/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321382071&sr=1-1

The irony is that I typed this blog post while sitting in the player's lounge with coach snacking on carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and hummus. :)

Season Opener!

2012-01-31T10:33:00.005-06:00

It is Tuesday, the final day of January and this weekend marks the true onset of the 2012 Winter/Spring portion of the D3 Men's Tennis Season. Each and every Tuesday throughout the next few months I will take a look at the Central Region and how the ranked schools are faring, and keep on eye on teams that I have earmarked as up and coming.

This week the feature match is clearly in Kalamazoo, Michigan where the senior laden Hornets host Kenyon College. Regardless of the outcome, this is clearly the best Zoo Team in recent years and may just be the squad that vaults Kalamazoo back into national prominence. The only other match up of ranked Central Region foes is here in Cedar Rapids where #12Coe hosts #14Eau Claire. #3Chicago hosts Elmhurst this Saturday also, and I have Elmhurst(along with Carthage, Ohio Northern, LaCrosse, and Monmouth) as Teams that have the roster potential to vault into the top 15 ranking slots. #15St Thomas hosts LaCrosse.

Central Region Rankings 11/3/11

1 WashU
2 Kenyon
3 Chicago
4 Depauw
5 Case Western
6 Denison
7 Gustavus
8 Whitewater
9 Kalamazoo
10 Carleton
11 Luther
12 Coe
13 Grinnell
14 Eau Claire
15 St Thomas

Others: Carthage, Elmhurst, Ohio Northern, LaCrosse, Wabash, Oshkosh, Monmouth, Illinois Wesleyan, Augustana, Earlham, Hope, Cornell

Ring Ceremony

2012-01-30T10:05:00.003-06:00

This past Friday, Coe hosted a Ring Ceremony to honor our All-Conference athletes from the 2010-2011 school year. The event was held in our Alumni House on campus and attended by the athletes being honored, coaches, President Phifer and some noted alums. Forgive me; the pictures below do not do justice to the elegance of the room/ceremony. Our Athletic Director, John Chandler, presented the rings. Victor Khristenko, Scott Stegemann, Elliot Rausa, Hannah Jensen, Michelle Schupbach and Tai Lucero all received rings for their on-court performance! Coach Rodgers and I were in attendance and quite proud! Coach Rob held down the Racquet Center, and monitored the remaining challenge matches still on court. Speaking of challenge matches.....Coach Rob played against our top men, finished the weekend with an undefeated record and perched at the top of our line-up!

A typical day in the Racquet Center...

2012-01-26T12:26:00.003-06:00

Apologies for the quality (or lack thereof) of the picture, but the view from the tennis player's lounge, and my day thus far, reminded me why I'm at Coe. I started my morning on court with Molly Garber (Fiala), a recent All-American graduate. She is a nurse at Mercy Hospital here in Cedar Rapids. While warming up (which only takes one ball with Molly), we discussed Australian Open play, and each of our late evenings because of it. Followed that up with some fairly high quality ball-striking and set-play! Before her departure for work, she commented on how much she gained from her experience as a tennis player at Coe. She claims that no one truly knows Coach (Rodgers) until they have been a tennis player under him; he gave her life skills (and a perspective towards life in general) that she has much appreciation for. Molly also alluded to Coach's personality, and the way he treats his players as being unmatched.

I now find myself grabbing a snack in the player's lounge, with the view pictured above. Another alum and local realtor, Steve Eden, is playing against our top Kohawk, Michelle Schupbach, on the first court. Fellow teammates, Jackie Pedersen and Elizabeth Hoffmann, are on the second court. Coach Rob is working with Hiroshi (a student from Japan, who came to us with a "soft tennis" background). Yehya Abdullah, another alum, on on the fourth court!

Up next: I teach a max fitness class at 1 (Hannah Jensen, also a recent alum and standout at Coe, will be joining my class). Back on court with Coach Rodgers at 2. Day off for the men playing challenge matches this weekend, but I suspect many of them will find the courts this afternoon nonetheless.

Proud to be a Kohawk!

My invitation to Mitchell Louis....

2012-01-25T10:13:00.005-06:00

Given our stress on physicality and fitness, the men were on court at 7:15 this morning for running. Coach Rob arose to administer. As shown, all 3 coaches (and Emmie!) had caffeine in hand. Coffee does have nutritional benefits, and E & I treated self to Coke to celebrate the before school activity for her. Following the sprints, Mike Janssen joined Emmie for push-ups!

To further emphasize our conditioning, Victor (Rocky!) pictured below splitting wood while exiled over the Winter Break. Reality: Helping a local alum!

Finally, and once again, for Mitchell, I DO have a soft side.....

.....the Kohawk Men never see it though!

Alumni Mail

2012-01-24T10:35:00.004-06:00

Editor's note....Mitchell Louis played at Coe during the early and mid-1990's, in what he describes as "the best six or eight years of my life". Mitchell was a member of Conference Championship teams in 1995 and 1996. He was Captain of the Kohawks in 1997. He apparently has a disagreement with the current conditioning of the Team. I have posted his email, and my response

WOW! Your totally getting soft on me. I just read your blog from the January 16 and in that post not anywhere did I see sprints or conditioning runs. Heck where did that silly 2 mile run go that if you didn’t finish under 15 mins you couldn’t even hit a ball. That damn thing killed me and not to mention Rex and Shane too! I can remember both of them visiting the trash can down by the high jump mats.

Your totally getting soft Coach from an alumni point of view. Run them till they ask for their mommies or puke whatever comes first!

I hope to get down to a Super Saturday of tennis this year and cheer you guys on.

Good luck with the season and don’t forget the running!!!!!

MITCHELL LOUIS(97)

Wrong......we have changed the Conditioning aspect of the program.....lots more core and cardio and plyos....Coach Kris is in charge. She had 3 puke on each of the first 3 days. I still plan on having the fittest team on court every match. She has invited you to come and join one of her "easy" workouts any time you feel up to it!

Your boys from Eau Claire may kill us, but it won't be because of fitness!

Which, btw, would be a fine match for you to catch....you can be home to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday....if you Packer fans are watching FB anymore!

See you soon!

COACH RODGERS

Campus Showdown! Kohawk Happenings!

2012-01-23T08:57:00.004-06:00

This past weekend, Coe hosted our annual Women's Campus Showdown. Pictured above, Coach Rodgers and Coach Kris observing play (photography props to Coach Rob for the artistic shot!). Junior and top Kohawk, Michelle Schupbach, captured the Title with a win over first year standout, Jackie Pedersen, in the final. Upon completion of the compass draw, the ladies jumped back on court for some doubles action.

The men wrapped up their first week of practice, and are working hard to embrace some changes to our on and off court philosophies! I very much enjoyed yesterday's practice in which Coach Rodgers, Coach Rob and myself were all able to play in to the doubles!

Coach Rob's mother recently came to visit from CA. She is a USPTA teaching pro herself and really enjoyed (I believe!) seeing her son in his role here at Coe. We received our first snow storm on Day 2 of her visit; considering the fact that she did not see snow until the age of 25, Becky handled the weather just fine. Pictured below is Coach Kris and Becky out to lunch (with Coach Rob) at Kaffein downtown Cedar Rapids. Nick Bata is the owner and literally cooks healthy, delicious food, out of a closet. He and his father Tony Bata, the Director of Academic Information Technology at Coe, are in the process of opening a restaurant as well. Thanks to Becky for spending some time with us, attending one of my fitness classes, and most of all, keeping Coach Rob in line!

Finally, a snapshot from the whiteboard in our tennis player lounge.....

Looking forward to the week ahead; ALWAYS new challenges to face and conquer!

Men's Practice Begins!

2012-01-16T19:48:00.001-06:00

Spring season got off to a start one week early this year, and Coach Rodgers set the tone before the first practice with some high expectations for the Kohawk Men. Professionalism (on and off the court), commitment to the team, match performance (and the goal of beating higher-ranked teams, especially on the road), mental and emotional toughness, singles and (especially) doubles tactics, and, of course, health and fitness were emphasized. There's less than a month before the first matches of the season (a home double-header February 4th) and the guys look prepared to put in the work toward making this a successful season!

OZ Picks

2012-01-13T11:02:00.003-06:00

Love the Australian Open! Why?

1) The beautiful weather of Melbourne is usually in stark contrast to January in Iowa
2) Not much live tennis(if any) has been seen since the Davis Cup Final in Spain in early December.
3) Coincides almost exactly with the onset of the opening of the Spring(Winter?) Kohawk Tennis Season!

My off the cuff predictions for winners? Victoria Azarenka and Andy Murray. Why?

1) Because anyone can predict Djokovic and Serena.
2) Because Nadal, Clijsters, Serena, Federer, Wozniacki have all been hit with nagging injuries
3) Everyone is picking Kvitova
4) It is about time that Azarenka and Murray win a Grand Slam. Might as well be now!

Enjoy!

Only 9 Days

2012-01-07T12:14:00.003-06:00

Only nine days until the very first practice of 2012! Something new this year; an extra week of pre-season training. Why? Guess because I am skeptical of the physical condition of the Team after almost a month long break from Coe! Coach Kris has been finalizing her plans to remedy any conditioning lag. And, the extra time can be well spent on doubles skills and putting pairs together. Coach Rob's Holiday Assignment! Doubles always seems to be one of the top priorities for each season!

By the way, a great time to visit Cedar Rapids and Coe. The weather has been outstanding; temperatures have been in the 50's and projected to be in the mid or upper 40's the next five days. No snow!

Finally, a heartfelt congratulations to 1992 alum and longtime bachelor holdout, Kevin Buckner, as he ended 2011 in style, marrying the former Nicole Eisele on December 30th in Denver, CO. Kevin played for me as a junior player in Columbus, OH, as a collegiate player at the University of Evansville, and concluded his college tennis days as a Kohawk. Shane Abraham(1994) served as Best Man and gave an outstanding verbal toast to Kevin & Nicole.

Practices will be daily from 3:30pm onward. All are welcome to stop by!

Nike Apparel

2012-01-04T11:08:00.003-06:00

Kohawk Tennis Nike apparel is available via the following links: Men's Gear - Women's Gear

Simply follow the instructions on the forms. The end date is January 13th, not Dec 25th (as stated on the forms).

Welcome to 2012

2012-01-01T10:05:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year!

-- Rivers go places. Sometimes they move fast, sometimes they move slow. The power of a river is such that it can accomplish great things by consistently applying effort across a span of time.

Above, the tranquil, meandering Rio Grande River flows out of Santa Elena Canyon in Texas. Below, the Rio Grande exits Mariscal Canyon some 30 miles later, showing the strength of its power with the deep and steep canyons it has cut in the land with the United States on the left, and Mexico on the right.

Here is hoping that each of you begins 2012 with plans to achieve great things of your own by consistently applying effort.

I know that is what we will be doing for Kohawk Tennis here at Coe College

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:47:00.001-06:00

Nutrition Article

2011-12-24T04:12:00.002-06:00

Great article in the new Tennis magazine:

20 Things You Need to Know About Nutrition

1. Your Diet Impacts Your Brain Function
2. The Right Breakfast Fights Hunger All Day

3. Food Can Fight Pain
4. Don't Run on Empty
5. Sleep Matters ... A Lot
6. Omega-3s Are Beyond Essential
7. Milk Does More Than Double Duty
8. Don't Get Fooled by the Afterburn Myth
9. Organic Food is Worth the Extra Money
10. Alcohol May Weaken Muscle

Can't seem to find the latter 10 online; will post them once have the magazine in front of me.

Happy Holidays to all!

Big Bend National Park

2011-12-16T21:33:00.004-06:00

It is a RARITY for Coach Rodgers to be absent from the Racquet Center, especially for an extended period of time (and by that I mean hours and/or days). However, with activity on campus slowing down, Coach left this past Monday morning and drove to Big Bend National Park in Texas. He has had limited cell service throughout, but did manage to send a few pictures our way. Know that his time in remote locations re-energizes him for the Kohawk Tennis ahead. Heard that he had a run-in with Border Patrol though who couldn't seem to figure out, nor find his license plate in their database: COE10S :)

Part of me believes that they were simply baffled as to why one would drive from Iowa to Texas?

2012 Spring Schedule Posters

2011-12-12T16:28:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of posters/wallpapers of the the Men's and Women's spring schedules. A couple of the match-times (and even opponents) are not quite set in stone, such as the ladies' match with Hope during the Michigan weekend.

Coe College Christmas Vespers

2011-12-07T15:21:00.002-06:00

Last night, Emmie and I attended the Coe College Christmas Vespers service held in Sinclair Auditorium and presented by the Department of Music and the Chaplain's Office. Although Emmie was rather fidgety throughout, she was quite enthralled with the culmination of the service. The choir, and other performers, lined the side aisles and back of the auditorium to sing Silent Night with candles in hand. Having sat in the back corner (with a 3 1/2 year old), she was all of a sudden surrounded by the action, and awestruck by the beauty. I enjoyed the entire service and took great pride in once again, seeing Kohawk Tennis players in their element off the tennis court. Jackie Pedersen and Sam Kerby are each in the choir and performed wonderfully. There were also tennis players and parents in the crowd.

Fall Sports Banquet

2011-12-06T09:04:00.003-06:00

Coe held the Annual Fall Sports Banquet last night. Coach Rodgers spoke on behalf of the program, recapped the season, highlights of and presented awards to the ladies. A quite successful Fall to say the least....

Team Conference Season and Tournament Champions

Individual IIAC Singles Champion (Michelle Schupbach)

Individual IIAC Doubles Champions (Michelle Schupbach and Tai Lucero)

IIAC First Team - Michelle Schupbach, Tai Lucero and Jordan Ferree

IIAC MVP - Michelle Schupbach

IIAC All Academic - Tai Lucero, Sara Ohlman

IIAC Coach of the Year - Eric Rodgers

As members of SAAC, Michelle Schupbach and Elizabeth Hoffmann helped plan and execute the event. A job well done! However, Jackie Pedersen claims that she will boycott the event next year since the cheesecake was not up to her standards! Emmie (my daughter) was also in attendance and tried to capture the attention of the room via her dancing/singing along with "All I Want To Do" by Sugarland on the iPad.

Kohawk Tennis gear for sale

2011-12-05T15:19:00.001-06:00

Just in time for the holidays, you can order Men's and Women's Tennis gear from now until December 24th. Just follow the directions on the flyers linked here:Men's Gear - Women's Gear

2011-12-01T10:27:00.000-06:00

If you cannot see OVER the Table.....Sit ON the Table!

KOHAWK TENNIS APPAREL - NIKE TACKLE TWILL HOODED SWEATSHIRTS!

2011-11-28T16:45:00.001-06:00

We are currently accepting orders for Nike Tackle Twill Hooded Sweatshirts!

Available in the following colors: Cardinal (our Kohawk Crimson), Vegas Gold, Heather Grey, White, Black

$50 EACH....with $5 of that being a donation to the tennis program. :)

Great price for a high quality product!

Orders due by Friday Dec 2nd....in hopes that they will arrive in time for the Holidays!

To order, please send an email to kdiehl@coe.edu with your size and color noted for each sweatshirt. Submit payment to me as soon as possible. Checks payable to Coe College Tennis and can be mailed to:

Coe College

Kris Diehl - Tennis

1220 1st Ave NE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

Let me know if questions!

ATP World Tour Finals-Analysis

2011-11-28T08:07:00.003-06:00

Well, the best week of high level play on the Men's Tour has come and gone, producing a perhaps expected result(Federer winning), and intriguing doubles matchups. In taking a look at the statistics from the semi-final and final matches the numbers do reflect two areas of the game that players(and coaches) should pay close attention.

Focusing on success while playing both the Serving and Returning 2nd Serves Points will go a long way towards producing winning tennis.

Points Won on 2nd Serve

Doubles: Winning Pair 58%
Losing Pair 50%
Singles: Winning Player 59%
Losing Player 48%

Points Won on Return of 2nd Serve

Doubles: Winning Pair 50%
Losing Pair 43%
Singles: Winning Player 53%
Losing Player 42%

2011-11-24T10:19:00.002-06:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Now be sure and catch the remainder of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals ;)

THURSDAY:

Not Before 1215CST
[2] M Llodra (FRA) / N Zimonjic (SRB) vs [3] M Mirnyi (BLR) / D Nestor (CAN)

Not Before 200CST
[2] R Nadal (ESP) vs [6] J Tsonga (FRA)

FRIDAY:

FRIDAY, 25 NOVEMBER, 2011

CENTRE COURT start 615amCST
[6] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU) vs [7] J Melzer (AUT) / P Petzschner (GER)

Not Before 800amCST
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) vs [9] J Tipsarevic (SRB)

Not Before 1215pmCST
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs [4] M Bhupathi (IND) / L Paes (IND)

Not Before 200pmCST
[5] D Ferrer (ESP) vs [7] T Berdych (CZE)

London Doubles Update--Statistical Analysis

2011-11-21T08:05:00.003-06:00

After perusing the match statistics for the three completed doubles matches during the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals a few simple items become evident.

Combined Stats: Winning Pair Losing Pair

1st serve %: 62% 62%
Points won on 1st: 73% 68%
Points won on 2nd serve: 48% 47%

Return points won on 1st: 32% 27%
Return points won on 2nd: 53% 52%

Not much difference in statistics is there?

In the 2nd match Fyrstenberg/Mankowski defeated Llodra/Zimonjic 64 57 11-9 despite being dominated in match statistics. (They played a better Match Tiebreaker) If we reverse the Winning/Losing stats for this match and then analyze the data, definite trends DO appear.

Points won on 2nd serves: 54% 41%

Return points won on 2nd: 59% 46%

The KEY statistical numbers then seem to be how a pair defends their 2nd serves, and how they attack their opponents 2nd serve.

Of course the three completed doubles matches also tell as that it is possible to win by being "hot" at the right time! Over the course of the week we will see how, and if, the statistics hold up.

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals

2011-11-18T08:23:00.002-06:00

If you have the time, (and, of course the Tennis Channel) then viewing the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is must see TV!

All Times GMT

ORDER OF PLAY - SUNDAY, 20 NOVEMBER, 2011

CENTRE COURT start 12:15 pm
[3] M Mirnyi (BLR) / D Nestor (CAN) vs [5] R Bopanna (IND) / A Qureshi (PAK)

Not Before 2:00 PM
[4] R Federer (SUI) vs [6] J Tsonga (FRA)

Not Before 6:15 PM
[2] M Llodra (FRA) / N Zimonjic (SRB) vs [8] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL)

Not Before 8:00 PM
[2] R Nadal (ESP) vs [8] M Fish (USA)

ORDER OF PLAY - MONDAY, 21 NOVEMBER, 2011

CENTRE COURT start 12:15 pm
[4] M Bhupathi (IND) / L Paes (IND) vs [6] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU)

Not Before 2:00 PM
[3] A Murray (GBR) vs [5] D Ferrer (ESP)

Not Before 6:15 PM
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs [7] J Melzer (AUT) / P Petzschner (GER)

Not Before 8:00 PM
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) vs [7] T Berdych (CZE)

Note: Tuesday's schedule will be made after Sunday's matches.

2011-11-16T17:42:00.001-06:00

Junior Co-Captain Sara Ohlman putting on the Charlie Kohawk suit to cheer on Coe's football team. This past Saturday was their final game of the season, but Sara/Charlie will next be seen at Eby Fieldhouse for men's and women's basketball games!

Coach K at Mixed Nationals

2011-11-14T11:34:00.001-06:00

Coach Kris(shown with partner Spencer Eels) competed this past weekend at the 9.0 Mixed Doubles Nationals in Tucson, AZ. Although the Cedar Rapids Team did not advance out of Pool Play, Spencer & Coach Kris were the only pair to win a point off of eventual champion Virginia.

Success in Tennis?

2011-11-11T09:03:00.003-06:00

So you want to be a successful Tennis Player?......Hit the ball over the net and in the court! Years ago, my high school coach would emphatically enforce this concept by yelling, "it's a Cardinal sin to hit the ball in the net"! Becoming a proficient defensive player is the quickest and easiest way to win your matches. (You see a lot of this in American Junior Tennis...too much in my opinion)

However, if your body-type, or brain-type, (or both!) will not allow you to develop into a productive defensive ball-striker then make a full out commitment to offense. Two shots must be strengths, preferably the Serve & Forehand. Hope you can handle inconsistent results, because "Go-for-Broke" players have "great" up wins mixed in with many "bad" down losses! (AND this terrifies college tennis coaches who like "sure things")

If you want to be a Champion Tennis Player....combine! Be solid, fit and consistent yet very comfortable in playing shots inside the baseline. First shot prowess(serves & returns) and net competency complete the process. (AND the volley is on the way back as an important part of championship singles play) We are starting to see the Professionals figure out when and how to go forward and finish points with volleys. As they combine this knowledge with maturation of their "nerve" to go forward, we will see much more net play in the coming years.

Campus Showdown

2011-11-07T15:57:00.008-06:00

Coe hosted a Men's Campus Showdown this past weekend. The Racquet Center was buzzing with activity all day - whilst the event was being held, the Coe football team hosted the University of Dubuque, the Women's team held a bake sale and the Hawkeye football game was being broadcast in the lobby (note the spectators above putting the exercise equipment to good use as they took in the Hawks game). Coach Rodgers manned the grill mid-day; brats, turkey burgers and a variety of other healthy (!) snacks were served.

Curtis Newman finished in 3rd place. The Kohawks were also represented by Sean Stokstad, Mike Woolf, Mike Janssen, Alex Leovic and Jonathan Roger (JR was at the tail end of being sick, but in line with his personality/demeanor, toughed it out). Tyler Wilson did not play, but was there to support and assist! It was also a pleasure to have Scott Stegemann (recent graduate) back on campus, and on court! Many thanks to the other participants, especially those who traveled to be with us!

Enjoy the week ahead!

Fall/PreSeason Rankings

2011-11-04T08:53:00.002-05:00

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its Fall/Pre-Season rankings yesterday and Coe College TENNIS was well represented in the Central Region listings. Doubles led the way with the pair of Curtis Newman/Noah Sprinkel slotted into the #4 position on the Men's side. Michelle Schupbach/Tai Lucero were 11th.

Three Kohawks earned singles rankings headed by Michelle Schupbach at #16. Tai Lucero was at #24, while Victor Khristenko was posted at #22 on the Men's side. The Iowa Conference Champion Kohawk Women's Team earned the #9 spot(#35 Nationally) while the Men came in at #12(#45 Nationally)in the listings.

News & Notes

2011-11-02T14:57:00.005-05:00

Steve Eden wrestled at Coe back in the day, and attained success in the ring as a National Golden Gloves Champion. Eden is a realtor in the area, but seems to spend more time in the confines of the Clark Racquet Center than anywhere else??? He is on court 4 or 5 times per week, periodically hits with our women (and myself) during the off-season and always does a great deal of trash-talking. Eden has agreed to give me boxing lessons, and I look forward to the challenge.

Coach Rob is headed to Las Vegas tomorrow for a reunion with his teammates from Whitman. Rob is excited to see everyone, and strike a few tennis balls with them! Coach Rob is also in the process of revamping his diet.....I'm taking him to Sam's Club upon his return from Vegas to stock up on fruits and vegetables!

Full Circle - Warren Lock (a former member of the Australian Davis Cup team) periodically hits at Coe with his daughter, a current student. In prep for my 9.0 Mixed National's in Tucson next weekend, I have been playing much doubles this past couple of weeks. Twice now, Coach Rodgers and I have played against Warren and Nikki Burke - a 2002 graduate of Coe and the only female player in Coe's history to fill the top singles and doubles spot each and every time she competed on behalf of the Kohawks (Jon Turbett accomplished the same on the men's side)! The irony within.......Warren was MY first EVER tennis coach 20+ years ago at North Dodge Athletic Club in Iowa City. Coach Rodgers recruited both Nikki and I to Coe......since we're the same age, we were SUPPOSED to be doubles partners and Coach often reminds me of that. I now admit that, had I known then what I now know, I would have chosen Coe. Nonetheless, no regrets!

Props to the members of my fitness class who keep showing up, and wanting more! We're almost 10 (?) weeks in and the progress is very evident. Hosting 4 classes (per request) this week instead of the usual 2. The attention paid to nutrition has also picked up.....members are now logging their nutrition on myfitnesspal.com.....my personal profile is CoachKris12 if you'd like to set up an account and friend me.

Early Offseason Update

2011-10-30T11:19:00.002-05:00

Not much in the way of concrete news items stemming from the Offices of Kohawk Tennis, but rest assured, Clark Racquet Center remains a beehive of activity!

We three coaches have attended five State High School Championships, and remain diligently working daily on the details of recruiting for the upcoming classes of Fall 2012, 2013 and even 2014! Lots of Campus Visits have been scheduled, emails and phone calls made, and USTA tournament draws have been perused.

Players on both Teams have settled into their off season routines in which much time is committed to academic concerns and responsibilities. I am pleased to say that the Men have been consistently seen on court each week, and the Women have almost all returned from a brief two week hiatus following the conclusion of their successful Fall campaign.

The Racquet Center will be hosting a Campus Showdown for Men, a one day compass draw tournament co-sponsored by the USTA and ITA, on Saturday, November 5th. A similar event will be held for Women in early January 2012.

Clark Racquet Center, along with the University of Iowa were/are hosting the Men's Big 10 Individuals this weekend. Due to the absence of two of the twelve schools, it turns out our courts were not needed. This did not stop Coach Kris and I from trekking the quick 25 miles to the Hawkeye Tennis Center on Friday to observe an afternoon of Big 10 doubles, and I enjoyed it so much, I returned Saturday for five more hours of watching singles!

In other Kohawk Athletic News, both the Football team and Volleyball Team remain in contention for Iowa Conference titles. Volleyball will host the IIAC Championships on Thursday November 3rd by virtue of their undefeated, 8-0, IIAC record. Football ran their IIAC mark to 5-1, trailing 6-1 Dubuque by a half game. Coe will host Dubuque on November 5th. And in Cross Country, senior Kyle Heineman became Coe's 1st winner of the IIAC with his 8K win yesterday.

View from the Office...

2011-10-20T17:11:00.000-05:00

Just peeking out from the tennis office, I was encouraged by the sight of many members of the men's team hitting today! Over the past week, I have also seen several Kohawks (men and women) working out here in the racquet center and am sure many more are doing so over at Eby. Keep up the good off-season work!

2011-10-19T12:27:00.002-05:00

2011 Iowa Conference Women's Tennis Awards Announced

Coe's Schupbach Named Player of the Year, Rodgers Named Coach of the Year

CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Coe College junior Michelle Schupbach (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Waterloo Columbus) has been selected Iowa Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Year for the 2011 season, while Coe head coach Eric Rodgers has been selected as the 2011 Iowa Conference Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year. Both awards were voted by the Conference coaches following the Conference Championship.

Schupbach captured the Flight A singles title and teamed with 2010 IIAC Women’s Tennis MVP Tai Lucero for the Flight A doubles title at the recent Iowa Conference Individual Championships. Entering the singles tournament as the top seed, she posted three straight-set victories before weathering a stiff test from Luther’s Cami Czech in the final, eventually prevailing 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (4) to become the fourth different Coe player to capture the league’s top singles title (Molly Fiala, 2005 & 2007; Hannah Jensen, 2008; Tai Lucero, 2010). Schupbach had finished runner-up to Lucero in the Flight A singles draw at the 2010 IIAC Championships.

Schupbach and Lucero entered as the top-seeded tandem in a Flight A doubles competition that saw all three seeded teams advance to the semifinals. The Kohawk duo defeated Luther’s Cassandra Chalhoub and Elise Allen, 8-4, in the semifinals before topping the second-seeded tandem of Czech and Katy Lindstrom of Luther, 8-1, in the final. It was the second straight Flight A doubles title for Schupbach and Lucero and the third in succession for Schupbach, who also won in 2009 with older sister Andrea.

Schupbach is the third Coe student-athlete to be named Iowa Conference Player of the Year in women’s tennis, joining four-time winner Molly Fiala (2005-06-07-08) and Lucero (2010).

She posted a 19-1 singles record overall during the fall season with the only blemish coming to Laurel Krebsbach of Gustavus Adolphus in the round of 16 at the USTA/ITA Midwest Region Championship. She posted a 18-1 mark in doubles with Lucero, competing at the No. 1 position. The only defeat came at the hands of eventual champions Kalla Schaefer and Alexandra Bayliss in the quarterfinal round of the Midwest Regional.

Rodgers guided Coe to a 13-0 mark during the fall season, including a perfect 8-0 record in IIAC play. The Kohawks posted a 5-1 semifinal win over No. 4-seed Wartburg before outlasting No. 2-seed and defending champion Luther, 5-4, in the Championship final to give Coe its fourth IIAC title in women’s tennis. This marks the fourth time Rodgers had been named IIAC Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year (2006-2008). He is also a three-time IIAC Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year (2003-2005).

The Conference previously announced the 2011 All-Iowa Conference Women’s Tennis Team in conjunction with the individual tournament. The quarterfinalists in Flight A singles and semifinalists in Flight A doubles are recognized as All-Conference.

The All-Conference Team was also released, which includes Schupbach (singles and doubles), sophomore Tai Lucero (singles and doubles) and first year Jordan Ferree (singles).

Fall Wrap!

2011-10-17T08:32:00.006-05:00

Both of the Coe College Tennis Teams had outstanding Fall seasons highlighted by the Women's Team capturing their 4th IIAC title, and first since 2008.

Michelle and Tai picked up more individual honors by capturing the2011 singles and doubles titles. Michelle won her 3rd doubles title and 1st singles title. Tai, the 2010 IIAC MVP, won her 2nd doubles title to go along with her 2010 singles championship.

Michelle Schupbach

Tai Lucero

The Men added on impressive individual performances also winning 4 of the 5 flights in the Iowa Conference Individual Tournament. Noah Sprinkel opened his Kohawk career in fine form winning the A flight singles, and teaming with Curtis Newman to add the A flight doubles. The duo teamed a week later to advance to the finals of the ITA Regional in Minnesota. Scott Kleymann added a C Flight singles title and Jeff Damisch and Mike Woolf paired for the B Doubles title. Victor Khristenko advanced to the ITA Regional round of 16 for the 2nd consecutive year.

Curtis Newman & Noah Sprinkel

Michelle & Tai are Champs!

2011-10-17T08:26:00.002-05:00

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Junior Michelle Schupbach won the Flight A Singles title and teamed with sophomore Tai Lucero to win their second-straight Flight A Doubles title at the Iowa Conference Championships.

Schupbach, the top seed in Flight A Singles, advanced to the championship match with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Luther's Cassandra Chalhoub. In the finals, she defeated second-seeded Cami Czech of Luther 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (4). She became the fourth different Kohawk to win the Flight A Singles title, joining Molly Fiala in 2005 & 2007, Hannah Jensen in 2008 and doubles partner Tai Lucero last season.

In Flight A Doubles, Schupbach won the title for the third-straight year. After winning it with her older sister Andrea in 2009, she won it with Lucero last year and this year. In the semifinals, Lucero and Schupbach beat Luther's Elise Allen and Chalhoub 8-4. They then faced second-seeded Czech and Katy Lindstrom of Luther, coming away with an 8-1 victory.

Photo from Conference Championships

2011-10-10T14:41:00.002-05:00

Another photo from Saturday's IIAC Championships, this of the ladies' warm-up at Vets prior to the Wartburg match -- still learning to use my camera's many functions, but luckily was able to create this neat image with a "diorama" digital art filter effect. The rest of the photos and videos will be up on facebook/youtube later today.

Kohawks topple Luther for IIAC Crown

2011-10-09T13:45:00.002-05:00

The Coe College Women's Tennis team defeated Wartburg College 5-1 in the semifinals and topped defending champion Luther College 5-4 yesterday to capture their 4th Iowa Conference title. A very nice present for #1 player Michelle Schupbach as she turned 21! Tai Lucero clinched the 5th point in the championship match at #2 singles. The Kohawks added points at #1 and #2 doubles, and wins by #1 Michelle Schupbach and #4 Jackie Pedersen.

Coe College 5, Wartburg College 1
Oct 08, 2011 at Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Veterans Memorial Tennis Center)

Singles competition

1. Michelle Schupbach (COE) def. Lindsay Greiner (WAR) 6-0, 6-1

2. Tai Lucero (COE) def. Claire Evans (WAR) 6-0, 6-2

3. Sara Ohlman (COE) vs. Jenny Dallenbach (WAR) 7-6, 1-2, unfinished

4. Jackie Pedersen (COE) vs. Leanna Jenkins (WAR) 7-5, 5-0, unfinished

5. Jordan Ferree (COE) vs. Jessica Behrer (WAR) 3-6, 1-5, unfinished

6. Elizabeth Hoffmann (COE) def. Brita Jensen (WAR) 6-0, 6-2

Doubles competition

1. Michelle Schupbach/Tai Lucero (COE) def. Lindsay Greiner/Jenny Dallenbach (WAR) 8-0

2. Claire Evans/Leanna Jenkins (WAR) def. Sara Ohlman/Jackie Pedersen (COE) 9-8 (8-6)

3. Jordan Ferree/Elizabeth Hoffmann (COE) def. Jessica Behrer/Brita Jensen (WAR) 8-2

Coe College 5, Luther College 4
Oct 08, 2011 at Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Veterans Memorial Tennis Center)

Singles competition

1. Michelle Schupbach (COE) def. Cami Czech (LUT) 6-2, 6-0

2. Tai Lucero (COE) def. Cassandra Chalhoub (LUT) 6-1, 6-3

3. Elise Allen (LUT) def. Sara Ohlman (COE) 7-5, 6-2

4. Jackie Pedersen (COE) def. Katy Lindstrom (LUT) 6-1, 6-0

5. Lola White-Baer (LUT) def. Jordan Ferree (COE) 6-0, 6-0

6. Katherine Howe (LUT) def. Elizabeth Hoffmann (COE) 7-6 (8-6), 6-1

Doubles competition

1. Michelle Schupbach/Tai Lucero (COE) def. Cami Czech/Cassandra Chalhoub (LUT) 8-3

2. Sara Ohlman/Jackie Pedersen (COE) def. Elise Allen/Katy Lindstrom (LUT) 8-2

3. Lola White-Baer/Katherine Howe (LUT) def. Jordan Ferree/Elizabeth Hoffmann (COE) 8-1

Saturday's two victories also provided an early milestone for Head Coach Eric Rodgers as they were the 599th and 600th wins of his 27 year coaching career. Coe has now won 15 conference titles in school history, all coming since the Men's team upset 8 time defending champion Ripon College in the Spring of 1993. The first Women's title followed soon after in the Fall of 1993. since joining the IIAC in 1998, Coe has captured 6 Men's titles to go along with the 4 women's titles

Women's IIAC Team Tournament Schedule

2011-10-03T09:18:00.002-05:00

End of Season Standings:

1. Coe (8-0)

2. Luther (7-1)

3. Cornell (6-2)

4. Wartburg (5-3)

5. Central (4-4)

6. Simpson (3-5)

7. Buena Vista (2-6)

8. Dubuque (1-7)

9 Loras (0-8)

Schedule – All matches will be played to decision.

Friday, October 7

First Round

#6 Simpson vs. #3 Cornell, 6 p.m., at Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex, Iowa City

#5 Central vs. #4 Wartburg, 6 p.m., at Clark Racquet Center, Cedar Rapids

Saturday, October 8

(All Saturday play outdoors will be held at Veterans Memorial Tennis Center, Cedar Rapids)

Semifinals

Simpson/Cornell winner vs. #2 Luther, 9 a.m.

Central/Wartburg winner vs. #1 Coe, 9 a.m.

Place matches

Fifth place: Begins ASAP following the first completed semifinal

Third place, 12:30 p.m.

Championship, 12:30 p.m.

Men's ITA / Women (and Emmie) against Cornell!

2011-10-02T19:41:00.003-05:00

Curtis and Noah were topped in the Doubles Final by GAC's top pair in a 3rd set breaker. Congratulations to the two of them for a tournament well played, and in essence, falling just a few points short of a Nationals appearance. I have no doubt they (and the rest of the Kohawk men) will put their time in on court during the off-season to come back even stronger in the Spring!

Pictures from the ITA on our Facebook page.

The women took to the courts today in Mount Vernon, IA. With a 7-2 win over Cornell, Coe completed regular season Conference play with an 8-0 record. That places Coe as the top seed in this weekend's Team Tournament. Details to follow.

A last minute addition, Emmie Diehl was called up to compete against the Rams today. Upon entering their recreation building to use the restroom, she stated, "I don't like that mean thing on the wall (the Cornell Ram); they should put a Kohawk there." :)

Men's ITA / Parent Appreciation Day!

2011-10-01T22:43:00.002-05:00

Curtis and Noah through to the Finals at the Regional ITA with wins over top seeded UWW and 4th seeded UWL en route.

Mike Woolf also had a win over the top player from UWW in consolation play. Rumor has it Woolfey (sophomore) was given control of the radio station in the van (over junior Curtis, and first-year Noah). Good luck tomorrow boys!

Back home, the Women topped Wartburg 8-1 and Saint Ambrose 9-0. It was Parent Appreciation Day in the Racquet Center. The ladies decorated pumpkins for their parents whilst the program took care of both breakfast and lunch for parents, alumni and our loyal fan base! Per Coach Rodgers' suggestion, we grilled out in between matches. All enjoyed!

Check out the Coe College Tennis Facebook page to see Lindsay Greiner (of Wartburg) chasing a squirrel off the court today!

Men's ITA / Mixed Doubles

2011-10-01T00:16:00.002-05:00

8 of our men and 2 coaches traveled North to compete in the ITA's. Tournament website: https://gustavus.edu/athletics/mt/archives/2012/2011MWR/home.php
Victor Khristenko is through to the Round of 16 in singles, as is Curtis Newman and Noah Sprinkel in doubles. Back home, 6 men and women took to the Mixed Doubles Court. Jordan and Sean took the title in a championship breaker. Honorable mention goes to 2nd place finishers, Doug and Jackie. Pictures below and on our Facebook page!

More IIAC Honors!

2011-09-27T08:11:00.001-05:00

Women's Tennis — Michelle Schupbach, Coe College, Cedar Falls, Iowa / Waterloo Columbus
Schupbach, a junior, went 2-1 in both singles and doubles at the ITA Midwest Region Championship at St. Peter, Minn. In singles, the fourth-seeded Schupbach posted victories over Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Gretchen Bachmeier (6-2, 6-2) and St. Scholastica's Hillary Bungarden (6-2, 6-0), before being upset by unseeded Laurel Krebsbach of Gustavus (6-3, 6-2) in the round of 16. Seeded eighth in the doubles draw, Schupbach and Tai Lucero defeated Lawrence's Hannah Geoffrey and Christina Schaupp, 8-1, and Gustavus' Krebsbach and Megan Born, 8-2, before falling to the eventual regional champions Kalla Schaefer and Alexandra Bayless of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 8-3, in the quarterfinal round.

Men's Tennis — Noah Sprinkel, Coe College, Minneapolis, Minn. / South
Sprinkel, a freshman, captured both the Flight A singles and doubles titles at the Iowa Conference Men's Tennis Individual Tournament. Seeded sixth in singles, he opened with three straight-set wins, including an upset of No. 4-seed Chris Buckingham of Wartburg, to reach the semifinals. Facing 2011 All-American and top-seeded Nick Garcia of Dubuque in the semis, Sprinkel dropped the first set, but rebounded to take the second set in a tiebreaker and the match tiebreaker by a 10-8 score to advance to the final where he toppled No. 3-seed Ramesh Karki of Luther, 7-6 (4), 7-5 for the title.

Seeded third in the doubles draw, Sprinkel and partner Curtis Newman toppled a pair of Luther tandems to reach the semifinals, where they eked out an 8-6 victory over the second-seeded team of Garcia and Demetrius Johnson. Sprinkel and Newman then captured the title with an 8-3 victory over Luther's Karki and Quinn Foley in the championship match.
Special mention — Nick Garcia, jr., Dubuque; Ramesh Karki, so., Luther; Alex Klaas, so., Coe; Adam Summitt, sr., Simpson

Pictures from Men's IIAC

2011-09-26T16:11:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Betty Damisch, we also have pictures from IIAC play this past weekend. Please view them on the Coe College Tennis Facebook Page. Thanks!

A couple of the pictures below, including Flight A doubles victors, Curtis Newman and Noah Sprinkel. The second picture highlights 4 members of our current sophomore class - Daken Starkenburg, Alex Klaas, Jeff Damisch and Mike Woolf. Despite his size in comparison to the others, Woolf is proving be an up and coming force amongst the men.

Pics

2011-09-25T14:40:00.003-05:00

Pictures from the Women's USTA/ITA Midwest Regional.

Facebook Album

Jordan & Hoff:

Sara:

Jackie:

Men's IIAC Analysis

2011-09-25T13:48:00.002-05:00

Coe College first-year, Noah Sprinkel made his collegiate debut a memorable one by capturing the A flight singles and doubles titles of the Iowa Conference Individual Tournament, including a win over NCAA qualifier, Nick Garcia of Dubuque.

In analyzing the results from the weekend a few things became readily apparent. First year players made an impact all over the A flight draw comprising four of the ten seeded players, and another unseeded first-year made the quarterfinals. The Conference is young with 19 of the A flight entrants being in their first or second years of collegiate play.

While it appears that Luther and Coe again appear to be the top two squads, the gap is certainly closing on the 2011 2nd place Kohawks. Each of the remaining seven schools has added quality first-year players and the Iowa Conference from top to bottom may be at a historically high level of play.

Men's IIAC Individual Tournament -- Conclusion

2011-09-24T17:42:00.003-05:00

The Iowa Conference Men's Individual tournament ended today, and overall it was a good showing by the Kohawks. in Flight A, first-year Noah Sprinkel won the singles and doubles titles (with junior Curtis Newman), while senior Victor Khristenko finished 3th in singles. In the Flight B doubles final, it was an all Kohawk sophomore affair as Michael Woolf and Jeff Damisch defeated Daken Starkenburg and Alex Klaas, who also finished in 4th place in B Flight singles. And finally, in C Flight singles, Scott Kleymann finished 1st and Tyler Wilson 4th.

Next week we do what the girls did this weekend, which is make the drive up to Gustavus Adolphus College to compete in the Fall ITA tournament!

Men's IIAC Individual Tournament

2011-09-24T08:05:00.000-05:00

It was a long day of tennis yesterday at the Men's IIAC Individual Tournament, and several Kohawks have made it through to the final 2 rounds today. Singles semifinals begin at 9am (followed by the finals), featuring Victor Khristenko and Noah Sprinkel in Flight A (possible showdown in the final...?), Alex Klaas in Flight B, and Tyler Wilson and Scott Kleymann in Flight C. Doubles begins after singles finishes (probably as early as noon), featuring Curtis Newman/Sprinkel in Flight A, and Daken Starkenburg/Klaas (pictured above) and Michael Woolf/Jeff Damisch in Flight B. Tom Heartlein/Kleymann may be joining the semis if they get through their quarterfinal match which is going on now.

2011-09-24T07:15:00.001-05:00

Michelle & Tai advance to 16s in ITA singles & pair up for doubles quarters appearance joining Jackie & Sara, who knocked off #1s from Grinnell & St Olaf.

IIAC Player of The Week

2011-09-20T08:25:00.001-05:00

Women's Tennis — Tai Lucero, Coe College, Odessa, Texas / Permian
Lucero, a sophomore, remained undefeated this season with three victories each in singles and doubles. She did not drop a game in victories at No. 2 singles or No. 1 doubles (with Michelle Schupbach) in dual victories over Buena Vista and Northwestern (Iowa) on September 17. The next day, she topped Luther's Cassandra Chalhoub 6-0, 6-3 at No. 2 singles and teamed with Schupbach for an 8-5 victory over the Norse tandem of Cami Czech and Katy Lindstrom as part of a 5-4 Coe victory at Luther. The victory marked the first for the Kohawks on the indoor surface in Decorah.

Boxscore from Sunday at Decorah, Iowa

2011-09-19T08:17:00.001-05:00

Coe College vs Luther College

Date:	9/18/2011
Location:	Luther College
Winner:	Coe College
Score:	5-4

Position	Coe College	Luther College	Winner	Score
#1 Singles	Michelle Schupbach	Cami Czech	Coe College	62 60
#2 Singles	Tai Lucero	Cassandra Chalhoub	Coe College	60 63
#3 Singles	Sara Ohlman	Elise Allen	Luther College	63 63
#4 Singles	Jackie Pedersen	Lola White-Baer	Coe College	64 75
#5 Singles	Jordan Ferree	Katy Lindstrom	Luther College	75 36 10-4
#6 Singles	Elizabeth Hoffmann	Adrianna DePaolis	Luther College	62 36 10-5
#1 Doubles	Michelle Schupbach Tai Lucero	Cami Czech Katy Lindstrom	Coe College	85
#2 Doubles	Sara Ohlman Jackie Pedersen	Cassandra Chalhoub Elise Allen	Coe College	81
#3 Doubles	Elizabeth Hoffmann Jordan Ferree	Laura Reutlinger Katie Howe	Luther College	81

Kohawks beat Luther!

2011-09-18T18:05:00.002-05:00

On Luther's home "ice," the ladies of Coe College pulled out a hard fought win. With the meet tied 4-4, first-year Jackie Pedersen won the clinching match 6-4 7-5, for the women's team's first ever victory on Luther's indoor courts.

The Kohawks came out of the gates strong despite the unfamiliar surface, winning comfortably at #1 and #2 doubles. Although #3 doubles lost by a lopsided score, they had many opportunities and will be better prepared next time around.

Except for Michelle's dominant victory at #1 singles, every other match was close. 2 were lost in 10-point match tiebreakers, so the meet could just as easily have ended up 7-2!

Scores from Storm Lake, IA

2011-09-18T08:37:00.001-05:00

Coe College vs Buena Vista University

Date:	9/17/2011
Location:	Buena Vista University
Winner:	Coe College
Score:	8-1

Position	Coe College	Buena Vista University	Winner	Score
#1 Singles	Michelle Schupbach	Emily Gutschenritter	Coe College	60 61
#2 Singles	Tai Lucero	Haley Henrichs	Coe College	60 60
#3 Singles	Sara Ohlman	Elizabeth Heffernan	Buena Vista University	61 26 13-11
#4 Singles	Jackie Pedersen	Mary Jane Ferguson	Coe College	60
#5 Singles	Jordan Ferree	Kelli Kroepel	Coe College	62 60
#6 Singles	Elizabeth Hoffmann	Amanda Kavan	Coe College	61 61
#1 Doubles	Michelle Schupbach Tai Lucero	Haley Henrichs Emily Gutschenritter	Coe College	80
#2 Doubles	Sara Ohlman Jackie Pedersen	Mary Jane Ferguson Tasha Nelson	Coe College	83
#3 Doubles	Elizabeth Hoffmann Jordan Ferree	Elizabeth Heffernan Kelli Kroepel	Coe College	86

Coe College vs Northwestern College (Iowa)

Date:	9/17/2011
Location:	Neutral
Winner:	Coe College
Score:	9-0

Position	Coe College	Northwestern College (Iowa)	Winner	Score
#1 Singles	Michelle Schupbach	Frankie Eszes	Coe College	60 60
#2 Singles	Tai Lucero	Kisa Benzel	Coe College	60 60
#3 Singles	Sara Ohlman	Kellie Korver	Coe College	61 60
#4 Singles	Jackie Pedersen	Hannah Stark	Coe College	60 61
#5 Singles	Jordan Ferree	Jami Koens	Coe College	60 60
#6 Singles	Elizabeth Hoffmann	Taylor Kort	Coe College	61 60
#1 Doubles	Michelle Schupbach Tai Lucero	Frankie Eszes Kisa Benzel	Coe College	80
#2 Doubles	Sara Ohlman Jackie Pedersen	Kellie Korver Jami Koens	Coe College	83
#3 Doubles	Elizabeth Hoffmann Jordan Ferree	Hannah Stark Taylor Kort	Coe College	82

Our first overnight trip of the 2011-12 season! Storm Lake, Iowa.....very friendly people Saturday morning at breakfast in the local Hy-Vee grocery!

Men's Practice Begins

2011-09-13T23:19:00.002-05:00

Monday was the first men's team practice of the Fall 2011 season, which will only last for the next 3 weeks. Unfortunately for the guys, it took place just as the US Open Men's Final was getting underway!

2011-09-13T13:09:00.000-05:00

On Practice

Guess what every coach wants from their Teams? Good Practices! What constitutes “Good Practices”?

First of all: Promptness. Showing up on time (for Kohawk Tennis that is at least 5 minutes prior to scheduled start time!)

Be Prepared mentally and physically to improve. Do not bring mental or physical “hangovers” onto the court.

During the entire practice period, engage mentally, work hard physically, and maintain a positive emotional state.

At the conclusion of the Day’s work, analyze and review how practice went for you, how you improved today, and what you can do to be better tomorrow.

Iowa Conference Players of the Week!

2011-09-13T10:33:00.001-05:00

9/5/2011

Women’s Tennis – Michelle Schupbach, Coe College, Cedar Falls, Iowa / Waterloo Columbus

Schupbach, a junior, posted two wins each in singles and doubles as the Kohawks opened the season with 9-0 victories over IIAC foes Simpson and Central. She dropped only one game in two matches at No. 1 singles, then paired with Tai Lucero for a pair of 8-1 victories at No. 1 doubles.

9/12/2011

Women's Tennis — Tai Lucero, Coe College, Odessa, Texas / Permian
Lucero, a sophomore, improved to 5-0 in singles and 5-0 in doubles this season with three wins each at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles. She failed to yield a game to any of her singles opponents, registering 6-0, 6-0 victories against Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Dubuque, and Loras. In doubles, she and Michelle Schupbach dropped only three games, capping the week with an 8-0 victory over Loras.

Men's Tennis begins Fall Season

2011-09-12T10:09:00.002-05:00

The Kohawk Men will begin their short 3-week Fall Season with Today's 330 practice. Two weeks to prepare for the Iowa Conference Individual Tournament and then the top eight will head to Minnesota for the ITA Regional Championship the first weekend in October.

Senior Captain, Jonathan Roger will be leading the Kohawks this year.

Scores from our day in Dubuque!

2011-09-11T17:50:00.001-05:00

Coe College vs Loras College

Date:	9/11/2011
Location:	Loras College
Winner:	Coe College
Score:	9-0

Position	Coe College	Loras College	Winner	Score
#1 Singles	Michelle Schupbach	Alejandra Ruales	Coe College	60 60
#2 Singles	Tai Lucero	Carly Villano	Coe College	60 60
#3 Singles	Sara Ohlman	Sarah Alt	Coe College	61 61
#4 Singles	Jackie Pedersen	Rachel Welgarz	Coe College	60 61
#5 Singles	Jordan Ferree	Caroline Rainey	Coe College	60 75
#6 Singles	Elizabeth Hoffmann	Esterjoy Mugai	Coe College	60 61
#1 Doubles	Michelle Schupbach Tai Lucero	Alejandra Ruales Rachel Welgarz	Coe College	80
#2 Doubles	Sara Ohlman Jackie Pedersen	Caroline Rainey Esterjoy Mugai	Coe College	80
#3 Doubles	Elizabeth Hoffmann Jordan Ferree	Rebecca Weglarz Emily Morrison	Coe College	80

Coe College vs Univ. of Dubuque

Date:	9/11/2011
Location:	Univ. of Dubuque
Winner:	Coe College
Score:	9-0

Position	Coe College	Univ. of Dubuque	Winner	Score
#1 Singles	Michelle Schupbach	N. Schmaltz	Coe College	61 61
#2 Singles	Tai Lucero	Ashley Schlueter	Coe College	60 60
#3 Singles	Sara Ohlman	Stephanie LoCasto	Coe College	62 61
#4 Singles	Jackie Pedersen	A. Karino	Coe College	60 61
#5 Singles	Jordan Ferree	Janine Wegner	Coe College	60 60
#6 Singles	Elizabeth Hoffmann	Heather Watson	Coe College	60 61
#1 Doubles	Michelle Schupbach Tai Lucero	N. Schmaltz Ashley Schlueter	Coe College	81
#2 Doubles	Sara Ohlman Jackie Pedersen	Lauren Clausen Stephanie LoCasto	Coe College	82
#3 Doubles	Elizabeth Hoffmann Jordan Ferree	Spencer Smith Janine Wegner	Coe College	81

Mr. Hoffmann and Stella

2011-09-11T11:30:00.000-05:00

Mr. Hoffmann with Stella watching the ladies play this morning in Dubuque. Thanks to all of the supporters who made the trek!

Tai, Jordan, and Elizabeth vs UW Stevens Point

2011-09-10T16:40:00.000-05:00

Tai Lucero (#2), Jordan Ferree (#5), and Elizabeth Hoffmann (#6) serving side-by-side-by-side on a perfect September day. They only dropped one game between the three of them as part of the Kohawks 9-0 victory today!

Kohawks move to 3-0!

2011-09-10T12:36:00.000-05:00

Coe College vs Univ. of Wisconsin, Stevens Point

Date:	9/10/2011
Location:	Coe College
Winner:	Coe College
Score:	9-0

Position	Coe College	Univ. of Wisconsin, Stevens Point	Winner	Score
#1 Singles	Michelle Schupbach	Rachel Brown	Coe College	60 60
#2 Singles	Tai Lucero	Taylor Weuve	Coe College	60 60
#3 Singles	Sara Ohlman	Katelyn Presti	Coe College	61 60
#4 Singles	Jackie Pedersen	Monica Preisig	Coe College	61 62
#5 Singles	Jordan Ferree	Allison Fortier	Coe College	60 61
#6 Singles	Elizabeth Hoffmann	Kristen Finstad	Coe College	60 60
#1 Doubles	Michelle Schupbach Tai Lucero	Rachel Brown Taylor Weuve	Coe College	82
#2 Doubles	Sara Ohlman Jackie Pedersen	Allison Fortier Monica Preisig	Coe College	81
#3 Doubles	Elizabeth Hoffmann Jordan Ferree	Katelyn Presti Molly Hendries	Coe College	82

Michelle vs Kris - Women's practice - Sep 7, 2011

2011-09-09T16:18:00.001-05:00

Michelle playing some awesome attacking tennis (and smiling!) against Coach Kris in a groundstroke game.

VertiMax

2011-09-08T14:51:00.000-05:00

Sophomore Elizabeth Hoffman and Coach Kris doing some conditioning on the VertiMax, which works on quickness and agility.

Active Practice

2011-09-07T19:45:00.000-05:00

Great ladies practice today! Everyone was engaged and actively working to improve their attacking capabilities. Here's a good sequence with first years Jackie and Jordan hitting a swinging volley (note the nice split step) and attentively listening to Coach Rodgers, respectively.

Clark Racquet Center -- Inventory Sale!

2011-09-07T13:52:00.001-05:00

After Coach Kris' painting--and her and Coach Rodgers' reorganization--of the Kohawk Tennis office this summer, we are looking to clear out much of our left over inventory. We have some great deals on brand new bags, women's shoes, racquets, Kohawk apparel and water bottles, as well as some used racquets in good condition. Take a look at the flyer for details at: https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B6GuIqh-jE2DNTg3ODUxNjMtYzRkNS00YzM4LTk3YWMtZTc2Yzg0ZTM3MGZj&hl=en

Also, check out our team store where you can buy other Kohawk apparel at:
http://gtmteamstore.com/kohawktennis -- the password is gokohawks.

Kohawks Coaching!

2011-09-06T09:24:00.003-05:00

Rausa Named Assistant Tennis Coach

WAVERLY, Iowa—Elliot Rausa has been named the assistant tennis coach, Wartburg’s head men’s and women’s tennis coach, Matt Tyler announced today.

Rausa was a four-time First-team All-IIAC honoree in doubles and a two-time First-team All-IIAC in singles at Coe College. He played at the No. 1 doubles spot all four years. Rausa played at the No. 5 singles position his first two seasons and then at No. 2 in his final two.

“We are very excited to be adding Elliot to our coaching staff as he brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to the programs,” said Tyler. “This is a great step forward for Wartburg tennis and we look forward to the new season.”

The 2007 Waterloo Columbus graduate won the Class 1A Doubles Iowa State Championship title with his brother Nathan.

With Elliot's hiring at Wartburg College that brings the number of Coe College alums currently coaching in the collegiate ranks to five.

1990 grad Malcolm Gilreath is the Women's Coach at the University of South Dakota(8th yr)
1998 graduate Mark Murphy is the Women's Tennis Coach at Kalamazoo College(3rd yr)
2010 graduate Greg Janssen is the M/W Asst Tennis Coach at Bates College(2nd yr)
2011 graduate Scott Stegemann is M/W Asst. Tennis Coach at Augustana College (1st yr)
2011 graduate Elliot Rausa is the M/W Asst. Tennis Coach at Wartburg College (1st yr)

What I learned Yesterday...

2011-09-04T12:50:00.002-05:00

Another year has gotten underway and it's time to reflect back on yesterday's play and see what I learned about this year's edition of the Kohawks.

Our opening match against Central College was an interesting challenge beyond winning. Coach Tyler's squad unveiled a new style of play for them, essentially which was striking high- clear shots thru the center of the court. Every shot. This forces you to play attacking, forward tennis. Along with a very healthy dose of patience!

Although uncomfortable, especially when combined with the inevitable first-match nerves, the Ladies all embraced the challenge and successfully dealt with it.

Our afternoon match against Simpson was a bit more straightforward in regards to tennis tactics, but nonetheless difficult simply due to the challenge of spending seven hours playing competitive tennis. A few minds wandered from time to time, but again the Ladies were successful in enduring the physical and mental challenge of a long day.

Oh, there are quite a few items to work on with each individual and pair, but that's what practice is for, isn't it? It is good to be underway and all are looking ahead to next weekend's matches.

Coe vs Simpson

2011-09-03T15:32:00.004-05:00

After doubles, Coe leads 3-0

Coe wins 9-0!

Schupbach/Lucero(Coe) def Bost/Anderson 81
Ohlman/Pedersen(Coe) def Struebing/Nash 85
Ferree/Hoffmann(Coe) def Schemmel/Gruber 81

Michell Schupbach(Coe) def Mikayla Struebing 60 60
Tai Lucero(Coe) def Tiffany Bost 60 60
Sara Ohlman(Coe) vs Allison Anderson 60 64
Jackie Pedersen(Coe) vs Lindsay Nash 62 62
Jordan Ferree(Coe) def Lynae Gruber 62 60
Elizabeth Hoffmann(Coe) def Whitney Thompson 60 60

Coe vs Central

2011-09-03T09:55:00.005-05:00

After Doubles Coe leads 3-0
Coe wins 9-0

Schupbach/Lucero (Coe) def Swartz/Donner 8-1
Ohlman/Pedersen(Coe) def Johnson/Taylor 8-1
Hoffmann/Ferree(Coe) def Koontz/Langer 8-4

Michelle Schupbach(Coe) def Emily Schwartz 61 60
Tail Lucero(Coe) def Kayla Donner 61 61
Sara Ohlman(Coe) def Chelsea Johnson 63 62
Jackie Pedersen(Coe) def Ashlei Bos 60 63
Jordan Ferree(Coe) def Anna Streigel 63 76
Elizabeth Hoffmann(Coe) def Sarah Montgomery 61 61

Women's Pre-Season Begins!

2011-08-22T20:13:00.002-05:00

Today the Kohawk Women had their first day of practice, which included team practice from 9:30am-11:30, individual sessions with coaches from either 12:30-1:30 or 1:30-2:30, a team meeting from 2:30-3, and finally a team practice from 3-4. Needless to say, it was a long, grinding, and hopefully productive day of tennis. And tomorrow is much the same! The practice schedule will taper off by the end of the week, but we hope to get some quality work done on the limited amount of time left before opening the season with conference dual matches on September 3rd.

Everything actually kicked off yesterday, when everyone made it back (or for the first time) to Coe. The coaches held an hour long team meeting, followed by games in the evening (such as bags and apples to apples, as seen in the photos). The team also had dinner together tonight, although I neglected to snap a photo for that!

Anyway, there is a lot of work ahead for the players and coaches, but plenty of enjoyment as well--junior captains Sara and Michelle will lead an off-court team activity tomorrow night! Judging from a first day of practice that revealed improvements gained from summer practice, talented first year players hungry to compete, and a hardworking attitude from all, the Kohawks are primed for a very successful season!

Journey's End.....Fresh Start!

2011-08-19T11:16:00.005-05:00

After almost 15 weeks, the End of Summer is here and it is time to start up another Academic Year here at Coe. That means Tennis & Coaching!

I spent the better part of the Summer in Cedar Rapids. Whether in CR or out West, my thoughts were on Kohawk Tennis and a long, lengthy process of Program-evaluation and self-evaluation. I arrived at some interesting conclusions and there will be some subtle, and not so subtle, changes made in the Kohawk Tennis Teams.

It is GREAT to have Rob back on campus, and I know Kris, Rob, and I are eagerly awaiting meeting with the Women's Team this Sunday and jumping right on court Monday morning. We have a roster full of talent and upside, and it will be our job to coax that potential into high quality tennis. It will be a fun journey and I am eager to begin, and equally eager to discover where we end!

Summer in SoCal

2011-08-08T20:00:00.001-05:00

Well it's been quite a while since I have posted here on Kohawk tennis, mostly because I have been away in California working in a non-Kohawk context. For the past 6 weeks (with a break the week of Independence Day) I have been running the junior tennis camps at the University of California at Irvine. It is similar to the Kohawk tennis from back in June, except that it is non-boarding, going from 9am-4pm, M-F. It has been a rewarding experience instructing kids of every ability level, however week after week of being on the court in the sun all day is quite draining!

Other than teaching, my summer has been filled with spending time with family and friends, and also being involved with the inaugural Michael Chang Tennis Classic. The tournament raises money for the Chang Family Foundation as well as Japanese tsunami relief through the Salvation Army. My mom was the tournament director, so naturally my entire family volunteered to help out.

The Saturday prior to the tournament, there was a two-hour kick-off clinic held for all ages--I was one of 8 coaches on 7 courts with 130+ participants! It was a bit intimidating to be introduced by Michael next to several far more esteemed coaches, such as Carl Chang and Elliott Telscher (not to mention Michael himself). However, I ended up having a fun time with all of the participants, and think I held my own and represented Kohawk Tennis well.

The following weekend (July 29-31), I ran one of the tournament sites Friday, lost on the 1st round of the Men's Open Doubles draw Saturday (partnered with a fellow camp coach who asked me to play at the last minute), and then worked at the main site all day Sunday, helping run the tournament desk as well as training and managing the volunteer ball-kids for the open singles finals. Funny to come full circle after having been a ball-kid for Michael at a tournament he won at UCLA back in 2000 which was actually his final ATP Tour title!

The caliber of play at the event was pretty high for a first year charity tournament, especially in the open divisions. In the men's singles final, 2003 Kalamazoo champion and former touring pro, Robert Yim, defeated 2009 Australian Open Boys Doubles champion and current Fresno State player, Francis Alcantara, in a 2.5 hour 3 set match match--the ball kids were thrilled, but definitely exhausted by the end! Unfortunately (or fortunately) for Alcantara, he still had his semi and final men's doubles matches ahead of him, the latter of which finished around 10:30 pm. And actually the last match to finish was the men's 3.5 doubles final, in which Michael's dad, Joe, lost in 3 sets!

It was a long and challenging weekend for everyone involved, but worth it to work with Michael Chang and his wonderful family, not to mention for a good cause. The photo below was taken as the lights were being shut off on us on our last day. Sorry for the dimness, but hopefully you can make out Michael and his wife Amber on the left and me in my Kohawk gear on the right. And that's my lovely mom in the middle in white!

Anyway, this is the final week of the UCI camp and I am looking forward to coming back to Coe next Monday. And I can't believe the Kohawk women start practice in a couple of weeks!

Iowa Open Recap

2011-08-01T10:53:00.005-05:00

The Iowa Open for 2011 was successfully completed Sunday afternoon. Five days of hot, humid weather, no rain, and lots of tennis matches. And a lot of past, present, and we hope, future Kohawks played. A complete(?) listing of participants below.

Alums....

Nikki Kuehl, Megan Fiala, Rusty Graff, Joey Lankelma, Tom Jennings, Scott Stegemann, Yehya Abdullah, Steve Eden.

Current Players....

Jackie Pedersen, Jordan Ferree, Sara Ohlman, Elizabeth Hoffmann, Curtis Newman, Jeff Damisch, Daken Starkenburg,

Coaches and Players who Train at Coe......

Kris Diehl, Chuck Lampe, Joey White, Riley Galbraith, Amina Abdullah

Curtis Newman won the Men's doubles with Joey White, Coach Kris won the Mixed doubles with Joey White, and Chuck Lampe won the Men's 4.0 singles. Riley
Galbraith won the B18 singles and 18 Mixed. Jackie Pedersen won the G18 Doubles

And, more good news! Women's Practice begins in three weeks on August 22nd!!!!!

Summer Expedition

2011-07-26T19:57:00.003-05:00

For the 4th time this Summer, I put myself on the line in an entry level professional tournament. This time, I found myself in Saint Joseph, MO. For the 4th time this Summer, I "lost". To analogize my summer to the game of baseball, I struck out.....the catcher then dropped the 3rd strike, and I tripped on my way to 1st.

However, note that my stating that I lost was put in parentheses. The journey was well worthwhile in terms of personal and professional growth. I am actually reminded of an article that Coach Rodgers passed on to me not too long ago, written by Pete Bodo:

Andre's Walk in the Woods

Although I will never attain the success, or progress (as referenced by Bodo), that Agassi achieved over time, I certainly made my own progress this summer. I also have more love and appreciation for the game of tennis, and those that make progress of their own, than ever before.

I sincerely hope to be able take this journey again next Summer! Although not defined by the outcome, I would more than welcome a victory the next time around!

Good luck to the juniors competing in the Iowa Open these next few days. I am looking forward to the Adult Tournament this weekend. It is yet another opportunity to grow!

I can't help but share the following picture. Emmie's most recent artistry:

2011-07-25T13:38:00.004-05:00

A busy weekend of tennis in the Eastern Iowa area. Iowa City hosted a Missouri Valley Futures tourney where many of the juniors from a five-state area participated in record numbers. Play took place primarily at the University of Iowa, but Saturday's thunderstorms meant that Coe College hosted a day(14 hours) of play for the Boys 16 and under division. I spent Friday and Sunday watching boys and girls 18 and under play, while Kris did the same on Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Kris then headed west to Saint Joseph, Missouri for her final summer USTA $10,000 event. After waiting out Sunday morning storms, Kris fell 63 64 in the second round of qualifying play. I imagine she will chime in later about her play.

Dubuque, Iowa hosted their annual Mississippi Valley Open Saturday & Sunday. Always a good tourney(prize money!!!) the 2011 version was no exception. The Dubuque event serves as the lead-in to this week's big Iowa Open(more prize money!!!) which begins play in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday with the Junior tourney and then the Adults follow with singles play beginning on Friday afternoon. The courts at Clark Racquet Center will be hosting the Boys & Girls 18's, and all of the Women's events. I know for sure that Elizabeth Hoffmann, Sara Ohlman, Jordan Ferree, Jackie Pedersen and Coach Kris will all be playing in the Women's events. I have heard rumors that Jeff Damisch, Curtis Newman, Daken Starkenburg, and Tyler Wilson will be in the Men's tourney. Perhaps others?

Then next week is the Iowa Private College Week where Coe expects some 400 prospective students to visit campus during the morning and afternoon sessions. Hopefully there will be plenty of tennis players to talk with during the week!

Evansville / St. Joe

2011-07-23T17:51:00.004-05:00

I have been meaning to respond to Coach Rodgers' post all week. Just now finding the time.

First of all, I must rebut his statement about my sleeping late on Sunday morning in O'Fallon. For the record, I was awake by 8:15 and swimming laps in the pool by 8:30. I do admit to sleeping later than normal since I didn't have a self-imposed 6 AM Insanity workout to wake up for, nor a 3 year old jumping on me to start my day. I also realize that Coach had been up for 3 (?) hours by that time, and definitely possesses the "antsy" gene to get moving / make progress. Thus, I do apologize for my lack of timeliness that morning! :)

My take on Evansville.....it was hot and humid! I found myself sweating while at a standstill, and that is quite unlike me. Having lived, coached (at U of Evansville) and taught tennis in the area years ago, Coach showed me around, and gave me the history of Evansville tennis. Was neat to take in, and it gave me more appreciation for tennis in the area, those that built it, and Coach's contribution along the way.

We even managed to stumble across a great pizza place one evening.....Geronte's. The quaint setting, and atmosphere, would make for a great "date night" should you find yourself in town. On the other hand, and as usual, Coach and I had a working dinner; found ourselves discussing the current state of Kohawk Tennis, and how to improve upon that foundation. We also spent much (most!) of our time in the car discussing the same with the ultimate goal being the compilation of a Business Plan for Kohawk Tennis.

As was the case in Atlanta, the time I spent on court leading up to my match is irreplaceable from an experience standpoint. Believe I got 9+ hours in before Monday's match-up against Hibi. The match itself.....Coach provided me with a rock solid game plan, and his analysis of my attempt to execute that plan (below) is dead on. My 1st serve % was abysmal. I considered, and was very close, to hitting two 2nd serves each point. In the end, probably should have given in to that notion in hopes that I started fewer points on the defensive.

Once again, I learned a lot about myself as an individual, competitor, tennis player and coach. Coach also absorbed much insight/knowledge simply by being present; he thinks and understands the game of tennis at a very different level than the rest of us. I have already benefitted from his enhanced tennis bank of knowledge this week. The practice sessions I did get in were very productive; I AM excited to play again and continue improving. I am actually sitting in St. Jospeh, MO right now waiting for the draw and tomorrow's schedule of play to be released.

Hibi went on to qualify for the main draw, and managed to do some damage there as well. She beat Kyle McPhillips (the winner of $10K Cleveland event) in the Quarters before losing in the Semis to Nicole Melichar.

I had a short (18 hour) hiatus in Prairie du Chien, WI with my family and parents on Thursday/Friday. We drove up to De Soto, WI for pizza at the Great River Roadhouse....another treasured find! The bridges en route were quite a sight, especially as evening fell and reflections glistened off the water. A picture of Emmie below (on a jet ski with a family friend):

Travel with Kris...

2011-07-19T08:23:00.003-05:00

John Steinbeck wrote a book about his travels across America in 1960 with his dog Charley. A literary classic, by a classic American author. This Blogpost will be neither literary, nor as extensive!

As Blog followers know, Coach Kris has been fulfilling a personal quest by playing in a few entry level Professional Tournaments. These are $10,000 events held across the country. She has played Cleveland, Atlanta, and Evansville, with St Joseph, MO this weekend. I drove Kris to Evansville.

The way these Events work, sign in for the Qualifier is from 3-6pm on Saturday, then the draw is released at about 615, with play beginning early Sunday. So to break up the drive(8 hours) we left late Friday, and stopped in O'Fallon, on the Illinois side of St Louis. Saturday morning, I got in 4 miles of walking, and a quality cup of coffeehouse coffee while waiting for Kris to emerge from her room. (you know how those "pros" need their sleep!) The we drove the remaining miles to E'ville with a slight detour over the toll bridge to New Harmony. (New Harmony, Indiana was built by a communal German religious group)

Arrived at the tourney site, Wesselman Park. 12 concrete courts, a dewpoint of 78 degrees and temperatures well into the 90's. We practiced for as long as I could stand up(90 minutes) then went to check into our respective hotels. (Kris stayed at the player hotel which was very nice and had a great rate for players....I stayed a couple miles away in more affordable lodging!) We went back to the tourney HQs to check the draw.....and discovered that Kris had a Bye and did not play until Monday!

Sunday morning I enjoyed an early cup of Starbucks, then picked up Kris and we were on the court by 745am. We hit until 845, then Kris joined up with Simone Kalhorn(Syracuse alum, 2011) and they played sets until 1030. (since the practice courts are assigned with 4 to a court, that practice set was often interrupted by x-court practice and court changes) I was assigned the task of watching the match Kris would play the winner of; it was the 2nd match on court #7. Fidan Manashirova and Mayo Hibi were paired up. Fidan will be a junior at Ohio State. She played #5 and #6 singles. Mayo is one of the top two players in the country in the 2014 class. Hibi would win an entertaining match in 3 sets; 61 46 61. After scouting, we talked about potential tactics for the Monday match at lunch, then Kris went swimming, we watched the end of the Women's World Cup, then returned to the now-empty courts for another round of practice. I lasted an hour in the humidity this time! (side note-years ago, I lived and coached in Evansville. Not sure how I survived the Summers?.....Guess I was a lot younger!)

Up and on the warm up courts at 745am. Match was assigned to court #6 at 9am. I settled into my seat with two bottles of water to get me through the match.

Hibi plays extremely gracefully, with a one-handed BH, and beautiful volleys. Quite different from the normal topspin baseline bashing that is prevalent in the Women's game. Kris also plays different than the norm, with footspeed as her primary weapon. Since Mayo is 15 years old with a flat FH, and that one-handed BH, we had decided to try and elevate Kris' shots to shoulder height, hopefully to elicit some errors. Also when Kris came forward, the idea was to pressure that BH side. We were looking for long points, 8-12 shots, followed by a net foray by Kris.

101 minutes later it was over. Hibi won 61 60. While a scorekeeping 'blowout", keep in mind that the adjacent court finished at the same time with a score of 64 75! What happened? Kris was unable to keep Mayo off the net enough, not enough of the points went our goal of 8-12 shots, and since Kris' 1st serve percentage was abysmal(less than 20%) she spent ALL of her time playing defense. Kris was able to use her footspeed to frustrate the younger player and make her hit an extra two shots per rally, but to her credit, she was able to do so. On the bright side, the game plan worked to a degree, Kris played very well, and I think she is eager to return to practice and competition. To be successful at this level, requires a workable draw, a reasonable playing style matchup, and of course, execution!

I learned "tons" from being at the tournament. Watching professionals and aspiring professionals practice, and compete. I have a lot of notes about practice drills, emotional management, intensity, focus, etc. that I plan on sharing and implementing into our Kohawk practices.

As the Tournament progresses I will update Mayo Hibi's progress, and maybe I can get Coach Kris to add a couple of comments about her perspective on the tournament?

Returned Home.....

2011-07-12T22:11:00.002-05:00

I have arrived back in the homeland after almost 2 weeks away. Played in the Atlanta ITF event this past Saturday and received a shellacking in the first round; wasn’t pleasant! After winning the 1^st game, experienced a mental/physical breakdown on the court. Upon tossing the ball to serve at the outset of the 2^nd game, my entire body seemed to tense (likely attributed to nerves?). I caught the ball and reset, or tried to. Failed miserably…spent the next 9 games trying to attain any semblance of rhythm and/or a meld between my mind and body. Finally relaxed myself (lost part of my speed in doing so) in the middle of the second set and played a few competitive games before shaking hands.

Admit to having once lost a match as a junior player after being ahead 6-0, 5-0 in score. Although the memory has been repressed, I vaguely recall a similar on-court breakdown occurring as I tried to close the match out. Two examples of how important the mind, and mental side of the game, are!

After much assessment, realize that I will/have grown as a player and coach based on each of those experiences. Regardless, was a tough match to swallow given the time, travel, expense, energy, passion put into my tournament play thus far and on behalf of those that have invested time in me (or afforded me the opportunity to play)....namely Coach Rodgers and my family.

On a more positive note, I did have the opportunity to train with Coach Luke Jensen, and a few of the Syracuse graduates, throughout the week. The additional match play and practice was great for my growth! A big thanks to Coach Jensen and Coach George for taking care of me all week. I also would like to say thank you to the Tournament Director (Patricia Jensen) and staff (Bunny, Missy, etc). I thoroughly enjoyed my tournament experience……OFF THE COURT!

The only upside to my first round departure was a 2 ½ day hiatus back in Peachtree City with family. I was able to catch one of Charlie’s (my cousin) baseball games at a National Tournament being held in the area. His team went into the 7^th trailing 3-4; they loaded up the bases with 2 outs and a full count. Ended up scoring 3 in the top of the inning, and held their opponents to 1 run in the bottom to win the game 6-5. Tooled around in the golf cart with Charlie for 2 hours my final evening in town…got Emmie her first Under Armour shirt, and had Italian ice at Rita’s!

Read both Fit for Life and Sugar Busters while away. Armed with new and interesting information relating to nutrition!

Quiet!

2011-07-08T16:57:00.003-05:00

I know it has been a while since I have jotted down any words in this space. Truth is that not to much exciting action is happening around the Clark Racquet Center! I have had the pleasure of being able to assist in the Training of Coach Kris, and an University of Iowa Men's player for the first six weeks of the summer. But, they are both out on the Tournament Circuit, as they should be, because they both desperately want to improve. So it is too quiet!

In their absence my weekly mileage on the bicycle has gone way up, and I have my days full of tracking tournaments results across Iowa, the Midwest, and this week, across the entire country. As we expand the borders of Kohawk Tennis, I am being made increasingly aware of the amazing number of junior tennis players in the United States. Youth Tennis seems to be thriving, but the number of Adult tournament participants is dwindling. Not sure what that says, just an observation.

I have heard from assorted Kohawks, past and current, this Summer. Many current Kohawks are working on their tennis games. Mike Janssen currently is the leader in tournaments played as he is on his 5th one this weekend . He and his brother, Greg(10) are living in Maine where Greg works as the Assistant Tennis Coach at Bates College.. Jon(96) and Missy(97) Turbett recently put on youth clinics in their hometown of Dubuque and Jon reports they had a great turnout and a lot of fun! Kevin Buckner(92) is finally getting married and working on Wedding Plans. Congratulations to KB! Mark Murphy(98) just returned from the NCAA D3 National Committee Meetings, and is now back at Kalamazoo College helping to prepare to host the USTA Boys National Championships.

Locally I see Molly(09) and Megan(10) Fiala a couple times a week on and off the court. They are doing wonderful! Chris Paasch(06), Andrea Schupbach(10) and Natalie Bordignon(11) all are working in the Admissions Office here at Coe. Chris and Andrea recently assumed new job responsibilites. Congratulations to them! Prateek(11) and Scott Stegemann(11) are both still around too. Prateek is working on campus with the Upward Bound Program, as is Sara Ohlman(13), and Scott is fulfilling an internship in the Uptown District. Scott is also going to try and carry Joey Lankelma(09) in a doubles tournament this weekend. Good luck on that! Our resident Rocket Scientists, Victor Khristenko(12) and Daken Starkenburg(14) are both involved in Physics research this summer, both at Coe and at the University of Iowa.

The pace of the Summer will pick up again rather soon. If Coach Kris is accepted into the Evansville 10K Futures, I will accompany her there. The two weeks following are the big Iowa Tennis events, the Missouri Valley Futures in Iowa City and then the Iowa Open at month's end. All of you are invited to play in both events(if eligible!) and we will make sure and have a Kohawk gathering during the Iowa Open at the Racquet Center.

Until then, take care!

4th of July

2011-07-04T20:57:00.004-05:00

Have you been to Peachtree City, GA? The entire city is connected by hundreds of miles of golf cart paths. There are 35,000 residents, and 12,000 registered golf carts.....9 out of 10 homes own a golf cart and utilize it as the vehicle of choice for nearby errands. When visiting, we often take the cart out for evening rides, to the grocery store, Blockbuster, pool, etc.

This evening, thousands of golf carts ventured out, parked around Peachtree City Lake and/or on one of the golf courses to view the Fireworks display. Golf cart traffic on the way home is bumper to bumper; we departed a bit early to avoid the jam, and incoming storm!

Hope everyone had an enjoyable 4th of July! I certainly did.

Headed North of Atlanta tomorrow afternoon to train with Luke Jensen and several Syracuse graduates. My high school coach, Shelley George, serves as Jensen's Assistant Coach at Syracuse.

Travels.....Peachtree City, GA

2011-07-03T07:57:00.003-05:00

Arrived in Peachtree City, GA to visit relatives this past Friday. Wimbledon breakfast (strawberries, cream and waffles) is a tradition in our family that was started by my Uncle Don, who played tennis and football at American University. Thus, I prepared it for everyone yesterday and will be doing the same in a few short minutes - men's final! We attended the Braves game last night. Emmie really enjoyed the game, has the Tomahawk Chop down pat, and loved the Fireworks Show that took place after the game.

Cars 2 this afternoon!

Pictures below.....I have also included a picture of Emmie with two of the camp girls from a couple weeks ago, and one of my favorite pictures that I recently came across. Enjoy!

Oh, I was also accepted into the $10,000 ITA Tournament being held in Johns Creek, GA next weekend.

First of July

2011-07-01T10:58:00.002-05:00

Djokovic moves into Wimbledon Final

And the Tour de France gets underway this weekend. Andy Schleck is one of the favorites in this year's event.

And no July should get underway without mention of Baseball! Only baseball & hockey seem to be playing. Football and Basketball are in the hands of the lawyers.....

Video Footage from US Open Playoffs.....

2011-06-25T20:41:00.001-05:00

Scott and I playing Mixed Doubles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ9NReC8f8A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBQv6MFF20w

US Open Playoffs - Saturday

2011-06-25T15:59:00.005-05:00

Scott and I played this morning and lost 6-2, 6-3 to Minnesota's top rostered male player (Wernet) from Germany, and former standout and NCAA qualifier on the women's side (Young, formerly Peterson). A slow start, a couple ill-advised decisions at inopportune times (more so on my part than Scott's), and too many deuce points lost in a no-ad scoring situation, prevented the match from being closer in score. Even with the previous factors in our favor though, the match result likely would have been the same.....they were tough!

Stayed after to watch 1 of the women's semi final matches between Falcon (former standout at LSU) and Beenk (up and coming player from Le Claire, IA). Had a relaxing lunch in the downtown area, milkshakes for all 3 of us included. Returned to the courts to watch the Cleveland/Larson semi final match on the men's side. Ridiculous tennis all around, and quite an enjoyable/exciting atmosphere to be a part of.

Pictures below.......the University of MN is known for their tremendous hockey programs (they even have separate ice arenas for the men and women!). Being a huge hockey fan, and stud hockey player himself, Scott was quite impressed. I was more impressed with the training circuit posted around the top of the arena.....20 stations in all, stairs and an activity included at each station, along with an activity to/from each station. Generated many thoughts to improve/add to our own conditioning program!

Minneapolis - US Open Playoffs!

2011-06-24T22:06:00.003-05:00

Arrived in Minneapolis with the Stegemann's yesterday. Mr. Stegemann (Jeff) joined Scott and I on our journey - nice to have court side support and far less responsibility than I am used to in terms of travel arrangements, accommodations, food, etc.

I played last night. Lost 6-2, 6-3 to the University of Minnesota's incoming 5 star, and top 50 ranked Nationally, recruit. Despite it not being a good match-up for me based on game styles, had opportunities. Courter was quite offensive and immediately pushed me back behind the baseline; I had to give myself more time to track down one blistering shot after another. However, this ended up being slightly counter-productive....by giving up more of the baseline, the depth on my own balls became shorter and shorter, allowing her to capitalize on each and every one. Eventually began to serve and volley, and apply some forward pressure. This was quite effective, but too little too late.

Overall, the talent level is pretty phenomenal and GREAT tennis to watch / be a part of. I definitely would have preferred a less offensive first round opponent......but in looking around, EVERY opponent appeared tough! Several of the Gophers upcoming, current and alumni are in the tournament. The University of Iowa is represented by its top player in the late 90's - Tyler Cleveland. Ohio State and LSU also have top-tier players here. Oh....there is also a Mixed Doubles team that had to default their match because they are playing in the respective Men's and Women's Doubles draws at WIMBLEDON!

Scott and I were scheduled to play this evening in the Quarters of the Mixed draw. However, our match was rescheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 10 AM due to restrictions on the # of matches a player can play each day.

A successful week of the Kohawk Tennis Overnight Camp wrapped up earlier this afternoon with a team competition, and closing ceremony. We were extremely fortunate to have a WONDERFUL group of campers.....very well behaved, respectful and a lot of fun. A big thanks to our staff also.......Coach Rob did a great job in the lead role, Kyle & Michelle handled the long evenings / overnight portion with ease, JR and Jackie were great with the kids on court and Coach Rodgers always offers his insightful wisdom to the campers (as seen in the below picture).

Cleveland Wrap-Up, My Match of Momentum and Tennis Camp!

2011-06-20T09:53:00.004-05:00

Played Sunday morning at 9 AM against Cameron Hubbs - a recent graduate from Ohio State. Lost in 3 sets....7-5, 0-6, 2-6. Hubbs plays more of an attack/offensive game. She came out firing; I merely had to run down a few balls (my style) and put them back in play, forcing her to hit 4 winners each point instead of 1. Her errors began to add up giving me a 3-0 early lead in the 1st. However, she quickly settled in and began to attack more intelligently.....pushing me behind the baseline, closing the net/angle and putting 1 volley away after another (or so it seemed). 5 games later, I was down 3-5. Gut check at this point......legs kicked back in gear and I took the next 4 games to capture the set 7-5.

Tides turned quickly, abruptly and to my dismay, at this point in the match. I am still trying to come to terms with how the match played out from this point on, and to understand it from a mental standpoint so that I can grow and learn from it. Hubbs managed to rattle off the next 9 games. After competing/winning the 1st set, how does this happen? Once I can pinpoint the answer, I'll let you know.

Given the stage and level of play, I admit to surprising myself in winning the 1st set. Because of that, perhaps I settled? To the credit of my opponent, she slightly altered her gameplan and did a much better job of mixing up pace/placement, which took me out of rhythm.

Down 0-3 in the 3rd, I did slightly recover and decide that I wasn't going to get knocked down without a fight. Believe I was down 1-3, 15-40 and fought back to win that game. Had a bit of momentum in my favor again, but couldn't capitalize on an ad point at 2-3 to even up the 3rd at 3 a piece.

Following the match, I stepped off the court, stood in place for 5 minutes, eyes slightly glazed over and took in my surroundings, where I was at and what I was/am trying to do. Honestly believe that I could write a novel about the infinite thoughts that crossed my mind in those short, yet eternal, minutes. In sum and despite the current state of emptiness/loneliness, felt blessed to be standing in the middle of Chagrin Falls, OH, to have had the opportunity to test myself and play at this level, and for the support from family and friends that I have had along my journey thus far. As Coach Rodgers later stated in trying to make me feel better, I have a limited (zero!) matchbank of experience at this level. I will continue to improve/grow and test myself again......in fact, back on the road in just a few short days to play singles and mixed (with Scott Stegemann) at the US Open Qualifier in Minneapolis:

http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=107050

Had a 10 hour drive back to Cedar Rapids following my match. Talk about time to think! Don't think I turned the radio on until I hit the State of Illinois. With our overnight Tennis Camp taking place this week, campers checked in last night. We have 20 great kids for the next 100+ hours. Luckily, we also have a tremendous staff of counselors/coaches. Many/most of the kids and counselors are returning from last year. Coach Rob is taking the lead in running the camp this year (to accommodate my travels/tournaments, thanks!), but I did stop at the Racquet Center to say Hello to the campers on my way back into town. The greeting that I received brought an immediate smile to my face.....the same was true when Emmie peaked out of her bedroom door this morning......kids have a way of doing that! Excited to spend time with Emmie, and the campers, this week! All of us will be in the pool this evening after a long day of progress on the court, and in the classroom. Wimbledon starts today also; another reason to smile! A picture of the campers on court (inside due to rain) this morning:

Day 2 - Cleveland

2011-06-18T21:20:00.003-05:00

Smooth sailing on the road today. With time to spare, ALMOST got distracted by Cedar Point.....best coasters in the US! Arrived at the Chagrin Valley Athletic Club mid-afternoon. Snuck on a practice court with a 16 year old from Canada (almost 1/2 my age!). Got checked in / registered. Watched two girls from Japan play the card game of War at a phenomenal speed in the Player's Lounge.....imagine they have been and done this before many a times. Saw several of the players warm-up and it dawned on me that I deserve to be here.....KNOW that I can compete with any/all of the players on court today. Despite that, felt very strange to circle "Pro" (as opposed to amateur) during registration.

Play at 9 AM tomorrow morning and ecstatic about having the opportunity to do so. Here is another link:

http://www.clevelandprotennis.com/

A few pictures also. Emmie would love the beach area here; perhaps she'll be in attendance as a spectator next year?

On my way to Cleveland....

2011-06-17T21:31:00.002-05:00

As previously posted, I have been accepted into the Qualifying Draw of the Cleveland $10,000 Event. I departed this afternoon, am staying in Fremont, IN this evening and will complete the drive tomorrow. Check-in is Saturday afternoon with play beginning Sunday morning.

Honestly, my trip has been difficult and stressful thus far. A few hours into my trip, I experienced a 45 minute delay due to construction on I-80. Then, a few miles into Indiana, the overhead sign reads, "Car Stalled 6 Miles Ahead, Center Lane Closed." More construction followed. Finally decide to stop for dinner at a KFC. Rarely eat fast food, but was thinking their new grilled chicken would be acceptable. Turns out, it was a KFC Express with a limited menu and thus, no grilled chicken. Much later than expected, FINALLY get off the highway and can see my hotel......the bridge to get to the other side is closed.....7 mile detour. Lastly, the Hampton cannot find my reservation despite my having a reservation #......they booked me at the Hampton in Fremont, CA instead of Fremont, IN. Luckily, the pool is open until 11 tonight so I now have 20 minutes to get a few laps in before turning in for the night.

All in all, suppose today was simply a test of mental strength for me......difficult path will make the opportunity that much more rewarding when arrive!

You can follow my progress via the following link:

http://www.usta.com/Pro-Tennis/Pro-Circuit/ResultsSchedules/

Scroll down to the Ladies Cleveland Tennis Championships - Cleveland, Ohio.

Wimbledon Miscellaneous..

2011-06-15T09:32:00.004-05:00

The All England Lawn Tennis Championships begin in just a few days in Wimbledon, England. Once upon a time three of the four Grand Slam events were played on grass. Now only Wimbledon remains, and the turnaround from the conclusion of the French(June 5th) to the first day of play at Wimbledon(June 20th) marks the shortest portion of the professional circuit, the "grass-court" segment.

Did you know that William Renshaw and Pete Sampras hold the most singles titles with seven? Or that Todd Woodbridge has won nine Men's Doubles crowns?

Martina Navratilova captured nine singles titles, seven doubles titles, and four mixed for a total of 20. Billie Jean King matched that with six singles, ten doubles, and four mixed.

Martina Navratilova played an incredible 326 matches on the courts of Wimbledon.

Last year's Isner/Mahut match lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes!

Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva played the longest Women's match. Two hours and 49 minutes.

2011 Men's Singles Seeds

1 Nadal 2 Djokovic 3 Federer 4 Murray 5 Soderling 6 Berdych 7 Ferrer 8 Roddick

2011 Women's Singles Seeds

1 Wozniacki 2 Zvonareva 3 Li Na 4 Azarenka 5 Sharapova 6 Schiavone 7 S Williams 8 Kvitova

Weekend Pictures

2011-06-13T10:26:00.003-05:00

Coach Rob (left) and a number of the guys at the Waterloo Open this past weekend:

The clay courts at Cedar Rapids Country Club in the early morning immediately before Coach Rodgers and I put a training session in:

Emmie Diehl intently focused on the task at hand.....left handed!

Waterloo Results

2011-06-13T10:19:00.002-05:00

Kohawk affiliated results from the Waterloo tourney.

Nikki Kuehl(Burke) 2002 alum was runner-up in Women's Open singles, taking out the top seed along the way and won the Women's Doubles

Joey White(trains at Coe) was the singles runner-up, 2011 grads Elliot Rausa and Scott Stegemann were semi-finalists, Curtis Newman and Coach Rob Rye were quarterfinalists(Rob's back went out chasing one of Scott's topspin lobs!) and Jonathan Roger was a consolation semifinalist.

Elliot won the doubles over Scott and JR. Scott and JR edged Curtis & Kyle Tucker in the semi finals in a Match Tiebreaker.

In Men's 4.0 action, the sandbagging Chuck Lampe(trains at Coe) won the event with the loss of only 7 games in eight sets!

Waterloo Open / First Team Reunion of the Summer!

2011-06-10T22:59:00.003-05:00

Several of the players on our men's team, 2 recent graduates and Coach Rob will be playing in the Waterloo Open this weekend. You can follow their progress/results by clicking on the link provided.

Elliot Rausa (2011 graduate) will be hosting all of the players at the residence of his parents. A big thanks to Dave and Patty for opening up their home, and constant support of Kohawk Tennis. I am confident the guys will have a great time and enjoy their time on court / competing!

2011 French Open and a bit of Tennis History

2011-06-08T07:17:00.007-05:00

As the French Open fades into the past, and we look forward to the onset of Wimbledon in just 12 days, an observational lesson from the Men's Final. Despite the brilliant five months of undefeated play by Novak Djokovic, the French Final was once again a Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer match up, thanks to the brilliant and bold shot-making effort by Federer in the semi-final vs Djokovic.

In the Final, once again Nadal was victorious despite, at times, a flurry of greatness from Federer. On Clay this match up always seem to be "same old, same old", as Nadal loops his lefthanded FH crosscourt to the Federer one-handed BH. Seemingly to the point of boredom. I mean 4 sets of running the same play over and over. Well, it has produced a 12-2 advantage over the years on clay!

Which brings to mind the point Bill Tilden "hammered" home in his classic tennis book, Match Play and Spin of the Ball. Published in 1925, Tilden made the statement, "Always change a losing game, and NEVER change a winning game".

Bill Tilden was an early American great Tennis Player. During his amateur career from 1912-30, he won 14 Grand Slams, and won 138 of 192 tournaments played, including a match winning percentage of 93.6%. He turned Professional in 1931 and was one of the pioneers in establishing tennis as a professional sport.

Bill Tilden in action:

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=4676

Nadal is an obvious proponent of Tilden's rule. So while the content of the claycourt matches between Federer and Nadal are amazingly similar and perhaps tedious, let's remember and appreciate that we have the opportunity to be watching two of the all time great players ply their skills. I know I can appreciate the amazing brilliance of Federer's racquet artistry, and at the same time marvel in Nadal's ability to blunt Federer's shot-making with sheer doggedness, effort, and execution of a game plan.

Many will wonder how Djokovic would have fared with his two-handed shot to foil Nadal's FH? I think that would have been, and will be, quite interesting, but until proven otherwise, I am opting to stick with Nadal's "physicality", especially in a best of five Grand Slam situation.

On to Wimbledon!

Happenings at Coe!

2011-06-06T23:25:00.003-05:00

A very Happy 3rd Birthday to Emmie Diehl!

Coach Rob returned from a short trip to Denver in which he was able to spend time with family. Rob has also been putting quite a bit of time into conditioning, performed quite well in the beep test today (in an attempt to push Curtis this Fall?), and will be playing in the Waterloo Open this weekend.

Coach Kris snuck away for 28 hours late last week and spent a day relaxing up in Prairie Du Chien with family. Kris has been accepted into the qualifying draw of the ITF Circuit Cleveland $10,000 Tournament. She will be headed to Cleveland on June 18th to compete!

Coach Rodgers spent many hours in the Racquet Center this past weekend as Coe played host to the Senior and Mixed USTA League District Championships. Proceeds from the event help pay for Spring Break so a big thanks to Coach for the long hours. Coach also found time to put in 100+ miles on the bike.

The Kohawk Summer Tennis Camp is quickly approaching! June 19th-24th. We are still accepting registrations. Please advertise to those you feel may be interested. After expenses, the money is put directly back into Kohawk Tennis! A link to camp details is in the right hand sidebar.

For the players, and because we know how much you enjoy Kohawk Conditioning, we are now posting optional daily workouts on the blog.

Lastly, you can now follow our blog via email; please sign up above if you would like to receive an email when updates to the blog have been made.

Hope all of our followers/players/alumni/parents are enjoying the Summer weather; we certainly miss having many of you around the Racquet Center on a daily basis!

Friday NCAA Play

2011-05-27T22:31:00.003-05:00

This will be brief. Has been a long 4 days of much tennis, and need to be up early to catch a flight! Still in the process of digesting play, both team and individual (singles and doubles). I am very thankful to Coach Rodgers, and Coach Rob for attending IA Boy's State while I stomped around on his turf, for providing me with the opportunity to attend. I am more stoked than ever to assist in building a team, and individuals, that can and will compete at this level. We already have a very solid base, and will continue to grow each and every day!

A few notes from today's Individual Tournament:

- I haven't seen anyone that can compete with Gabrielle Clark (Emory) on the singles court. Kendra Higgins (Chicago) took a set off her (in a tiebreaker) during the team tournament, but Clark's physicality took over the match at that point. Clark is that much more athletic, quick and physical than the other competitors. I expect her to take the title with ease.

- I also expect Pottish (Emory) and Lane (CMS) to hold seed, and meet in the Finals, with Pottish coming out on top of a battle.

- In other words, I predict a repeat of 2009, in which Emory took both the men's (Michael Goodwin - brother Chris is in the draw this year and was the runner-up last year) and women's (Lorne McManigle) singles titles.

- I only caught a single round of doubles play. On one hand, it is difficult to bet against the experience of 2 time champions, Chrissy Hu and Kendra Higgins, of Chicago. However, their doubles play this week wasn't up to par in the team tournament (beaten by Williams, and Emory?). That leaves the door open for a solid 2nd seeded pair in CMS and/or a double dip victory for Clark?

- Based on the team tournament, the Amherst men play very solid doubles. I did see their top pair fall to Emory's #1 duo but that loss was avenged in 3 sets today by Amherst's #2 squad. Thus, I expect Amherst (#1 or #2) to add to their trophy case with a doubles victory.

I ate one of the best meals I've had in a long time at Dr. Grubb's on Bonita Avenue downtown Claremont this evening. Atlantic salmon, vegetable medley and a tomato pesto sauce. Superb and reasonably priced. Highly recommend if you are in the area.

Thanks again to Coach Rodgers; the trip will pay dividends to Kohawk Tennis in terms of my own growth as a coach. Can't complain that the growth happened to be obtained in sunny CA!

Yeah, yeah......not as brief as I expected it to be. Hope you enjoyed my journey the past 4 days.

Team Finals

2011-05-26T23:26:00.001-05:00

Women's Final - Williams vs. Amherst

Doubles: The doubles pairs from Williams simply don't miss.....especially when in the crosscourt. Unforced errors on their side of the net was limited to say the least. Once again, movement from all 4 players on the court was impressive; net players ALWAYS ready to volley. Honestly, Amherst better took advantage of short ball opportunities, and closed the net with more confidence. However, when push came to shove, the grinding ability of Williams could not be matched. I was reminded of an article written by Elliot Teltscher (that very well could have been written by Coach Rodgers himself) on shot tolerance. If the Amherst shot tolerance was 23, Williams boasted one of 32. Following long rallies/points, Amherst would hang their head in frustration. Williams 3, Amherst 0.

Singles: The celebration that ensued after doubles, and look of sheer will on the face of the Amherst players, was evidence to me that the match was not over. I expected Amherst to come out fighting against a lackadaisical/casual Williams squad and witnessed just that. The typical fight/grind that Williams had displayed over the course of the 2 previous days was lacking from the outset, and Amherst took advantage of that, capturing 4 first sets (and battling in the 2 that they dropped). Williams recovered shortly thereafter, and buckled down. Rallies were long; at one point I counted 3 consecutive rallies of 21, 16 and 28 groundstrokes on courts 4, 5 and 6 respectively. On courts 1, 2 (during the 1st set) and 3, Amherst was able to match the consistency/grind of Williams. On top of that, Amherst better recovered to the baseline throughout rallies, and created and capitalized on short balls. This was enough for them to attain victories at the top spot, and court 3. With courts 4 (Williams) and 6 (Amherst) being one sided, it became apparent that courts 2, and 5, would determine the outcome of the match. Worley (Williams #2 player) is very athletic and a fighter, and in many respects, represents the epitome of a Williams tennis player. Starting with Tuesday's play, she quickly became one of my favorite players to watch. Thus, I found it fitting that the match came down to her court. In form, and with the experience of a National Championship under her belt, she captured court 2 in a 3rd set tiebreaker to give her team the title for the 4th straight year.

Williams 5, Amherst 4. My congratulations to both teams for a match/season well-played!

Men's Final - Amherst vs. Emory

Doubles: Once again, the men's doubles was physical and athletic. On both sides of the net, players moved together (with little distance between them), covered the middle, gave up low % shots in terms of court coverage, closed the middle (BOTH players and ALWAYS!), dug low volleys, etc. Returns were BIG, and with depth, yet few return errors. The attack mentality was evident. Offensive lobs, always followed in, were utilized often. With the exception of the top court, Amherst forced errors and played through Emory. Amherst 2, Emory 1.

Singles: Based on the singles play that I had seen from Amherst the previous day, I strongly believed the match to be over after doubles and that ended up being the case. The play of Pottish, Emory's #1 singles player, was the only highlight for the Eagles.

Amherst 5, Emory 2. Congratulations to Amherst for a fairly dominant tournament, and the avenge of their 2nd place finish the previous 2 years.

NCAA Individual Singles and Doubles play opens up tomorrow morning!

Below is a picture of the Williams players storming the court in celebration of their victory.

Day 2 - NCAA Team Tournament

2011-05-25T22:04:00.003-05:00

Wednesday play opened up with the women's semi-final matches: Emory/Amherst and Williams/Chicago. I chose to watch the Emory/Amherst doubles and was fairly impressed with the level of play.....especially on Emory's side of the net. Lead by a very physical and athletic freshman, Gabrielle Clark, the Eagles played offensive doubles.....depth on returns, attacking on short balls, crisp closing volleys with the expectation that every ball will come back! Not only did Emory frequently capitalize on short balls, they often would sneak in behind high quality deep rally shots as well. Amherst actually matched Emory's aggression early on the first 2 courts. The Lord Jeff's lead 5-3, and 4-3, respectively on the 2 courts. As if surprised to be ahead in the matches, emotions appeared to get in the way. Amherst, ever so slightly, backed off their groundstrokes and at times, attempted low % shots. Thus, Emory had short balls to pounce on, and started attaining some unforced errors on Amherst's behalf. Emory won 9-8(4) at #1 doubles and 8-4 at #2 doubles. Although too little, too late, Amherst's #2 pair did pick up the aggression again when down 7-4 in the match. They proceeded to play a 12+ deuce game, staying on the court for an extended period of time during an ever so important time of the match! From an emotional standpoint, the reverse was true for the Lord Jeff's at #3 doubles. I believe they trailed 5-2 in the match, playing far too defensive/passive from the outset, but picking up the aggression later in the match. Amherst battled back to win 9-7 and claim 1 of the doubles points.

With the expectation that Chicago would be fairly dominant in doubles (based on play from yesterday and a doubles sweep), I didn't see much of the Williams/Chicago doubles play. I was wrong (it happens!). Williams handily won at #1 against 2 time NCAA Doubles Champions Chrissy Hu and Kendra Higgins (2009 and 2010) 8-3. Williams also took court 3 doubles by an 8-2 score. Those that watched play stated that Chicago simply did not play with the same conviction/aggression that they are known for, and had shown yesterday. I was able to view the latter part of court #2 doubles (Chicago's most aggressive duo in my opinion) and noted the same. Chicago at one point lead 6-3 in the match, and had a 5-2 lead in the tiebreaker. Nonetheless, believe I witnessed BOTH Li and Guzman several feet behind the baseline for the first time in 2 days.....on multiple occasions. In the end, Williams also seized court 2 and took a 3-0 lead into singles.

The Ephs of Williams came out strong in singles and showed why and how they are the 3 time defending NCAA Team Champions (seeking the 4-peat tomorrow). Singles play (dictated by the Ephs on most courts, with the exception of court #1) included long rallies, intelligent crosscourt and directional play, a high level of fitness, rally groundstroke depth, and smart decision making when out of position. Williams captured victories at court 5 and 6 to win the match 5-0.

Turning back to Amherst/Emory, the lone doubles point that Amherst took at court 3 prevented this match from coming down to the wire. Amherst played a similar style as Williams (especially in the lower half of their line-up) and essentially out-grinded Emory. Gabrielle Clark was the only singles victor for Emory. Amherst 5, Emory 3.

At this point in the day, I was able to find an empty field and sneak a workout in before the Men's semi-final matches began: Emory/Wash U and Williams/Amherst.

The Amherst match was quite lopsided. The only highlight for the Ephs was a win at #3 doubles. Otherwise, Amherst once again outmatched their opponent physically, winning 5-1 in quick fashion.

Emory/Wash U doubles was an electric environment. Constant movement from all 4 players on the court, very physical, great hands (to counter to the countless below the net volleys), athleticism, power, etc. A battle ensued on court #2 and #3, but Emory prevailed in both matches. Immediately after Emory seized the 3-0 lead, a sigh of disappointment/surprise from both the Wash U players, and their fanbase, conveyed to me little hope on the singles front. This time, I was correct.....Emory quickly rolled the top 2 singles spots to win 5-0.

Tomorrow's final match-ups include Amherst/Emory on the men's side and Amherst/Williams on the women's side.

I am unable to upload pictures from my camera, but I have included a few from my phone below. I don't claim to be a photographer, but I found the first to be an astonishing view on my walk from the courts to my hotel. The second is at the CMS courts during the introduction of the Chicago/Denison match on Tuesday. The last photo is of Emmie attempting to join my morning workout one day last week. Enjoy!

Day 1 in Claremont

2011-05-25T02:36:00.003-05:00

Arrived mid-afternoon and went straight to the CMS courts. Beautiful complex! Between CMS and Pomona-Pitzer, there are 24+ courts within a very small radius.

Watched the women warm-up in prep for the afternoon quarterfinal matches - Chicago/Denison and CMS/Williams. Started my tournament experience with the Chicago/Denison doubles. Two very different styles. Chicago plays a fairly powerful, confident and aggressive game, oftentimes through the net player. On the other hand, Denison's strength lies in their defense (pulling 2 back at times) with high clearance and LOBS! Chicago appeared a bit flustered with the defense from the outset, but quickly rebounded. In the end, their power was simply too much for the Big Red to handle.....witnessed net players often caught off guard and unable to dig volleys. The singles was quite competitive, but again, Chicago's power, size, aggression and depth in their line-up trumped Denison's defense. Chicago 5-0.

Williams 5, Claremont 0.

The evening men's quarterfinal play included Amherst/Trinity(Texas) and CMS/Williams. There was a very apparent change in the atmosphere moving into men's play. The intensity and energy of both the players, and crowd, increased dramatically. Trinity is known for their doubles play and came out with a tremendous amount of passion and hype. Amherst has been fairly dominant all year, and kept matches tight as they rode out the storm. Over time, momentum slowly shifted in favor of Amherst (due to sheer size, power and forward movement) allowing the Lord Jeff's of Amherst to sweep the doubles, and eventually take the match 5-0.

The CMS/Williams match ended up being the most exciting of the day.....a 4 hour marathon! CMS was a clear favorite going into the match, and remained the expected victor despite being down 2-1 after doubles. Williams won at the top singles spot in 3 sets, but dropped the 2-4 matches to a strong CMS trio. With CMS leading 3-2, 5 and 6 singles both split sets. Williams took the lead 3-1 on both courts. After gaining the lead, Page (Williams) held off Cahill (CMS) at the 6 spot and tied up the match score at 3 a piece. 5 singles became a battle though, and was tied at 3-3 when court 6 wrapped up play. Throughout the remainder of the set, Chow (Williams) had several break points and team match points (5?) against him but managed to fight each one off. Wu (CMS) was cramping throughout the set, but did have the home court crowd in his favor! In fitting fashion for an NCAA Elite 8 match, under the lights, just before midnight, Chow captured the first and only match point in his favor to win the 3rd set, 11-9 in a tiebreaker. Intense! Williams 5, CMS 4.

Quote of the day came from Coach Murph as players from CMS and Williams raced back and forth as the players on Court 5 changed sides....."For 2 smart schools, you'd think they would figure out to simply put 1/2 their team on each side."

Definitely an exciting first day of play for me, and more to come! As the sun went down, realized that I should have brought warmer clothes for evening play!

NCAA d3 Championships

2011-05-24T08:16:00.002-05:00

The first-ever combined NCAA d3 Tennis Championships begin today in Claremont, California. quarterfinal Women's play opens the day at 9am PDT, and the day concludes with quarterfinal Men's play at 6pm.

Follow the live scoring here!

http://www.cmsathletics.org/sports/mten/2010-11/releases/20110520jw3a7x

Coe College will have our very own reporter present at the Championships. Last week Coach Rob visited Men's Regional play in St. Louis, and this week, I am pleased that Coach Kris will be blogging and reporting from Claremont! I have always found attending NCAA play the best way to learn the current trends occurring at the d3 level. Claremont has incredible tennis facilities, and I know Coach Kris will be keeping us all up to date with pictures and prolific writing over the next four days!