Kohawks top Grinnell 6-3!

Natalie Bordignon & Coach Kris plot strategy on a changeover. Natalie clinched the match for Coe with her straight set win at #5 singles.

The Kohawks will host defending Iowa Conference champion Luther College on Sunday, September 19th at 1pm. The Norse are coming off a 7-2 win over Conference co-favorite Wartburg College.

Coe College 6, Grinnell College 3 Sep 11, 2010 at Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Clark Racquet Center)

Singles competition

1. Hannah Jensen (COEW) def. Toby Cain (GC) 6-2, 6-4

2. Michelle Schupbach (COEW) def. Constanza Alarcon (GC) 6-1, 6-3

3. Tai Lucero (COEW) def. Clothilde Thirouin (GC) 6-4, 7-6

4. Morgan Counts (GC) def. Sara Ohlman (COEW) 3-6, 6-1, 12-10

5. Natalie Bordignon (COEW) def. Hanna Feldman (GC) 6-4, 6-3

6. Catherine Fitch (GC) def. Elizabeth Hoffmann (COEW) 6-1, 6-4

Doubles competition

1. Michelle Schupbach/Tai Lucero (COEW) def. Toby Cain/Clothilde Thirouin (GC) 8-3

2. Hannah Jensen/Sara Ohlman (COEW) def. Constanza Alarcon/Catherine Fitch (GC) 8-5

3. Morgan Counts/Hanna Feldman (GC) def. Elizabeth Hoffmann/Natalie Bordignon (COEW) 9-7

Opening Day

KOHAWKS OPEN WITH TWIN 9-0 IIAC WINS!

Opening the Fall campaign on the road with conference dual matches with an inexperienced team would generally be a recipe for disaster. The 2010 Coe Women gave their first indication that they can be counted on to do the unexpected by posting twin shutouts, beating Central College and Simpson College 9-0.

First-Years Tai Lucero and Elizabeth Hoffmann got their Kohawk careers off to 4-0 starts, and Tai blanked her opponents in three of her four matches.

IIAC Update--All nine conference teams played matches in the first few days of September. Conference favorites Luther College and Wartburg College did nothing to dispel their pre-season hype as Luther lost by the slimmest of margins to nationally ranked Wheaton College, while Wartburg lost only 24 total games in 27 matches while running their W-L to 3-0.

Kohawk Update--Coe has its home opener Saturday, September 11th at 10:30am against Midwest Conference power Grinnell College. Grinnell is off to an unbeaten start to their year also after downing NAIA foe St Ambrose University 7-2.

Kohawk TENNIS--Fall Preview

Classes begin Monday, August 30th, and the Women's Tennis team is just wrapping up their week of pre-season training. We have been getting in two very good workouts each day this week, and the talent on the team is quite evident.

The Iowa Conference looks to be very strong this Fall with four of the top five teams returning 5 of 6 starters. Coe only returns one player, Hannah Jensen, with more than one year of collegiate tennis experience. With the help of new Assistant Coaches, Kris Diehl & Rob Rye, the Ladies are determined to overcome their experience shortage and challenge Luther, Wartburg, Cornell & Central for the Conference Championship. Although the singles order is not yet set, it will be comprised of seniors Hannah Jensen(IC West) & Natalie Bordignon(CR Xavier), sophomores Michelle Schupbach(Waterloo Columbus) & Sara Ohlman(Washington, IL), and first-years Tai Lucero(Odessa, TX Permian) and Elizabeth Hoffmann(CR Xavier). The Lady Kohawks open play up with a Conference double dual on September 4th against Central College and Simpson College. Both matches on the road. A challenging beginning!

The Kohawk Men's Tennis squad will begin their four week Fall season on Labor Day. Although senior Captain, Elliot Rausa(Waterloo Columbus), will be kicking field goals for the nationally ranked football team, there are plenty of talented Kohawks on the courts this Fall. Senior Captain, Scott Stegemann(Davenport Central), after a fine summer of tournament play, leads the returnees. Joining the roster this year will be a record shattering 11 first-years! The Men will compete in an expanded Fall schedule which includes a D1 tournament in Peoria, the Iowa Conference Individual Championships in Cedar Rapids, and the ITA Regional in St Peter, MN. Look for an excellent season from the Men as court time and starting positions will be at a premium!

Greg Janssen named Bates College Assistant Tennis Coach

Greg Janssen, a 2010 Coe College graduate, has been named the Men's & Women's Assistant Tennis Coach at Bates College. Bates is located in Lewiston, Maine and is ranked as the #25 most prestigious liberal arts college in the United States. Greg will working for Paul Gastonguay, their highly respected Head Tennis Coach. Coach Gastonguay, a Bates graduate, has coached National Champions in both Men's Singles and in Men's Doubles in the past five years.

Greg was a four year letterwinner for the Kohawks, Team Captain, and concluded his career as the Iowa Conference Most Valuable Player, finishing first in Individual Singles, and runner-up in Individual Doubles in 2010. Greg also was Academic All-Conference.

Tournament update II

Last weekend was the Iowa Open, Cedar Rapids' big summer USTA tennis event. Many players with Kohawk connections had good results.

Senior Captains Elliot Rausa and Scott Stegemann advanced to the quarters of the prize money singles and teamed up to reach the doubles final losing 11-9 in the Match Tiebreaker to Coe alum Phil Williams and his partner. Sophomores Sara Ohlman and Curtis Newman reached the Mixed semis as did grad Molly Fiala. Molly was in the singles semis as well.

Coach Kris Diehl almost pulled off the elusive Triple Crown winning the Singles and Mixed events easily, only to fall 12-10 in the Super in Women's doubles teamed with Molly Fiala. Somehow, in spite of himself, Coach Rodgers won the Men's 35's.

BTW-this tournament report is brought to you from the Little Missouri River in Theodore Roosevelt NP, Medora, North Dakota.

Only 20 days until Women's practice begins!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Tournament Update

Assistant Coach Kris Diehl just completed competing in the USTA Women's 30's at Forest Hills Country Club in New York City. Kris finished 3rd in the country in Singles and 2nd in the country in doubles earning bronze and silver tennis balls from the USTA. Maybe gold is next at the National Clay Courts in November?

Senior Captain Scott Stegemann captured the Quad States Men's Open Singles title as an unseeded entrant knocking off #2 seeded Coe alum Joey Lankelma and top-seeded Matt Tyler. Scott also finished as doubles runner-up teaming with Joey Lankelma.

Michelle Schupbach advanced to the Mixed Doubles Final in the Mississippi Valley Open, a prize money tournament held in Dubuque, Iowa. Teaming with Chris Sagers of Waterloo, they met Nick Crossley and Alexa Palen of Rochester, Minnesota in the Finals

Brand New(Sort of) Courts

After seven years, the Clark Racquet Center outdoor tennis courts had accumulated more than a bit of dirt and debris stuck amongst the grains of sand in the paint. Thus this Summer's facility upgrade project was the cleaning of the courts. Joe Hakes, doing 90% of the labor and all of the supervision, led the project of powerwashing approximately 45,000 square feet of tennis court. Three inches at a time......think about that for a moment!

Closing a Chapter

Today, July 8th 2010, marked the end of my selected term on the NCAA DIII Men's National Tennis Committee after four years, beginning in 2006. I also have "retired" from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association where I have served in various capacities on the the Central Region Ranking Committees since 1995. After 15 years it is time to step aside, let some of the other many capable coaches take over and administer the rankings.

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed the past 15 years, especially having the opportunity to work with Ethan, Liz and Russ from the NCAA and serving under the leadership of Gary and Paul, and alongside Ben, John and Tracy during my time with the NCAA. I feel real confident about the direction of D3 Tennis and I fully expect the Division to continue to grow in a positive direction.

What's next?

Well, I really am looking forward to the opening of the 2010-11 seasons beginning with Fall Women's practice on August 23rd. I guess I am just very excited about working with Coach Kris and Coach Rob with our Teams and seeing just how good we can become both this year and in the coming years. I am expecting that the three of us can raise the level of performance of Kohawk Tennis.

I cannot wait to get underway!

Final 2010 Rankings!

The Kohawk Tennis Teams were well represented in the final ITA Central Region Rankings.

#17 Women's Singles--Hannah Jensen
#10 Women's Doubles--Andrea & Michelle Schupbach
#13 Men's Team--Coe College
#27 Men's Singles--Greg Janssen
#30 Men's Singles--Elliot Rausa
#12 Men's Doubles--Elliot Rausa & Scott Stegemann

AND, in the rankings of the Recruiting Classes for Men's D3 Tennis(TennisRecruiting.net ), Coe College has the #23 ranked incoming first-year class!

John Wooden

Last night John Wooden, the former Purdue All-American and UCLA basketball coach passed on at age 99. Coach Wooden won many NCAA basketball titles during the 1960's and 1970's.

More importantly, for those of us who coach, he was the greatest coach ever. His manner of coaching, with its emphasis on teaching life skills while coaching a game, has had more influence on generations of coaches than any number of titles could bring. I strive mightily to coach as well as Coach Wooden, while knowing full well that I will never come close.

He will be greatly remembered.