Men’s tennis earns weekend sweep in Indiana

By Scott Sierzenga

(Chyn Wey Lee / Western Herald) Sophomore Kazuya Komada sets up for a forehand shot against Detroit in the Bronco’s Jan. 10 match at West Hills Athletic Club in Kalamazoo. Komada defeated Purdue’s Roberto Cabrini 7-6, 6-3 on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Western Herald

All the elements were there to stop them. But injuries, hostile away crowds and two days on the road were not enough to stop the steam rolling Broncos.

The Western Michigan University men’s tennis team (6-1) won its third consecutive match on Saturday, defeating the Boilermakers of Purdue University (0-2). The Boilermakers were playing in its first match since Jan. 18. WMU also knocked off Butlet University, 6-1 on Friday.

“It was a total team effort,” head coach Dave Morin said. “It’s always tough playing on the road.”
Morin also added how important it was for the tennis program to come out 2-0 on the weekend.
The Broncos started off strong, with the 33rd nationally ranked doubles tandem of sophomore Michael Calderone and freshman Zeyad Montasser winning their match 8-5 playing at No. 2. After Western Michigan lost its doubles match at the No. 3 slot, senior Kevin Hayward and sophomore Casey Cullen gave the Broncos the lead 1-0 heading into singles play after beating Slavko Bijelica and Griff Nienberg of Purdue 8-6 in the No. 1 spot.

The match was tied 3-3 heading into the final singles match for the Broncos. Calderone faced Branko Kuzmanovic at the No. 2 slot to decide the match. After dropping the first set 7-5, Calderone charged back winning the second set 6-4. Calderone etched his come-back win into stone after taking the last set 7-6 (5), winning the match for WMU. Calderone has won six straight since dropping his first match of the season.
“He’s the kind of guy who steps up to the challenge before hand,” Morin said.

The Broncos trail the Boilermakers in the overall series 22-20, dating back to 1936.

The Brown and Gold easily handled Butler on Friday, beating them 6-1.

The Broncos took the doubles point after Calderone and Montasser were able to win the series clincher.
Sophomore Kazuya Komada beat Chris Herron of Butler 6-3, 6-2, playing in the No. 3 slot. Komada is coming off a knee sprain and did not start practicing this week until Wednesday.

“We limited everyone this past week, especially Pablo and Kazuya,” Morin said.

Freshman Pablo Olivarez and Komada did not see action last Sunday against Xavier due to injuries. Komada was able to play all weekend despite a knee injury, while Olivarez sat out due to a bum ankle.

A win against a Big Ten Conference opponent was a big confidence booster for WMU.

“Whenever you beat a Big Ten team, it’s a feather in your cap,” Morin said.
Purdue head coach Tim Madden told Morin toughness beats talent, and this weekend Western Michigan proved that. Morin attributed both wins to the team’s mental toughness and effort that they showed all weekend.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Feb 1 2009. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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