Titans Stung By Hornets In NCAA Tournament Match

The Kalamazoo College men's tennis team showed UW-Oshkosh why its a perennial national power as the Hornets defeated the Titans, 7-0, in a first round match of the NCAA Division III Championship held Saturday (May 12) in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Kalamazoo College (15-9), a five-time NCAA Division III champion and three-time national runner-up, advances to meet DePauw University (15-8) in a second round contest on Sunday (May 12) at the Stowe Tennis Stadium in Kalamazoo. DePauw University defeated Denison University (15-6), 5-2, in its first round match held Saturday in Kalamazoo.

UW-Oshkosh, making its third appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship, dropped all six of its singles matches and all three of its doubles contests to Kalamazoo College. The Titans lost four of their six single matches in straight sets, with only sophomore Mark McGrath in the fifth flight and junior Chris Kalk in the sixth flight extending their match to a third game. McGrath suffered a 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 setback to Andrew Minnelli, while Kalk lost a 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2 decision to Casey Molenaar.

In doubles play, Kalamazoo College won its doubles matches over UW-Oshkosh by counts to 8-4 in the first flight, 8-6 in the second and 8-4 in the third. Playing for the Titans in the second flight were Kalk and sophomore Brian Hagman.

UW-Oshkosh, which also received invitations to the NCAA Division III Championship in 1996 and 1997, concludes the 2001 campaign with a 16-7 dual meet record. UW-Oshkosh went 5-2 in dual meets against its state rivals, with the only setbacks being losses of 6-1 to NCAA Division I UW-Green Bay and 4-3 to Carthage College. The 16 dual meet wins in 2001 were the most for the Titans during the 11-year tenure of head coach Steve Francour.

UW-Oshkosh compiled a 102-59 record in singles play and a mark of 51-27 during its doubles matches during the 2001 season. In singles, McGrath went 20-6 for the Titans, while Hagman went 18-6. In doubles, McGrath and Matt Ferry registered a 16-6 record together, while Hagman and Kalk went 14-8.

Titans Receive Third NCAA Tournament Bid

The UW-Oshkosh and Kalamazoo College men's tennis teams exchange rallies for the second time this season as they meet in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship on Saturday (May 12) at the Stowe Tennis Stadium in Kalamazoo, Mich.

UW-Oshkosh (16-6) battles Kalamazoo College (14-9) on Saturday at 1 p.m. (EST), with the winner to play either DePauw University (Ind.) or Denison University (Ohio) on Sunday at 12 noon (EST) in Kalamazoo. DePauw University (14-8) and Denison University (15-5) square off on Saturday at 10 a.m. (EST) in Kalamazoo.

The 2001 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Championship consists of 27 teams. The teams will play a single-elimination tournament, with the first and second rounds played at eight non-predetermined regional sites. The quarterfinal, semifinal and finals rounds will be played May 18-20 at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind.

UW-Oshkosh enters its match against Kalamazoo College riding a five-match winning streak. Earlier this year, the five-time NCAA Division III champion and perennial national power defeated UW-Oshkosh, 7-0.

The appearance in the NCAA Division III post-season event is the third for UW-Oshkosh, with previous entries in 1996 and 1997. The Titans dropped decisions of 4-1 to Kenyon College in 1996 and 4-2 to Illinois Wesleyan University in 1997.

UW-Oshkosh has posted a 102-53 record in singles matches this season, with junior Mark McGrath and sophomore Brian Hagman leading the way with marks of 20-5 and 18-5, respectively. In doubles play, the Titans are 51-24, with the tandem of McGrath and junior Matt Ferry owning a 15-6 ledger.

Titans Highlighted On The Tonight Show

The UW-Oshkosh men's tennis team was in the Los Angeles, Calif., audience on Thursday (March 22) for the taping of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Leno introduced the team to the viewers and then did a segment teasing UW-Oshkosh and the city of Oshkosh. The Titans posted a 4-0 dual meet record on their western trip to raise their overall record to 10-3.

Audio and video courtesy of National Broadcasting Company