By: Ryan Hartwig (@RyanHartwig)
GreenBayPhoenix.com
INDIANAPOLIS
(GreenBayPhoenix.com) - The Green Bay
men's tennis team achieved its ultimate goal on Sunday afternoon, winning the
school's first Horizon League Championship and earning its first berth into the
NCAA Tournament. The second-seeded Phoenix knocked off No. 4 Cleveland State 4-1
in the tournament's title match at the Barbara Wynne Tennis Center, ending the
Vikings' run of four consecutive conference crowns.
With Green Bay holding a 3-1 advantage, Phoenix
freshman Michael Tenzer (Neuried,
Germany) delivered the match-clinching point by closing out Cleveland State's
Matt Kuelker 6-4 in the third set of the No. 2 singles contest. Tenzer's 6-2,
1-6, 6-4 victory gave the Phoenix its school-record 19th win of the season
(19-6) and avenged its 4-1 loss to the Vikings in last year's finals.
"It feels unbelievable," Phoenix senior Paul Swanson (Coon Rapids, Minn.) said
after the match. "This has been the dream since my freshman year, and after
coming so close last year and not winning it, it just feels unbelievable. This
was the ultimate goal all year, and the guys have worked so hard in practice
for it every day."
Green Bay got off to a fast start, winning the No. 1
and No. 3 doubles matches to secure the doubles point. Juniors Erik Finkenbrink (Duelman, Germany) and
Craig Cox (Surrey, England)
dominated at No. 1, rolling over CSU's Nolan Marks and Ali Shabib 8-2. The duo
of Henning Jess (Kaltenkirchen,
Germany) and Felix Goepper
(Seelbach, Germany) locked up the 1-0 lead by defeating Kuelker and Jorg van
der Vloet in the No. 3 contest.
Van der Vloet exacted revenge against Goepper in
singles action, knotting things up at 1-1 with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 5 over the
Phoenix freshman, but it would be the lone point of CSU's afternoon.
Finkenbrink put Green Bay back on top with a
convincing 6-1, 6-4 win over Marks at No. 3, and Cox stormed back from a
first-set loss to win 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 against Shabib at No. 4 to make it 3-1
Phoenix.
Just moments after Cox's win at No. 4, Tenzer sealed
the NCAA Tournament trip by winning three of his last four games at No. 2.
Swanson and CSU's Yannick Goossens did not finish what
was shaping up to be a classic No. 1 singles contest. Swanson took the first
set 6-3 in the battle between two first team all-league players, but trailed
3-4 in second. The No. 6 match between Green Bay's Christoph Hopfe (Castrop-Rauxel, Germany) and CSU's Matt Ford also
went unfinished.
Green Bay will find out its NCAA Tournament opponent
on Tuesday, May 1 at 4:30 p.m. CT during the Division I Men's Tennis Selection Show on
NCAA.com.
Horizon League Championship
(2) Green Bay 4, (4) Cleveland State 1
Doubles
No. 1 - Erik Finkenbrink/Craig Cox (GB) def. Nolan Marks/Ali Shabib (CSU) 8-2
No. 2 - Michael Tenzer/Michael Tebon (GB) vs. Yannick
Goossens/Matt Ford (CSU) 5-7
No. 3 - Felix Goepper/Henning Jess (GB) def. Matt
Kuelker/Jorg Van Der Vloet (CSU) 8-6
Singles
No. 1 - Paul Swanson (GB) vs. Yannick
Goossens (CSU) 6-3, 3-4 dnf
No. 2 - Michael Tenzer (GB) def. Matt Kuelker (CSU)
6-2, 1-6, 6-4
No. 3 - Erik Finkenbrink (GB) def. Nolan Marks (CSU)
6-1, 6-4
No. 4 - Craig Cox (GB) def. Ali Shabib (CSU) 3-6, 6-0,
6-1
No. 5 - Jorg Van Der Vloet (CSU) def. Felix Goepper
(GB) 6-3, 6-3
No. 6 - Christoph Hopfe (GB) vs. Matt Ford (CSU) 3-6,
7-5 dnf
###
For the latest and most up-to-date information on Green Bay Athletics and Green
Bay Men's Tennis, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.
Follow us on Twitter: @GBPhoenix and @RyanHartwig
Like Green Bay Phoenix Athletics on Facebook.
