CLU Kingsmen Tennis News

Kingsmen Finish Runner-up at Nationals

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 22:00:00 PST

MOBILE, Ala. - The Cal Lutheran men's doubles team of Nicholas Ballou and Ray Worley advanced to the finals of the United States/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (USTA/ITA) Small College Division III Doubles Championships at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center on Friday.

Website: USTA/ITA National Championships

Ballou and Worley faced Richard Meyer and Bryan Chow from Williams College in the finals on Friday afternoon.

"The CLU pairing picked up its level of play late in the first set to take it 7-6 (2) in a tiebreak. Although the Cal Lutheran tandem was clearly fired up, Chow and Meyer did not wilt and found a way to steal the second set 6-4. After the two teams traded breaks early in the third, the Williams pair claimed a break late in the set and pulled away for the win 6-3," reported on-site tournament media coordinator Nick Snow.

Ballou and Worley appeared in the final match after cruising through the semifinals. A 6-0, 6-3 victory over Eric Shulman and Matt King of Christopher Newport University put the Kingsmen in position to win the program's first national title since 1997.

"The guys stepped up big time today," praised CLU Head Coach Mike Gennette. "They came out of the shoot winning the first eight games...When it got close near the end Ray and Nicholas were playing too big to let it slip away," in regards to the semifinal victory over Shulman and King.

Worley, Ballou Advance to National Semis

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:00:00 PST

MOBILE, Ala. - Ray Worley and Nicholas Ballou advanced to the second round of the United States/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (USTA/ITA) National Small College Doubles Championships on Thursday at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center.

Results: Division III Men's Doubles

The Kingsmen duo defeated Sam Miles and Ben Kopecky of DePauw University 7-5, 7-5 in moving onto Friday's semifinal contest.

"We were happy to squeak out this match. The team from Depauw was good and we were not quite at our best," said CLU Head Coach Mike Gennette. "The guys competed well and used their experience to take over during some tight situations."

Worley and Ballou will face Eric Shulman and Matt King of Christopher Newport University on Friday, Oct. 14, at 1 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT). Ballou defeated Shulman in the singles draw of this event in 2010.

The winners of that match will move on to the championship finals later that afternoon at 5 p.m. CDT. The losing teams in each of tomorrow's semifinals will face each other in the third place match at 3:30 p.m. CDT.

Doubles Team Heads to National Tournament

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:00:00 PST

MOBILE, Ala. - The Cal Lutheran tennis doubles team of Nicholas Ballou and Ray Worley will head to the United States Tennis Association/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (USTA/ITA) National Small College Championships at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center starting on Thursday, Oct. 13.

Official Website: USTA/ITA National Championships

The Kingsmen duo earned an automatic qualifying spot after winning the USTA/ITA Regional Small College Regional Doubles title on Sunday, Oct. 2, at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center in Claremont, Calif.

In 2010 Ballou earned a trip to this event as one of only eight Division III singles player to earn an invite. He advanced to the second round before falling to the eventual champion Dillon Pottish of Emory. Ballou went on to finish third following a victory over Eric Shulman of Christopher Newport in the consolation final.

Visit the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships website for further tournament information.

Kingsmen Doubles Team Wins ITA Event

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:00:00 PST

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Nicholas Ballou and Ray Worley needed to win five straight matches, including three over opponents from the same school, to claim the United States/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (USTA/ITA) Small College Regional Doubles title on Sunday.

Results: Men's Doubles Main Draw

Ballou and Worley earned the No. 5 seed overall and moved into the quarterfinals following comfortable 8-2 and 8-5 wins, respectively. The tandem then faced top seeded Zhenya Pereverzin and Brandon Wei of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the quarterfinals. In addition the Kingsmen would have to do it on the home court of the Stags whom hosted the event at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center.

The CMS pair was ranked No. 2 in the nation at the end of last year's ITA poll, but over the weekend the Kingsmen duo reigned victorious with an 8-3 win.

After cruising past the Stags pairing of Cameron Bernhardt and Nikolas Marino by an 8-1 margin, Alex Lane and Warren Wood were the last hope to avenge their teammates.

After playing supersets in the previous four matches it was a best of three sets format in the finals. Ballou and Worley took the first set and dominated the second defeating its third straight CMS opponent in as many matches by a 6-4, 6-1 result.

Coach Mike Gennette Earns National Award

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:00:00 PST

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. - Current CLU men's tennis head coach Mike Gennette was named the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Co-College Coach of the Year. The honor was announced at the USPTA World Conference on Thursday.

Official Release: USPTA Award Winners

Gennette has been at the helm of the Kingsmen tennis program since 1994 after finishing his collegiate career as a player for Cal Lutheran. The 2010 season was arguably the best under his tenure with CLU posting a 19-3 record, earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament and producing two All-American players.

During that year Gennette earned his 100th conference victory during the SCIAC Tournament semifinals advancing the Kingsmen to the conference championship match. The 19-year head coach is in line to pick up another milestone this upcoming season with win No. 200 on the horizon. He heads into the upcoming season only two wins away after racking up a 198-181 overall record.

Gennette shared the USPTA honor with University of Southern California head coach Peter Smith.

Giuffrida Named Arthur Ashe Award Winner

Mon, 30 May 2011 12:00:00 PST

SKILLMAN, N.J. - Senior Andrew Giuffrida was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) West Region Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award winner. The ITA/Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award recognizes outstanding individuals in all divisions at the regional and national level.

Official Release: 2011 Division III ITA Award Winners

This award which dates back to 1982, goes to NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior College men's and women's players who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.

This marks the second ITA award Giuffrida has received over the past two years after being named the West Region Player to Watch in 2010. That award goes to a player who has an outstanding season and is expected to perform at a high level the rest of his or her career. This award's criterion also includes a player's sportsmanship and character.

Giuffrida lived up to those requirements finishing the season 22-5 in singles play and earned All-America status for the third straight year.

Giuffrida Earns First National Singles Win

Fri, 27 May 2011 20:00:00 PST

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Senior Andrew Giuffrida's collegiate tennis career came to an end on Friday after suffering a second round loss to Andy Peters of Middlebury during the NCAA Division III Men's Singles National Championships.

Results: 2011 NCAA Men's Singles Draw

Giuffrida reached the round of 16 after cruising to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Amrik Donkena of Gustavus Adolphus to continue his quest for the title. It was his first singles victory at the national championships in three tries and also secured his third straight year of earning All-America status.

Peters has had history with Cal Lutheran tennis prior to his second round matchup with Giuffrida. These two met earlier this season with the Kingsman taking a third set super tiebreak by a 10-8 margin back on March 27.

At the 2010 NCAA Singles Championships it was Peters who knocked out CLU's Nick Ballou in the first round of the event. Giuffrida would come up just short in his attempt to avenge his teammate and advance through to day two.

After surrendering the first set at love, Giuffrida rebounded to win a second set tiebreak and force a third and deciding set. Peters led 3-2 and earned another break of serve en route to a 6-0, 6-7, 6-3 win to move on to the quarterfinals where he will face top seed Dillon Pottish of Emory.

Giuffrida is a three-time singles Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-American and finishes with a 63-15 singles mark during his three seasons at Cal Lutheran.

Bracket Set for NCAA Singles Championships

Thu, 26 May 2011 16:00:00 PST

CLAREMONT, Calif. - On Friday morning Andrew Giuffrida will be one of 32 selected players to take part in the NCAA Division III Individual Singles Championships. He will face first round opponent Amrik Donkena of Gustavus Adolphus at 11 a.m. at the Pauley Tennis Complex on the campus of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.

Bracket: NCAA Men's Singles Championships

Friday will feature the first two rounds of competition with the round of 16 scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. start. The victor of the Giuffrida-Donkena contest will face the winner of No. 6 seed Andy Peters of Middlebury and Eric Shulman of Christopher Newport University.

Giuffrida defeated Peters during the regular season earning a 7-6, 3-6, 1-0 (8) victory over top player on the nation's top-ranked squad.

The CLU senior is one of four Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) players to make the field of 32. Joining him is Alex Lane of CMS who earned the No. 2 overall seed, Tommy Meyer from Pomona-Pitzer and Cameron Spearman of Redlands. Dillon Pottish of Emory is the No. 1 overall seed.

This marks the second straight appearance at the national tournament for Giuffrida. At last year's championships he suffered a first round defeat to Michael Greenberg of Kenyon by a 6-4, 6-4 result. He teamed up with Nick Ballou to reach the second round of the doubles bracket.

Giuffrida Hoping for Pressure Relief

Tue, 17 May 2011 08:00:00 PST

Having lost in the first round at nationals the last two years, Andrew Giuffrida realized he needed to change his strategy.

The Cal Lutheran senior was always physically prepared to play, but he allowed the enormity of the event to play games with his mind.

Giuffrida is hoping veteran experience can alleviate the tension and make his third time the charm for success.

Giuffrida was one of 32 players selected to participate in the Division III Men's Tennis Championships. He won't have to travel far to play. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps is hosting the event May 27-29.

"I never won a round in the last two times because I put a lot of pressure on myself when I go to nationals," Giuffrida said. "This time, I will go out there, have fun and make sure I get the job done. If I play well, I think I can win the whole thing. It's just a matter of knowing how to play under pressure."

Giuffrida transferred to CLU after spending one year at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Thousand Oaks High graduate has earned first-team All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors in each of his three seasons at CLU.

He is ranked No. 10 in the nation this season, and has a 21-4 singles record.

Giuffrida will be returning to tournament action for the first time since suffering a tough semifinal loss at The Ojai to top-seeded Brian Pybas of Santa Cruz.

Giuffrida captured the first set against Pybas and led 4-1 in the second before losing to 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

"In order to get better and stronger mentally, you have to have those kind of experiences," Giuffrida said. "It was unfortunate in losing because I was the bigger player in that match, but in my opinion I will be stronger in the nationals."

Although Giuffrida has exhausted his tennis eligibility at CLU, he will not graduate until next year because he still has classes to complete.

He plans to travel for six months to play some ATP Futures events.

"If I do well, I will keep playing," he said. "But if I see that I cannot play at the professional level then I'm going to plan to teach tennis to kids, adults or whoever."

But before embarking on his future employment, Giuffrida intends to savor his last experience representing CLU.

"I worked so hard to get in the nationals," he said. "Only the best 32 players can get in, so it's a privilege for me."

NCAA Extends Invitation to Giuffrida

Wed, 11 May 2011 17:45:58 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran senior Andrew Giuffrida is one of 32 individuals who were selected to participate in the 2011 Division III Men's Tennis Championships as released by the NCAA Wednesday afternoon.

Official Release: 2011 Division III Men's Tennis Championships

This is the third consecutive season that Giuffrida has received an invitation to participate in the year-end championship event.

Taking place at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges from May 27-29, Giuffrida was one of a select number of student-athletes whose overall record and strength of schedule were worthy of a prestigious invitation.

Ending the season ranked No. 10 in the nation, Giuffrida finished the season with a 21-4 overall singles record, with five of those victories earned against nationally-ranked opponents.

The men's and women's tennis committees will construct the draw for the individual championships, releasing the match-ups and overall on May 26, the final day of the team championships.

A group of familiar faces from the SCIAC will compete throughout the holiday weekend as Cameron Spearman (Redlands), Alex Lane (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps), and Tommy Meyer (Pomona-Pitzer) also received invitations, with the latter two competing on familiar surfaces throughout the event.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps' Alex Johnson was named an alternate for the West region and will participate if any competitor from that respective region scratches from the tournament.

John Watts from Washington University in St. Louis captured the 2010 men's individual title; tennis fans are encouraged to visit www.ncaa.com for additional information about the 2011 Men's Tennis Championships.

CLU Hands Out End of Year Awards

Mon, 09 May 2011 18:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - On Monday inside Gilbert Arena student-athletes representing each of Cal Lutheran's 19 programs were recognized for their achievements throughout the 2010-11 season at the annual end of the year gathering put together by members of both the CLU athletics department and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

The Cal Lutheran Senior Athletes of the Year were officially announced during the event with Allison Kerr of volleyball earning the honor for the women. Eric Flores and Andrew Giuffrida will share the honor for the men.

Seventy-two Cal Lutheran student-athletes are scheduled to graduate this month including the CLU Scholar-Athletes of the Year in Bobby Sanders of women's water polo and Ray Ostrander of men's cross country and track and field.

All student-athletes from this past season received a token of appreciation for their respective contributions this year with first year CLU members getting a CLU athletics department shirt, second year a sweatshirt, third year a letterman and fourth year a plaque.

Cal Lutheran Athletes Making the Grade

Mon, 09 May 2011 15:45:00 PST

It started in a little room in the humanities building. It eventually moved to the Lundring Events Center, where everyone assumed it would remain for many years. But the numbers just kept increasing, so this year's Cal Lutheran Scholar-Athlete Society induction banquet had to be held in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center.

A record-high 112 athletes were honored last Saturday for having a cumulative GPA of at least 3.4. The standard far exceeds the 2.0 needed to be eligible to compete in athletics.

"To me that is the whole Division III philosophy of being a student and a top athlete," CLU Athletic Director Dan Kuntz said. "Our mission is to help them do well in school and do well in their sport and give them an opportunity to carry those on to other things."

The Scholar-Athlete Society started in 2003 with only 36 athletes. Although the amount of teams at CLU has remained the same, the number of athletes honored has jumped exponentially.

This year's total represents nearly 30 percent of the athletes at CLU.

"They are competitive people, and if you let them know what the expectation is, they are going to go for it," Kuntz said. "Once it happens once and someone see it, they realize the opportunity is there for them and it becomes a road map for others to follow."

CLU distance runner Roy Ostrander and women's water polo player Bobby Sanders, who were recently named Cal Lutheran Senior Scholar-Athletes of the Year, have been members of the society all four years at CLU.

In front of a large gathering of relatives, coaches and administrators, each of the 116 honorees received certificates and other small tokens of reward.

"If they have the passion and commitment to their sport, it is a large chunk of their time they have to dedicate to play," Kuntz said. "It's asking a lot because they are not getting scholarship money or a private tutor or special trainer or registration just for them. They are doing this on their own because they want to."

Kuntz believes the environment at CLU is conducive for athletes to balance sports and academics successfully.

"The students have people around them and resources available if they need support, and I think a person tends to thrive more if they feel like they can do more," Kuntz said. "I think those things have really evolved at CLU the last several years and there has been a lot of work to ensure the infrastructure is in place."

Late Rally Denies Trip to Ojai Singles Finals

Sun, 01 May 2011 19:00:00 PST

OJAI, Calif. - Andrew Giuffrida needed only two more games to advance to the finals of the Division III Men's Singles bracket at the Ojai Valley Tournament. However his opponent and reigning champion Brian Pybas of UC Santa Cruz reeled off five straight games to close out the second set and went on to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Results: 2011 Ojai Valley Tournament

The top four West region ranked players as of April 29 advanced to the semifinals with No. 1 Pybas and No. 3 Giuffrida meeting for the third time of their collegiate careers.

Giuffrida had yet to drop a set and continued his streak after earning a 6-4 first set win. It nearly continued into what would have been his first finals appearance as he led 4-1 in the second set in the semis.

Pybas earned back-to-back breaks of serve during a five game stretch in which he won the second set and seized momentum of the match heading into the third and deciding set.

In the other semifinal Alex Lane of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, currently ranked No. 3 in the West and named SCIAC Player of the Year, defeated Tommy Meyer of Pomona-Pitzer 6-4, 6-4 and will face Pybas in the finals.

Giuffrida will wait to see if he earns a spot in the NCAA Individual National Championships which start on May 27 in the city of Claremont, Calif.

Ojai Singles Title in Sight for Giuffrida

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 19:00:00 PST

OJAI, Calif. - Senior Andrew Giuffrida won two more singles matches in advancing to the through Division III Men's Singles bracket at the 2011 Ojai Valley Tournament on Saturday. He will take on top seed and defending champion Brian Pybas of UC Santa Cruz at 8 a.m. on Sunday, May 1 at Libbey Park South in the semifinals.

Results: 2011 Ojai Valley Tournament

Giuffrida won both of his matches in straight sets over Robbie Erani of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the Round of 16 and Parker Larsen of UC Santa Cruz in the quarterfinals. He returns to the semifinals after reaching the final four during his inaugural appearance in 2009.

He improved his career singles record to 3-0 against Erani having defeated the Stag twice last season during regular season conference competition. The third-year Kingsmen dropped only two games in his match with Larsen earning a 6-1, 6-1 win to close out day two of competition.

Pybas and Giuffrida have faced each other twice before and split those contests. Pybas won the most recent meeting by a convincing 6-0, 6-2 result during the first round of the NCAA Division III Team Championships in Claremont, Calif. Giuffrida won the original matchup via straight sets at Santa Cruz on March 20, 2010 when the Banana Slugs were ranked No. 1 in the country.

Giuffrida joins two other SCIAC competitors as Tommy Meyer of Pomona-Pitzer and Alex Lane of CMS will battle each other in the other semifinal. None of the players making up the final four field have dropped a set thus far.

The winners of the morning semifinals will face each other at 12:30 p.m. for the tournament title.

Giuffrida Remains in Singles After Day One

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:00:00 PST

PORT HUENEME, Calif. - The usual starting lineup for Cal Lutheran men's tennis took to the courts on Friday to open the 111th annual Ojai Valley Tournament. In the Division III singles bracket Ray Worley and Andrew Giuffrida posted singles victories while Cody Kowalczyk teamed up with Justin Wilson for a first round doubles win.

Results: 2011 Ojai Valley Tournament

At the end of Friday's competition Giuffrida is the lone Kingsmen remaining in the competition. He advanced to the round of 16 in singles play and will face Robbie Erani of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Thacher School in Ojai, Calif., scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. start.

To advance to the finals he will need to win three more matches including two tomorrow and a third Sunday morning against another seeded player. The finals will take place at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 1.

Giuffrida earned a first round bye with his No. 3 seed in the tournament bracket advancing him to the second round.

His first and only singles opponent on day one was an individual he faced earlier this season in Andre Herd of Chapman. Friday's result was identical to that of their earlier meeting on April 2 with the Kingsman earned a 6-1, 6-3 victory over the Panther.

Worley defeated his third regionally ranked opponent of the year and second in as many matches following a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win over UC Santa Cruz's Andre Halabi. In his previous match the sophomore won in straight sets over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps' Alex Johnson to close out the SCIAC Championships.

His second round opponent of the Ojai event Patricio Carregha from Whittier advanced to day two defeating Worley in straight sets.

Marcelo Sousa took the first set of his match with Redlands' Mark Bloom but the Bulldog rebounded to take the final two sets and the match 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Kowalczyk and Wilson earned their seventh win as a doubles team after defeating Brent Kingzett and Mark Magdaong of Linfield by an 8-5 margin. Soon thereafter they fell 8-3 in the second round to Jeff Hammond and Keven Wong of Redlands.

Giuffrida was awarded first round byes in both singles and doubles play as he and Worley faced Erich Koenig and Sam Rodgers from UCSC in the second round. The Banana Slugs pairing handed the Kingsmen duo an 8-6 loss and defeated the third and final CLU doubles team.

Ben Inchalik and Sousa were defeated by the seeded pair of Alex Lane and Brandon Wei from CMS by an 8-5 margin.

Kingsmen Trio Earns All-SCIAC Honors

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:30:00 PST

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Andrew Giuffrida, Justin Wilson and Ray Worley of the Cal Lutheran men's tennis squad were each selected to the all-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) team.

Official Release: 2011 Men's Tennis All-SCIAC Team

Andrew Giuffrida (First Team)
In each of his three years at Cal Lutheran he has earned a first team selection including SCIAC Player of the Year honors in 2010. Against opponents named to the all-SCIAC first team he went 5-1 with his lone loss suffered to this season's SCIAC Player of the Year in Alex Lane of CMS, whom he defeated earlier this season.

Giuffrida went 18-3, 7-1 SCIAC as a senior and played as the primary No. 1 in both singles and doubles this season. For his career he went 55-9 in dual singles play including 51-9 at the No. 1 position and 50-16 in doubles action featuring a 33-7 mark as part of the top team.

Justin Wilson (First Team)
After playing primarily as the No. 6 singles player as a sophomore Wilson climbed the CLU ladder in 2011. Starting at No. 4 he moved up to No. 2 and posted a 5-2 record in SCIAC singles play this season including a win over nationally ranked Alex Johnson of CMS.

Wilson went 3-2 against members of the 2011 all-SCIAC teams in singles contests including two wins against first team selections. He moved up to No. 15 in the West region rankings going 15-5 overall in singles and 6-14 in doubles play.

Ray Worley IV (Second Team)
The sophomore made it back-to-back second team selections in his first two collegiate seasons with the Kingsmen. During one stretch Worley won eight straight singles contests featuring wins over nationally ranked Russell Brockett of No. 3 CMS and Alec Parower of No. 1 Middlebury.

Worley was perfect (4-0) against fellow all-SCIAC second teamers this season and overall went 12-9, 7-1 SCIAC as the primary No. 3 singles player in the CLU lineup. Nationally ranked throughout the season in singles, he currently stands No. 16 in singles and No. 5 in doubles with partner Andrew Giuffrida in the West region.

Cal Lutheran finished the season 9-13, 4-5 SCIAC and played 17 of its 22 matches against nationally ranked opponents. Members of the team will compete at the annual Ojai Invitational this upcoming weekend starting on Friday, Apr. 29.

Giuffrida, Worley Double up Against UR

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:30:00 PST

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Cal Lutheran ended its 2011 campaign suffering a 6-3 defeat to Redlands in the third place match of the SCIAC Championships on Saturday. Senior Andrew Giuffrida and sophomore Ray Worley supplied each of the three points in the loss.

Results: UR 6, CLU 3 - F

As a doubles pairing this duo is currently ranked No. 5 in the West region and faced the No. 4 team of Cameron Spearman and Jeff Casserd. Trailing 2-0 the CLU tandem secured the first team point of the match with a 9-7 win heading into singles play.

All six singles matches were decided in straight sets with Giuffrida taking down Spearman 6-4, 7-5. Worley who moved up to the No. 2 singles position after teammate Justin Wilson retired during yesterday's afternoon match cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Connor Hyde.

With the absence of regular No. 4 started Marcelo Sousa Cody Kowalczyk and Ben Inchalik moved up two spots in the lineup. Teammates Julian Yasin and Clark Myers took part in their first ever official collegiate matchup.

Each of the four Bulldog players won by at least a break in each set to secure the team victory.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps defeated Pomona-Pitzer by an 8-1 margin in the championship match. The victory notched the program's sixth straight conference title.

Cal Lutheran (9-13, 4-5 SCIAC) finished in fourth place in the conference championships and overall final standings.

Members of the Kingsmen tennis squad will compete at the annual Ojai Invitational set to start on Friday, Apr. 29.

CLU Singled Out by Stags in Playoffs

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:00:00 PST

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Advancing to the semifinals of the 2011 SCIAC Championships Cal Lutheran's title hopes are no longer after dropping a 7-2 decision to the defending SCIAC champions Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to close out day one of competition. CLU will take on Redlands in the third place contest at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Apr. 23.

Results: CLU 5, WC 1 - F
Results: CMS 7, CLU 2 - F

It was eerily similar to last year's result when Cal Lutheran faced CMS in both of its 2010 matches last season.

In the original meeting this season the Stags swept the doubles contests while the top three Kingsmen earned victories in singles play. At the conference tournament CLU took two of three doubles but failed to win any of the six singles matchups.

Last year was reversed as the Kingsmen won two doubles matches and only one singles contest in the regular season meeting. In the playoffs CMS swept doubles but managed to take three points in singles play off the Stags.

Cal Lutheran 5, Whittier 1 - F
The return voyage to the conference championship finals began on Friday morning needing to get past the Poets in a first round meeting. The Kingsmen were hoping to defeat Whittier for a second time this season after earning a 6-3 road win back on Apr. 9.

In three tightly contested doubles contests CLU earned a pair of wins to take an early 2-1 lead. At No. 3 doubles Marcelo Sousa and Ben Inchalik avenged an 8-2 loss from the team's original meeting by defeating Taylor Dimler and Ted Wyatt 8-6.

Sousa dispatched Frank Sun in straight sets for the second time this season and Cody Kowalczyk did likewise putting CLU one point away from ending the match.

Andrew Giuffrida scored the winning point earning a 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 victory at No. 1 singles over Julian Seneviratne.

Three matches remained unfinished due to the clinching of the team victory.

CMS 7, Cal Lutheran 2 - F
In the regular season meeting on Apr. 2 no CLU doubles team took more than four games off any CMS opponent. Friday was much different with the Giuffrida and Worley tandem taking down nationally ranked Zhenya Pereverzin and Ronald Wu 8-5. Sousa and Inchalik earned a late break and put CLU up 2-1 heading into singles play with a 9-7 victory at No. 3.

From then on it was a dominant performance put on by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps taking all six singles matches and five in straight sets. Giuffrida was handed his first conference loss of the season (6-1) and only third of his career (22-3) by CMS' Alex Lane 6-4, 7-5.

Inchalik won a first set tiebreak 7-4 over Mac Cahill before surrendering the second set and dropping a super tiebreak 10-8.

Top seed CMS will face No. 2 Pomona-Pitzer in the championship match and for the conference title. The Stags took down the Sagehens 8-1 in their previous meeting back on Apr. 16.

Men's Tennis SCIAC Championships Preview

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:00:00 PST

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Cal Lutheran men's tennis earned the No. 4 seed for the upcoming 2011 SCIAC Championship Tournament hosted by Occidental from Apr. 22-23. CLU will take on No. 5 seed Whittier at 9:30 a.m. on Friday.

Official Website: 2011 SCIAC Championship Tournament

The Kingsmen finished with a split their six regular season conference contests defeating the three teams below them (Whittier, Occidental and Caltech) and losing to the three teams above them (CMS, Pomona-Pitzer, and Redlands) in the conference standings.

Andrew Giuffrida is the reigning SCIAC Player of the Year and is in the running to repeat the honor. This season he is 16-2, 5-0 SCIAC in singles play this season while posting a 10-9, 3-3 SCIAC mark in doubles action.

The winners of the three first round matches will move on to the second round while CMS earns a first round bye after sweeping the conference competition in dual play. The Stags will face the winner of the CLU/WC contest in the semifinals.

All second round matches are scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. on Friday with the final round on Saturday, Apr. 23 at 10 a.m.

Kingsmen Tame Tigers in Season Finale

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 19:30:00 PST

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Earning victories in all three doubles matches, Cal Lutheran dominated a majority of singles matches to finish the 2011 regular season with an 8-1 win against the Occidental Tigers.

Results: CLU 8, OXY 1 - F

Sweeping all of their matches in straight sets against the Tigers were Andrew Giuffrida, Justin Wilson and Ray Worley as the trio were able to earn then points needed to officially earn the win for Cal Lutheran.

Starting the afternoon with an 8-2 victory earned with doubles partner Worley, Giuffrida would defeat Occidental's Jeremy Shapiro 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) before watching Worley earn another point for CLU with his 6-1, 6-2 win against Jordan Brown.

Worley will now enter this Friday's conference championships having won his last eight consecutive singles matches.

Teaming up with doubles partner Cody Kowalczyk to complete the CLU sweep of all doubles matches played, Wilson would only drop one game against Spencer Choy, winning his singles match by a 6-0, 6-1 margin.

Earning his seventh consecutive singles victory for the Kingsmen was Giuffrida; finishing the season with a 16-2 overall singles mark, he ended the season playing spectacular tennis, finishing with an 8-1 record in his last ten matches played.

That mark that could have improved for the better had the senior been able to complete his contest against Redlands' Cameron Spearman as the match was called in the third set with Giuffrida leading 2-1 due to inclement weather.

Wilson also finished his season on a positive note, winning seven of his last eight singles matches for Cal Lutheran.

Saturday's win against Occidental was not only a positive way to end the season, but also helped the Kingsmen become more familiar with the McKinnon Family Tennis Center since Cal Lutheran will return to the very same facility this Friday afternoon to compete in the 2011 SCIAC Championships.