Casey Clagett	Rob Postma

The Tiger men's tennis team knew it had an uphill climb to make its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III championship tournament. That hill proved too steep last weekend at the NCAC Championships at Ohio Wesleyan, where the Tigers succombed to eventual champion Kenyon in the semifinals and wound up third in the conference.

The loss on Friday came after a 4-0 win over Allegheny in the quarterfinals on Friday morning. Then against Kenyon, the Tigers the doubles point and three of the singles matches decisively to end the match early. On Saturday, Wittenberg, the No. 2 seed from the West Division, rallied to claim a 4-1 victory over Wooster to finish third overall.

Despite the fact that the Tigers, who were ranked among the top 10 in the region for most of the year, missed out on a berth in the national tournament, they still have much to show for their efforts in 2001-02 and even more good things to look forward to next year. All six singles players finished with winning records, and every double combination that appeared in at least five matches did likewise.

Junior Casey Clagett (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs) finished with a 23-3 mark at No. 1 singles, including a perfect 4-0 mark in the NCAC West. Sophomore Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) wound up at 16-8 in the No. 2 position. Junior Eric Cusick (Lima, Ohio/Senior) completed his season with an 18-9 overall mark at No. 3 singles and his second straight 4-0 record in the NCAC West. Junior Mike Herzog (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern) finished with a 14-7 overall record. Junior Ben Hodgkiss-Lilly (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) finished at 13-9 at No. 5. And senior Rob Postma (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) wound up with a 14-3 mark at No. 6.

Casey Clagett	Rob Postma

The Tigers have one more opportunity this week to do the unexpected. After starting out the season an unprecedented 11-0, Wittenberg has fallen in the last two weeks to Division II Northern Kentucky and perennial NCAC powers Denison and Kenyon. That leaves the Tigers, currently on the outside looking in at the regional rankings, with their work cut out at this weekend's NCAC Championship tournament at Ohio Wesleyan.

Following last week's lone match, a 6-1 loss at nationally ranked Kenyon, Wittenberg has three players in possession of the top marks at their singles flight positions. Junior Casey Clagett (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs) is tops with a 22-3 mark at No. 1 singles, including a perfect 4-0 mark in the NCAC West, junior Mike Herzog (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern) shows the way at No. 4 singles with a 14-6 record and senior Rob Postma (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) is the best currently at No. 6 singles with a 12-3 mark. The current lineup of Clagett and Ben Hodgkiss-Lilly (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights)at No. 1 doubles,  sophomore Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) and Postma at No. 2 doubles, and junior Eric Cusick (Lima, Ohio/Senior) and Herzog at No. 3 doubles have combined for an 19-7 overall record and a mark of 10-2 in the NCAC West, including an NCAC best mark of 7-2 for Clagett and junior Hodgkiss-Lilly at the No. 1 doubles spot.

Clagett is ranked among the top players in the region heading into the NCAC tourney. In order to make the national tournament as an individual, he must finish among the top eight players in the region as teammate Bryan Heft did a year ago.

Duby Lakos

Rob Postma

In what can only be described as a near-miss, the Tiger men's tennis team finally had its perfect season come to an end last week, losing heartbreakers to Division II Northern Kentucky and NCAC favorite Denison.

Wittenberg won its first 11 matches of the year and entered last week unbeaten in two NCAC West Division matches. Following a 7-0 win over Otterbein last Monday, the Tigers fell 5-2 to Northern Kentucky in their final home match of the season. Following a lengthy rain/lightning delay, the match finally got started and the Tigers lost the doubles point 2-1. Then two of the six singles matches were extended to three sets, with both No. 1 junior Casey Clagett (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs) and No. 2 sophomore Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) falling.

Then on Friday at Denison, the Tigers' NCAA tournament bubble may have burst. The Big Red, the defending NCAC champion and a perennial national title contender, may have thwarted Wittenberg's bid for a first-ever trip to the national tourney with a hard-fought 4-3 win over the Tigers. Clagett, Lakos and No. 3 junior Eric Cusick (Lima, Ohio/Senior) all registered singles wins, and Lakos paired with No. 6 singles court senior Rob Postma (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) for a doubles win. But No. 5 singles court junior Ben Hodgkiss-Lilly (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) lost a three-setter in the deciding match.

With the NCAC tournament on the horizon, the Tigers have three players in possession of the top marks at their singles flight positions. Clagett is tops with a 21-3 mark at No. 1 singles, junior Mike Herzog (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern) shows the way at No. 4 singles with a 14-4 record and Postma is the best currently at No. 6 singles with a 12-2 mark. The current lineup of Clagett and Hodgkiss-Lilly at No. 1 doubles,  Lakos and Postma at No. 2 doubles, and Cusick and Herzog at No. 3 doubles have combined for an 18-5 overall record and a mark of 10-2 in the NCAC.

Clagett is ranked among the top players in the region heading into Tuesday's important nonconference dual match against Kenyon. In order to make the national tournament as an individual, however, he likely will need to win the rest of his matches on the season. April 17, 2002-

Casey Clagett

Mike Herzog

Things just keep getting better for the Tiger men's tennis team. They hope the best is yet to come.

Wittenberg is riding an 11-match win streak and is unbeaten in two North Coast Athletic Conference West Division matches this year heading into a pivotal week. Thanks to rainouts earlier in the season, the Tigers played and defeated nonconference foe Otterbein on Monday at the Albright Tennis Courts, the first of four matches on the week. Northern Kentucky comes calling on Wednesday, followed by the two biggest matches of the season - at Denison on Friday and home to Wabash on Saturday. The Big Red are the defending NCAC champion and a perennial national title contender - making them a team the Tigers must defeat if they hope to advance to the NCAA tournament as a team for the first time ever.

Over the last week, the Tigers continued to roll forward, defeating NCAC West rivals Ohio Wesleyan and Earlham 7-0 and 6-1 respectively. They also tacked on a nonconference win over NCAC participant Oberlin and yesterday's win over Otterbein. Perhaps most encouraging, the Tigers' were perfect in 12 doubles matches during that time.

With the NCAC tournament on the horizon, the Tigers have three players in possession of the top marks at their singles flight positions. Junior Casey Clagett (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs) is tops with a 19-2 mark at No. 1 singles, junior Mike Herzog (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern) shows the way at No. 4 singles with a 13-3 record and senior Rob Postma (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) is the best currently at No. 6 singles with a 10-1 mark. In doubles, Wittenberg's pairings have been moved around, but the original No. 3 tandem of junior Eric Cusick (Lima, Ohio/Senior) and junior Ben Hodgkiss-Lilly (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) has the best record of 10-3. The current lineup of Clagett and Hodgkiss-Lilly at No. 1 doubles, sophomore Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) and Postma at No. 2 doubles, and Cusick and Herzog at No. 3 doubles has not lost a match, combining for a 14-0 record.

Rob Postma

Things get serious for the Tiger men's tennis team this week as they take on three North Coast Athletic Conference foes, including two from the West Division. A fourth NCAC match, against perennial national powerhouse Denison, was rescheduled for April 19 due to rain on Tuesday, April 9.

Even without the match against the Big Red, a dual that likely could determine the eighth and final NCAA tournament position from the Great Lakes Region, the Tigers have a lot to look forward to this week. Unbeaten through the first two months of the season, the Tigers host Ohio Wesleyan on Thursday and Earlham and Oberlin on Saturday.With the NCAC tournament on the horizon, the Tigers have three players in possession of the top marks at their singles flight positions. Junior Casey Clagett (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs) is tops with a 14-2 mark at No. 1 singles, junior Mike Herzog (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern) shows the way at No. 4 singles with a 10-3 record and senior Rob Postma (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) is the best currently at No. 6 singles with a 7-1 mark.

Eric Cusick

The Tigers continued their outstanding early-season play last week, taking advantage of decent weather conditions on Saturday to defeat the College of Wooster 5-2 in non-conference action at the Albright Tennis Courts. The win was Wittenberg's fifth straight this spring, and was keyed by a pair of three-set singles wins by No. 3 player, junior Eric Cusick (Lima, Ohio/Senior), and No. 4 player, junior Mike Herzog (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern). That helped the Tigers overcome an early deficit produced by losing two of three in the doubles competition. 

Earlier in the week, Wittenberg started a match against neighboring rival Cedarville on Thursday but had to suspend action midway through. The two teams will complete the match Wednesday, April 3. Action continues to heat up this week with non-conference tilts on Thursday at Capital and on Saturday at home against Allegheny.

Next:
4/4 @ Capital, 3:30 p.m.
4/6 vs. Allegheny

Clagett

The Wittenberg men's tennis team is off to a tremendous start to avery promising 2002 season. Following a 4-0 dual match start in Florida,the Tigers finished third in a loaded eight-team field at the Kerry Seward Invitational at Wabash College over the weekend.  Among the team's victories in Florida were decisions against Division I scholarship schools Cleveland State and Quinnipiac. The Tigers swept both of them and also upended St. Ambrose before winning a crucial 4-3 decision against Wheaton. That win solidified Wittenberg's position among the top 10 in the region - at last check, the Tigers ranked ninth as a team, with the top eight advancing to the NCAA Division III tournament in May.

At Wabash, the Tigers were third as a team behind Washington University and Kenyon College, two of the top teams in the nation. In singles, junior Casey Clagett (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs) finished third at No. 1, sophomore Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage) was fourth at No. 2, junior Eric Cusick (Lima, Ohio/Senior) wound up third at No. 3, junior Mike Herzog (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern)took fourth at No. 4, junior Ben Hodgkiss-Lilly (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) had the best finish at second at No. 5 andfreshman Ben Burkam (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) captured third at No.6. In doubles, Lakos and Herzog were sixth at No. 1, Cusick and Hodgkiss-Lilly were third at No. 2 and Clagett and Josh Conley (Springfield, Ohio/Northwestern)were third at No. 3.

Cusick

Cusick Herzog

Despite the loss of one of the best players in school history, the Tiger men's tennis team could be even better in 2002. The hope is that Wittenberg can at the very least improve upon its third-place NCAC standing of a year ago. That's because the players remaining continue to make such significant strides, meaning that while Wittenberg will be without four-year No. 1 singles standout Bryan Heft, the Tigers will have an outstanding lineup that will not only compete at all six singles positions and all three doubles spots, but will frequently outflank the opposition with its depth. Leading the charge in 2002 will be senior Casey Clagett (Steamboat Springs, Colo./Steamboat Springs), who played No. 2 singles a year ago and posted a 14-9 overall record. He leads a deep lineup that also includes junior Eric Cusick (Lima, Ohio/Senior), sophomore Duby Lakos (Lynchburg, Va./Heritage), junior Mike Herzog (Springfield, Ohio/Shawnee) and junior Ben Hodgkiss-Lilly (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights). That foursome combined for a 59-19 singles record a year ago, and Cusick and Herzog both went undefeated in NCAC action. Add in senior Rob Postma (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge), who hasn't played for the last two years but has shown through the fall season the ability to step right back into the mix, and the Tigers have more than enough depth. The Tigers get the second half of their season underway next week in Florida during Spring Break. The home opener is slated for Saturday, March 30 against Wooster.

Next:
3/10 vs. St. Ambrose @ Daytona Beach, Fla.