Merry Christmas!

Nutrition Article

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KOHAWK TENNIS APPAREL - NIKE TACKLE TWILL HOODED SWEATSHIRTS!

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

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%

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

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

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.

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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...

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 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!

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!

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

Facebook Album

Jordan & Hoff:

Sara:

Jackie:

Men's IIAC Analysis

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

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

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.

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

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

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!

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

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!