2000 Season Results (7-7)
| Day |
Date |
Opponent |
Time |
Place |
| Thurs. |
Mar. 23 |
Delaware |
L 6-3 |
0-1 |
| Sat. |
Mar. 25 |
Dowling |
L 8-1 |
0-2 |
| Mon. |
Mar. 27 |
University of Sciences |
W 6-2 |
1-2 |
| Tue. |
Mar. 28 |
LaSalle |
W 5-1 |
2-2 |
| Sat. |
Apr. 1 |
Philadelphia |
L 5-4 |
2-3 |
| Wed. |
Apr. 5 |
Lehigh |
L 9-0 |
2-4 |
| Thurs. |
Apr. 6 |
Cabrini |
W 8-1 |
3-4 |
| Sat. |
Apr. 8 |
East Stroudsburg |
W 9-0 |
4-4 |
| Mon. |
Apr. 10 |
Kutztown |
L 7-2 |
4-5 |
| Wed. |
Apr. 12 |
Millersville |
L 8-1 |
4-6 |
| Fri. |
Apr.14 |
Slippery Rock |
W 7-2 |
5-6 |
| Sat. |
Apr.15 |
vs. Edinboro @ SRU |
L 7-2 |
5-7 |
| Wed. |
Apr. 19 |
Lincoln |
W 9-0 |
6-7 |
| Wed. |
Apr. 26 |
New Jersey Tech |
W 9-0 |
7-7 |
| Sat. |
Apr. 29 |
PSAC Championship |
5th |
7-7 |
May
5
Golden
Rams netminders finish 5th at PSAC’s
Sweeps of
Lincoln, New Jersey Tech leave tennis team at .500 for season
BLOOMSBURG, PA
- The West Chester University men’s tennis team finished fifth at the 2000
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships by battling to three fifth-place
finishes during the doubles competition.
The two-day event was
hosted by Bloomsburg University on Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30, in Bloomsburg, PA.
The host Huskies shared the PSAC crown with Kutztown University, while Millersville and
Edinboro grabbed third and fourth respectively. WCU finished with 40 points, just two
behind Edinboro, and well ahead of sixth-place Slippery Rock (26). East Stroudsburg
finished seventh and Cheyney took eighth.
The first singles
competition saw freshman John Ellis (Wilmington, DE/LaSalle, Miami, FL) nab
fifth place in his first collegiate post-season event. He beat Vin Zelizo of ESU 6-0, 6-0
in the consolation semifinals, and then knocked off Ben Lehman of SRU in the consolation
finals 6-0, 6-0.
Junior Joe Dianna
(Lancaster/Penn Manor) had one of the highest finishes among the Golden Rams,
taking fourth place at second singles by beating Jared Skemp of Edinboro 7-6, 6-3 in his
opening-round tilt. He lost in the semifinals and in the third-place match.
The top finisher at the
tournament for WCU was junior Chris Kyper (West Chester/Salesianum). The
third-year player took third place at third singles by winning his first-round match over
Fahreed Cheatham of Cheyney 6-0, 6-0. He was awarded third place after Millersville’s
Justin Miller was forced to default.
Senior Dave Mackenzie
(Fairless Hills/Pennsbury) took sixth place at fourth singles by beating
Cheyney’s Tyrik Baily 6-0, 6-1 to advance to the consolation finals. Meanwhile,
freshman John Considine (Stratford, NJ/Sterling) won his opening-round match
and eventually ended up fourth at fifth singles. He beat Scott LeBaron of Edinboro 7-5,
6-7, 6-0 in his first match before falling in the semifinals and in the battle for third
place.
Like Considine, freshman Dan
Renn (Philadelphia/Central) also took fourth by whipping Marc Kelly-Brown of ESU
6-0, 6-0. He too lost his semifinal match and his third-place contest.
The Golden Rams dominated
the consolation doubles by winning all three flights. Ellis and Dianna teamed up to win
the consolation first doubles and take fifth place by beating SRU 8-4 in the semifinals.
They then went on to cruise by ESU in the finals 8-1.
Kyper and Mackenzie
followed the same path at second doubles. This time WCU beat ESU in the consolation
semifinals 8-4 before edging SRU 8-5 in the consolation finals.
Renn and Considine followed
the same route as WCU’s first doubles squad. The duo finished fifth by beating SRU
8-4 in the consolation semifinals and ESU 8-2 in the consolation finals.
All three doubles teams
posted 2-1 records during the event.
The Golden Rams finished
the year 7-7 overall by claiming their final two matches vs. Lincoln and New Jersey Tech.
On April 19 vs. Lincoln in
Southern Chester County, Ellis (6-0, 6-1), Dianna (6-0, 6-0), Mackenzie (6-4, 6-4) and
Considine (6-0, 6-0) swept the first through fourth singles matches, while sophomore Dan
Phipps (Glenmoore/O.J. Roberts) captured sixth singles 6-0, 6-0. WCU won by
default at fifth singles and third doubles.
Dianna and Mackenzie easily
captured first doubles (8-3), while Renn and freshman John Mousseau (Glenmoore/O.J.
Roberts) took second doubles 8-0.
At New Jersey Tech, the
Golden Rams swept 1-4 singles and first and second doubles, claimed the rest by default,
then returned to WCU with a .500 record for the season.
Considine won first singles
7-6, 6-0, while Renn (6-0, 7-5) and Phipps (6-0, 6-0) swept second and third. Mousseau was
victorious at fourth (6-2, 6-1). In the doubles competition, Dianna and Ellis teamed up to
blank NJ Tech’s top squad 8-0, while Kyper and Mackenzie were winners at second
doubles 8-2.
Considine led the Golden
Rams in singles victories this season with 10. He also had five doubles wins.
April
17
Men’s
Tennis Bounces Slippery Rock 7-2
SLIPPERY ROCK,
PA - The West Chester University men’s tennis team is not only battling
rival Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference teams, but a bug which has produced injuries
and illness on a young, talented squad.
Despite having to face two
opponents during every match lately, the Golden Rams are hanging in at 5-7 on the season
after falling to Millersville and Edinboro, but beating Slippery Rock, in two out of their
last three matches.
The Golden Rams traveled to
Slippery Rock for a pair of dual meets with the Rockets and PSAC power Edinboro on April
14 & 15.
WCU was without the
services of rising freshman star John Ellis (Wilmington, DE/LaSalle, Miami, FL).
The rookie player has been battling an injury all season, but he still managed to sweep
Millersville’s #1 singles player Wes Kinter (6-3, 6-3) on April 12 at WCU. Kinter is
one of the top contenders for the first flight singles title. It was the Golden Rams’
lone victory in an 8-1 defeat.
Ellis was pressed into duty
when illness swept through the team prior to the match. Junior Joe Dianna
(Lancaster/Penn Manor) and senior Dave Mackenzie (Fairless Hills/Pennsbury)
were forced to retire in the second part of their matches vs. Millersville, then senior Chris
Fiorello (Yardley/Pennsbury) and junior Chris Kyper (West
Chester/Salesianum) were not available for the Western PA road trip.
In a 7-2 loss vs. Edinboro at Slippery Rock
on April 15, freshmen John Considine (Stratford, NJ/Sterling) and Dan
Renn (Philadelphia/Central) picked up victories at third and fourth singles,
respectively. Considine won at third (6-1, 6-4), while Renn captured fourth 6-3, 6-1.
On April 15, the Golden
Rams cruised by host SRU 7-2. Dianna led WCU to victory in the first through fifth singles
matches. He beat his opponent 6-3, 6-1 at first singles, while Mackenzie took second
singles 6-1, 6-1. The duo then teamed up to take first doubles 8-5.
Considine (6-3, 6-0) and
Renn (6-2, 6-3) grabbed third and fourth singles, respectively, while sophomore Dan
Phipps (Glenmoore/O.J. Roberts) won at fifth singles 6-2, 6-4.
Considine also picked up a
win at third doubles by teaming up with freshman John Mousseau (Glenmoore/O.J.
Roberts). The Golden Rams took the match 8-6.
April
11
Tennis
Team Earns Wins over LaSalle, ESU, Cabrini & USP
Rookies
making an impact for Golden Rams;
Mackenzie and Kyper boast 6-2 doubles mark
WEST CHESTER, PA
- With new head coach Greg Stipa having a full season under his belt, and a young talented
team returning for the 2000 season, the West Chester University men’s tennis squad is
gearing up for the 2000 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships at the end of
April.
In 1999, Stipa literally
joined the club days before the season opener and helped guide the Golden Rams to a
fifth-place finish at the 1999 PSAC Championships. The Golden Rams finished the season 7-7
overall.
Stipa’s biggest
challenge in 2000 has been replacing his top two seeds and number one doubles team. Lost
to graduation were Troy Miller and Scott Falatek, who dominated first and second singles,
and first doubles, for nearly four years.
This year's team has been
built around a strong veteran nucleus that consists of seniors Chris Fiorello
(Yardley/Pennsbury) and Dave Mackenzie (Pennsbury/Fairless Hills),
and juniors Joe Dianna (Lancaster/Penn Manor) and Chris Kyper (West
Chester/Salesianum, DE).
The Golden Rams have begun
the 2000 season with a 4-5 overall record which has featured a pair of tough losses to
Division I Delaware (6-3) and Lehigh (9-0).
WCU opened up the year on
March 23 & 25 with the loss at home to Delaware and a defeat vs. Division II power
Dowling at Queen’s College in New York.
Freshman John Ellis
(Wilmington, DE/LaSalle, FL) and Dianna sparked the Golden Rams with a pair of
singles victories at the top two slots against Delaware. Ellis won first singles 6-3, 6-0,
while Dianna took second singles 6-4, 6-2.
Kyper and Mackenzie grabbed
third doubles in a thrilling 9-8 battle which kept WCU close in the team scoring race.
Against Dowling, Kyper
& Mackenzie continued to stake their claim as one of the best doubles combos in the
PSAC. They teamed up for WCU’s lone victory in an 8-1 defeat, grabbing third doubles
8-4.
WCU evened its record at
2-2 with back-to-back victories over USP on March 27 and Division I LaSalle on March 28.
In the 6-1 win over USP,
Kyper & Mackenzie took third doubles (8-3), while Dianna & Fiorello won first
doubles (9-8). Sophomore Dan Phipps (Glenmoore/Owen J. Roberts) and freshman
Daniel Renn (Philadelphia/Central) teamed up to complete the doubles sweep
with an 8-3 second doubles victory.
Then the Golden Rams waded
through six grueling singles matches, claiming three, losing one, and earning no decisions
at the first and second spots after the matches were suspended.
Kyper took third singles
(7-6, 3-6, 7-6) and Mackenzie won 6-4, 6-3 at fourth, but the biggest triumph came at
fifth singles as rookie John Considine (Stratford, NJ/Sterling) captured his
first collegiate match with a 6-4, 6-3 decision.
At LaSalle the next day,
the Golden Rams improved their record to 2-2 with a 5-1 victory over the Division I
Explorers in Philadelphia. The Golden Rams took four of the five singles matches, and then
earned one team point for taking 2 of 3 doubles contests. The first singles match was
suspended.
Kyper (6-0, 6-3), Mackenzie
(6-2, 6-0), Considine (6-0, 6-2) and Renn (6-1, 6-4) captured 2-6 singles to seal the WCU
victory. It was Renn’s first collegiate singles win.
Dianna & Fiorello
(first) and Kyper & Mackenzie (third) each won their respective doubles matches 8-1.
On April 1 the Golden Rams
suffered a tough 5-4 home loss to Division II power Philadelphia. The teams split the six
singles matches, but the Rams of Philadelphia took two out of three doubles matches en
route to the 5-4 victory.
Kyper (6-4, 6-4) and
Mackenzie (6-4, 6-2) won third and fourth singles, respectively, while Renn swept his
sixth singles match 6-2, 6-2.
Kyper & Mackenzie were
the lone WCU victors in the doubles competition, taking there familiar third doubles match
8-4.
The Golden Ram fell to 2-4
with a 9-0 loss at home vs. Division I Lehigh on April 5, but WCU rebounded with an 8-1
win at Cabrini on April 6 and a 9-0 sweep of East Stroudsburg on April 8.
At Cabrini, WCU’s only
loss was at first singles. Mackenzie (6-4, 6-1), Considine (6-1, 6-3) and Renn (6-1, 1-6,
6-3) were winners from second through fourth singles, respectively.
Meanwhile, Phipps took
fifth singles 6-2, 6-0 and his high school teammate, freshman John Mousseau
(Glenmoore/Owen J. Roberts) won at sixth singles 6-4, 6-2. It was the first
singles victory of the season for Phipps and the first victory of any kind by Mousseau at
the college level.
Mackenzie teamed up with
Fiorello this time at first doubles, winning handily 8-5, while Renn & Phipps took
second doubles 8-5. Considine and freshman Michael Weitsen (Philadelphia/Lower
Merion) blanked their third doubles opponents 8-0. It was the first collegiate
victory of any kind for Weitsen.
Two days after the win at
Cabrini, the Golden Rams pounced ESU 9-0 under windy conditions on WCU’s South
Campus.
Fiorello (6-1, 6-1), Kyper
(6-0, 6-7, 6-1), Mackenzie (6-2, 6-1), Considine (6-0, 6-0) and Renn (6-0, 6-0) made short
work of the Warriors during the singles matches.
The doubles were equally
one-sided as Fiorello & Considine won 8-3 at first, and Kyper & Mackenzie stepped
up at second for an 8-5 win. ESU forfeited the third doubles and sixth singles matches.
WCU then lost 7-2 at
Kutztown on April 10. Considine captured fifth singles 6-4, 6-2, while Renn took sixth
singles 6-0, 6-2 as WCU picked up just the two team points.
Renn (4-1) and Considine
(5-3) have been big surprises for the Golden Rams in 2000. The rookies have combined for
nine singles victories and have been part of four doubles triumphs.
Mackenzie, who is tied for
the team singles victory lead with Considine (5), has teamed up with Kyper for a 6-2
doubles mark. He and Kyper are 5-2 at third doubles and 1-0 at second. Mackenzie also owns
a first doubles win with Fiorello. |
