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MIAMI SHORES, Fla.-Third time was the charm for the third-seeded West Florida Argonauts as they upset the number two seed, Ouachita Baptist Tigers, 5-2 in the semifinals of the 2009 NCAA Division II Men's Tennis
South Region I Tournament at Buccaneer Tennis Center on Friday.

The Tigers (20-2) had won both previous meetings, winning 7-2 inArkadelphia, Ark., in the regular season and 5-3 in the Gulf SouthConference Tournament.

“We are obviously very disappointed” said OBU Coach Craig Ward. “I am not disappointed in the guys, just disappointed in the result. Jan and Till fought back in the doubles and kept us in the match. At one point it looked like we might take four of the six singles matches but UWF fought back. They played better than us today and that’s all you can say.”

Ward added, "I am very proud of these guys. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for us. Nobody expected us to be this competitive. It is a young team and we have most everybody back for next year. I know these guys will be hungry to imporve and do even better"

In both previous meetings, the Tigers had claimed two doubles points. But the Bucs came out fired up and grabbed a 2-1 lead. Nathan Rosenfeld and Michael Lue avenged a 9-8 loss in the GSC Tourney with an 8-4 win over OBU's Vasek Stverka and Szymon Judek at number three, while Luis Arboleda and Patrick Bateman defeated Jean Charles Diame and Pierre Tafelski 8-3 at number two.

At the top flight, the Agonauts' duo of Kevin Ducros and Andrey Pozhidaev were on the verge of the sweep, leading Jan Plewinski and Till Heilshorn 7-5 and serving for the match. But the Tigers' pair fought back for a 9-7 win.

Singles started out close with the Tigers getting first set wins at number two and number four and UWF taking first sets at one, three five and six.

Diame closed out Arboleda 6-3, 6-2 at number three to even the match at 2-2, but that was as close as Ouachita would get.

UWF's Bateman, who lost to Tafelski in three sets in the conference tourney, battled back from a 6-0 loss in the first set to win 6-1, 6-3, while Sean Gunnels knocked off Stverka 6-4, 6-2 at number six.

Ducros closed out the match at number one, despite battling leg cramps from the heat, 6-3, 6-4 over Plewinski.

Tigers Stopped in GSC Finals
4/18/2009

Montgomery, AL—Valdosta State won the battle of Division Champions, blanking Ouachita Baptist, 5-0, in the 2009 Gulf South Conference Men's Tennis Title Match at Lagoon Park in Montgomery, Alabama.

VSU (15-3) claimed its second consecutive league Championship, handing Ouachita their first loss of the season. Ouachita had won 20 consecutive matches to this point, a school record.

The Tigers trailed 3-0 after the doubles. Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinck won at No. 1 double (8-6), Daniel Dueren and Michael Kuech at No. 2 (8-0) and Florian Halb and Otto Lenhart at No. 3 (8-1). Valdosta State put the match on ice in singles action thanks to a 6-3, 6-1 win by Jelinek at No. 4 and a 6-1, 6-1 triumph by Lenhart at No. 5.

Ouachita coach Craig Ward said, “We weren’t ready for that. We were down 3-0 after the doubles, which means we had to win 5 of the 6 remaining singles matches. Mathematically it is possible but it rarely happens with good teams. Of our top six this is the first year for four of them. Now we know what is required for us to be successful in the NCAA’s.

I can assure you we were not pleased with our performance today. If we are to be a great team we have to work harder and raise the level or our performance. We have some work to do but I think this team is up to the challenge.”

Ouachita will now move on to the NCAA National Championships in Miami, Florida.
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The Tigers defeated the University of West Florida 5-3 and the University of Alabama-Huntsville 5-0 on their way to the finals.

Momentum can be a strong component for a team. Once you gain even a small sense of confidence, it spreads like a wildfire throughout a team. Then it becomes a streak. 18 straight matches to be exact.

The Tigers have been up to the challenge with an annual nationally recognized program that stands at No. 7 in the nation, according to the latest NCAA Division II Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings.

In the midst of the success is a team that in its core is only as strong as its weakest link.

“The key to our team, is that everybody is willing to play any position to help us be successful,” Head Coach Craig Ward said. “We have eight guys that completely trust their teammates to give 100 percent day in and day out. That’s been the difference in this season. Never one time have any of these guys not given there all in practice or in a match.”

To gauge a team’s overall success, you need to look no further than the caliber of opponent it has faced.Of the competition, 11 of the 18 overall wins have come against top 30 ranked teams in the nation. Of those 11 wins, five have come against top 11 teams in the nation.

The turning point in the regular season came against a trio of teams the Tigers lost to in 2008, but reversed the fortune in 2009. National powerhouses West Florida, Cameron, and Drury have all been in the path of the Tigers success. With two wins each over Cameron and Drury, you can bet the nation has begun to notice a difference in this years team than in the past.

The secret? It can be found in the work ethic the Tigers have implemented in day-to-day preparation.

“It’s the time away from the court that’s been most crucial for us,” Ward said. “When it comes down to the match itself, it’s about focusing on the moment. It’s common for athletes to have anxiety the day of the match, but once you step onto the court, it’s about your preparation. Everyone wants to win but few have the will to prepare to win.”

While the team has been successful, individual accolades tend to follow closely behind, as well.

Sophomore Jan Plewinski is ranked No. 13 in the nation in singles play. Sophomore Till Heilshorn is No. 34. Freshman Jean Charles Diame is ranked No. 50 in the same category. Freshman Daniel Moser and Pierre Tafelski are a combined 32-2 in singles play. Freshman Szymon Judek is 8-5 in singles, along with a 13-1 mark in doubles play with Vasek Stverka. Plewinski and Heilshorn are 14-2 in doubles. Diame and Tafelski are 15-3.

The numbers just continue to pile up when you look at the potential of what eight individuals can do when they work as a team.

As the team heads to the Gulf South Conference Tournament in Montgomery, Alabama, the next opponent is already set: GSC East No. 4 seed Alabama-Huntsville on April 17 at 8:30 a.m. The NCAA Regional Championships and National Championships begin on May 7. Last year, it was a 5-2 defeat to No. 2 national runner-up West Florida that sent the team home.

This year? Well, as the Joe Paterno saying goes: “You have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That's the mark of a true professional.”

You might want to pay attention to these Tigers. When you have a group of selfless people, the sky is always the limit.
“Everybody comes to work every single day to do what needs to be done,” Ward said. “At the end of the year, we’ll truly be able to say we did our very best.”

Lawton, OK-Playing at a neutral site the #7 Ouachita Tigers got off to a quick start by sweeping the doubles against #30 Incarnate Word of San Antonio and taking a 3-0 lead.

Tiger Coach Craig Ward said, “Incarnate Word has a history of very talented players and good teams. With over 200 NCAA Division II tennis programs you know #30 is a good team. “

Ouachita’s #2 doubles team of Jean Charles Diame and Pierre Tafelski were the first get a point for the Tigers with an 8-2 decision. Followed quickly at #3 doubles by Vasek Stverka and Szymon Judek with an 8-3 win the Tigers improved to a 2-0 lead over the Cardinals.

The OBU #1 doubles team of Jan Plewinski and Till Heilshorn served for the match at 7-5 but the Cardinals broke back to get on serve at 7-6. However after exchanging serves the Tiger duo broke IW and took a 9-7 win to put Ouachita in a commanding 3-0 lead.

Ward said, “Because of our success I would imagine most teams=2 0feel they have little to lose and a lot to gain by beating us. That can be a dangerous combination but it is one we have gotten used to. Since all our matches start with an 8 game pro set for each doubles point it puts even more importance on a good start. As a result it takes good focus on each match to beat quality opponents and keep momentum on our side.

“JC and Pete were determined to have a good start today and played very focused at #2. At #3 doubles Szymon and Vasek have quietly gone about having a very good season by playing so well together. Jan and Till broke serve early and had little trouble maintaining their lead until 7-5. They may have lost a little focus while the other guys made a final stand and broke our serve to get back in the match. But then our guys showed why they are one of the top teams in the nation. They rallied in the next couple of games and closed out the match with the win 9-7.”

The final two points were taking at #6 singles by Texarkana native Daniel Moser, 6-2,6-1 and #3 Jean Charles “JC” Diame, 6-3,6-2. The Tigers claimed victory with a 5-0 decision and extended their overall record to 17-0. Both coaches agreed before the match to stop when one of the teams reached a match deciding 5 points.

“Every team has a good #1 or #2 player. But great teams must have strong players at every position in the line-up. Daniel and JC really took care of business today and sealed the victory. Our depth will be one the key to our success as we go into our conference and NCAA championships. ”

Lawton, OK-The Ouachita Baptist mens tennis team extended their winning streak to 16 straight victories and no losses. Playing #23 nationally ranked St Edwards University the Tigers came away with a 6-1 victory.

Ouachita tennis coach Craig Ward said, “I was very proud of the guys today. St Edwards has a very good team. They beat #11 Cameron yesterday and were playing with a lot of confidence. In addition the wind was as bad as I have seen in twenty years of college coaching, between 25-35 mph and gusts ove r 50 mph. The wind is a great equalizer in tennis. You can throw out ball striking ability and it just becomes a matter of determination.”

Starting with doubles the Tigers got behind by dropping the #2 doubles match 8-2. The St. Edwards team of Raiti and Arnold came out strong and never let up against OBU’s Jean Charles Diame and Pirere Tafelski.

OBU evened the score as Vasek Stverka and Szymon Judek closed out the #3 doubles match 8-4.
At #1 doubles Jan Plewenski and Till Heilshorn battled back from an early 5-2 deficit to win the set 8-6. Giving the Tigers a 2-1 lead going into the singles matches.

“At one point during the match we were behind on every court. However I have a lot of faith in these guys and new they would not quit. I was feeling god when we won at #3. It kept us from being down 3-0 going into the singles. When Jan and Till fought back and won it was a real boost for the team” Ward said.

With a 2-1 lead the Tigers needed to win three of the six singles match to clinch a victory. With only four courts available numbers 1 through 4 singles began their matches.

“Pete (Pierre Tafelski) adapted to the conditions very quickly and got off to a strong start. As you can tell from the scores all of the other matches were very competitive in the first sets. The wind got even worse but the guys began get a feel for it and were able to win their first sets. Pete closed out h is match to put us up 3-1, followed quickly by Till and JC (Diame) which gave us the team win at 5-1. Jan dropped his second set but won a 10-point match tiebreaker, instead of an entire third set.”

Due to the weather, and the fact that the match had been decided 6-1, both coaches agreed not to play #5 and #6 singles.

The seventh-ranked Ouachita Baptist University men’s tennis team came away with a 9-0 win over Harding Wednesday at the Heflin Tennis Center. In addition they clinched their sixth straight Gulf South Conference West Division title.

The victory improves the team to 15-0 on the season, following a pair of 8-1 wins over No. 19 Florida Southern College and No. 14 Rollins College during spring break.

The Tigers were led by No. 26 singles player Jan Plewinski, finishing his match with a 6-0, 6-2 win. Both Till Heilshorn and Jean Charles Diame were challenged by Harding in the No. 2 and No. 3 singles spots, but both came away with similar 6-3, 6-1 and 6-1, 6-3 victories.

The most impressive aspect of the day was the bottom half of singles play for Ouachita. The No. 4 through 6 singles players only gave up one game to Harding. Pierre Tafelski and Daniel Moser both won 6-0, 6-0, while Mike Basler rounded out the scoring in singles play with a 6-1, 6-0 victory.

In doubles play, Plewinski and Heilshorn had to battle for a 9-7 win, as Diame and Tafelski fought for an 8-4 victory. Basler and Moser breezed by with an 8-0 strong closing doubles match.

The team returns to returns to action in Lawton, Oklahoma Thursday, April 9 against No. 29 St. Edwards. Gulf South Conference tournament play begins April 17, followed by the NCAA Division II Regional Championships on May 7.

OBU Men's tennis remains perfect with 9-0 GSC West win over Delta State
March 16, 2009

ARKADELPHIA – The seventh-ranked Ouachita Baptist University men’s tennis team remained perfect overall and in the Gulf South Conference West Division Sunday as the Tigers blanked Delta State, 9-0, at the Heflin Tennis Center.

Ouachita (12-0) allowed just six games during the three doubles matches. In the first doubles match, Mike Basler and Daniel Moser blanked Matt Dean and Tom Santos, 8-0. Jean Charles Diame and Pierre Tafelski defeated Julien Beckensteiner and Thiago Marion, 8-2, while Szymon Judek and Vasek Stverka beat Felipe Fonseca and Guilherme Russo, 8-4.

In singles action, Basler cruised past Santos, 6-0, 6-0, while Diame blanked Beckensteiner, 6-0, 6-0. Stverka defeated Dean, 6-1, 6-0 and Tafelski topped Marion, 6-0, 6-1. Moser beat Russo, 6-2, 6-1, while Judek finished the day with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Fonseca.

The Tigers travel 2:30 p.m., Monday, March 23 to Florida Tech.

ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Baptist University men’s tennis team jumped seven spots to No. 7 in the latest NCAA Division II Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings Tuesday (click here for rankings).

The Tigers (9-0) are coming off an 8-1 win on Saturday to then-No. 11 Drury. The Panthers moved three spots to No. 8. Ouachita is one of just three Gulf South Conference schools and the only West Division school inside the Top 10. Valdosta State is No. 2 and West Florida, No. 9.

Barry holds jumps one spot from No. 2 to No. 1, while Lynn is third. Georgia College and State made a nine-spot increase, going from No. 13 to No. 4 and Armstrong Atlantic State fell four spots to No. 5. Hawaii Pacific is sixth, while USC Aiken rounds out the Top 10 in the 10th spot.

The Tigers return to action, 1:00 p.m., Friday, March 13 at the Heflin Tennis Center against Arkansas-Fort Smith.

OBU Men's Tennis cruises past No. 11 Drury
March 7, 2008

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A week after downing No. 11 Drury, the 14th-ranked Ouachita Baptist University men’s tennis team rolled to an 8-1 victory over the Panthers on Saturday.

The Tigers (9-0) swept all three doubles matches as the team of Jean Charles Diame and Pierre Tafelski defeated Anton Khadasevich and Juan Ponce, 8-3. Jan Plewinski and Till Heilshorn topped Nahom Serekeberhan, 8-4, while Szymon Judek and Vasek Stverka beat Antonio Garcia and Alex Kacamakis, 8-4.

The lone Drury victory came at No. 4 singles as Tafelski fell to Kacamakis, 6-3, 6-1. The Tigers picked up a win at No. 5 singles as Daniel Moser defeated Garcia, 6-4, 6-2 and Judek came from behind to win against Marvic, 1-6, 6-2, 7-6. In a showdown against two ranked opponents, No. 26 Plewinski topped No. 47 Serekeberhan, 7-6, 6-3, and Heilshorn defeated Khadasevich, 6-4, 1-6, 6-1. Diame ended the day with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win over Khadasevich.

Ouachita returns home 1:00 p.m., Friday, March 13 to take on the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith at the Heflin Tennis Center.

OBU Men's Tennis edges No. 11 Drury
March 1, 2009

ARKADELPHIA – The 14th-ranked Ouachita Baptist University men’s tennis team, playing without one of its top players because of an injury, won the final match of the weekend Sunday, edging No. 11 Drury, 5-4, at the Heflin Tennis Center.

The Tigers (8-0), who was playing without Jan Plewinski on Sunday, went 2-1 in doubles play for the third straight day.

The team of Jean Charles Diame and Pierre Tafelski defeated Dahom Serekeberhan and Ivan Marevic, 8-4, while Till Heilshorn and Daniel Moser fell to Antonio Garcia and Alex Kacamakis, 8-6. Szymon Judek and Vasek Stverka beat Anton Khadasevich and Jaun Ponce, 9-8.

The fourth match of the day began singles action as Diame defeated Ponce, 6-1, 6-3, but Judek fell to Kacamakis, 7-5, 6-1. Tafelski topped Khadasevich, 6-3, 6-4 and Drury kept things close by winning No. 5 singles as Moser fell to Garcia, 6-0, 6-4. The eighth match clinched the victory as Stverka defeated Marevic, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 to give Ouachita the win. Heilshorn dropped his match at No. 1 singles to No. 47 Serekeberhan, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

The two teams meet again, noon, Saturday, March 7 at Drury. Ouachita finished the weekend by going 3-0 with wins over No. 9 West Florida, No. 6 Cameron and No. 11 Drury

No. 13 OBU Men's Tennis knocks off No. 9 West Florida
February 27, 2009

ARKADELPHIA – In a matchup between two of the top teams in the Gulf South Conference, the 13th-ranked Ouachita Baptist University men’s tennis team knocked off and surprised No. 9 West Florida, 7-2, Friday afternoon at the Heflin Tennis Center.

In the first doubles match of the day, Mike Basler and Daniel Moser fell to Kevin Ducros and Sean Gunnels, 8-3. However, that would be all West Florida would get in doubles play as the Tigers took a 2-1 lead into singles action after the team of Jean Charles Diame and Pierre Tafelski defeated Patrick Bateman and Luis Arboleda, 8-3, and Jan Plewinski and Till Heilshorn beat Andrey Pozhidaev and Nathan Rosenfeld, 8-5.

In singles play, the Tigers (6-0) continued to show its dominance as Charles defeated Rosenfeld, 6-4, 6-2 and Heilshorn beat Pozhidaev, 7-5, 6-2, to put Ouachita on the cusp of winning the match. Plewinski, ranked No. 26, fell to Ducros, 6-3, 6-4, but the Tigers claimed the when Tafelski defeated Arboleda, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2. Szymon Judek toppled Bateman, 6-3, 6-1 and Moser handled Gunnels, 7-6, 6-4.

The brutal three-match stretch doesn’t get any easier as the Tigers look to remain perfect 1:00 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Heflin Tennis Center against No. 6 Cameron. Ouachita finishes the weekend 1:00 p.m., Sunday, March 1 at home against No. 11 Drury.

OBU Men's Tennis blanks Oklahoma Christian
February 21, 2009

ARKADELPHIA – The 14th-ranked Ouachita Baptist University men’s tennis team continued its hot start by blanking No. 23 Oklahoma Christian, 9-0, Saturday at the Heflin Tennis Center.

The Tigers (4-0) opened play in doubles action as Jean Charles Diame and Pierre Tafelski defeated Maxim Salitra and Henson Adams, 8-1. Jan Plewinski and Till Heilshorn toppled Thomas Van Cauter and Florian Thies, 8-6 and Mike Basler and Daniel Moser beat Trey Baring and Esteban Flores, 8-2.

In singles play, Diame defeated Thies, 6-0, 6-2, while Tafelski topped Salitra, 6-0, 6-2. Heilshorn beat Flores, 6-2, 6-3 and Moser beat Baring, 6-1, 6-0. Vasek Stverka defeated Adams, 7-5, 6-2 and No. 26 Plewinski defeated Van Cauter, 6-2, 6-4.

Ouachita returns to action by playing host 1:00 p.m., Friday, Feb. 27 to No. 9 West Florida at the Heflin Tennis Center.

by Brian Howard

OBU Men's Tennis rolls past No. 22 Southwest Baptist
February 20, 2009

ARKADELPHIA – The 14th-ranked Ouachita Baptist University men’s tennis team rolled to another win, an 8-1 victory, Friday afternoon over No. 22 Southwest Baptist at the Heflin Tennis Center.

The Tigers (3-0) took two of three in doubles as the team of Jan Plewinski and Till Heilshorn defeated Emilio El Alabi and Marton Zsiga, 8-3. Jean Charles Diame and Pierre Tafelski beat Jorge Margaritta and Jorge Palacios, 8-2. In No. 3 doubles, Szymon Judek and Vasek Stverka fell to Agustin Mollar and Tyler Welch, 8-3.

In singles action, No. 26 Plewinski defeated Zsiga, 7-5, 6-2 and Heilshorn topped Alabi, 3-6, 7-5, (10-6). Diame beat Mollar, 6-3, 6-2 and Tafelski knocked off Margaritta, 7-5, 6-0. Judek and Daniel Moser won their matches over Palacios and Welch, respectively, 6-4, 6-2 and 6-2, 6-1.

Ouachita, which defeated No. 1 Tyler Junior College, 7-2, Thursday, takes on No. 23 Oklahoma Christian 1:00 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 21 at the Heflin Tennis Center.
-by Brian Howard

ARKADELPHIA – The 14th-ranked Ouachita Baptist University men’s tennis team rolled past Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 9-0, Thursday afternoon at the Heflin Tennis Center.

In doubles play, the team of Jan Plewinski and Till Heilshorn defeated Hugo Gomez and Eduardo Lugue, 8-6, while Jean Charles Diame and Pierre Tafelski blanked Jorge Villicis and Andres Riobueno, 8-0. Szymon Judek and Vasek Stverka defeated Bruno Hurtado and James Cowan, 8-0.

In singles action, Plewinski, ranked No. 26, topped Gomez, 6-4, 6-2, while Heilshorn blanked Lugue, 6-0, 6-0. Diame beat Villicis, 6-0, 6-2 and Tafelski defeated Riobueno, 6-1, 6-0. Judek topped Hurtado 6-1, 6-0 and Daniel Moser beat James Cowan, 6-0, 6-0.

The Tigers (2-0) return to action, Thursday, Feb. 19 against Tyler Junior College.-by Brian Howard

ARKADELPHIA – In what was suppose to be the second match of the season Saturday, turned into the opening match for the defending Gulf South Conference West Division Champions as the Ouachita Baptist University men’s tennis team who had their first match of the year against UAPB postponed Friday, rolled past Christian Brothers, 9-0, Saturday morning at the Heflin Tennis Center.

Ouachita (1-0) was so dominate that it didn’t allow the Buccaneers to record a point in doubles and singles action.

In doubles play, the teams of Jan Plewinski and Szymon Judek defeated Anthony Eddy and Clifton Gibbs, 8-0, while Jean Charles Diame and Pierre Tafelski blanked Keith Wyrick and Aaron Michael, 8-0. Mike Basler and Judek won their match by default.

In singles competition, Plewinski, ranked No. 26, blanked Corry Franklin, 6-0, 6-0 and Till Heilshorn defeated Eddy, 6-0, 6-0. Diame and Tafelski topped Gibbs and Wyrick, respectively, 6-0, 6-0 and Judek beat Michael by the same score. Daniel Moser won his match by default.

The Tigers return to action 6:00 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 19 to take on Tyler Junior College at the Heflin Tennis Center.-by Brian Howard

Men’s Tennis Ready to Begin Season
Posted on February 5th, 2009 by Jon Neal

It is almost spring and with the change of seasons come the men’s tennis season. To fans it seemed as though last year was a successful year, but Head Coach Craig Ward viewed it differently.

“I am glad that our fans see us as having a great year, but to us the difference between a great year and a good year is a national championship,” Ward said. ”We have been close too many times to realize if your last match of the year is a loss you are disappointed with that result.”

Coming into this season, the Tigers lost several senior players who were at the top of their game last year. The team will need new players to step up into the role of leader if they want to have the same success compared last season. Coach Ward knows that his team lost a lot of talent, but he believes hard work can put this team back on top.

"To quote a friend of mine, you have to work hard enough to take the luck out of it,” Ward said. This is done with maximum practice time. “The NCAA allows us 20 hours of practice per week,” Ward said. “We are in the gym before class, four days a week. In addition we are on the tennis court two and a half hours a day, six days a week. Besides improving skill levels, that type of dedication builds mental toughness, team chemistry and desire to win. When you work that hard you know you deserve to win more than your opponent.”

That type of work ethic helps keep the men’s tennis team on top of its competition year after year.

“Our coach did a great job preparing us for the beginning of the season,” said junior Vasek Stverka. “We spent time on strategy and tactics, watched videos and also did some simulations. You can’t simulate match and atmosphere though, so we will see where our strengths and weaknesses will be once we play our first match. After we find our weaknesses, we will transform them to our advantage [and] become stronger each match.”

Ouachita will start off the season ranked 14th in the nation, with its first match Friday at 3 p.m. at the Heflin Tennis Center.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The final ranking came out for the Ouachita Baptist men’s tennis team as the Tigers were the third Gulf South Conference school in the top 10 by finishing ninth.

Ouachita Baptist, which fell to West Florida during the second round of the NCAA National Championships, was ninth, while Valdosta State was fourth and West Florida fifth. Armstrong Atlantic State of the Peach Belt Conference garnered the top spot. Barry and Drury were second and third, respectively. Lynn was sixth, while Francis Marion and Cameron were seventh and eighth. Behind the Tigers was Hawaii Pacific in the 10th spot.

Ondra Vana finished the year ranked eighth in singles play and was the only player from the Gulf South Conference in the top 10. Jan Plewinski was 29th in singles action. The doubles team of Vana and Jakub Smid were fourth in the country.

National Team Ranking (top 50)
1. Armstrong Atlantic State
2. Barry
3. Drury
4. Valdosta
5. West Florida
6. Lynn
7. Francis Marion
8. Cameron
9. Ouachita Baptist
10. Hawaii Pacific

Singles (top 50)
1. Alex Grubin...............Concordia
2. Henry Estrella............Incarnate Word
3. Michael Knoedler.......Florida Southern
4. Stefan Borg...............Drury
5. Erick Siqueira............Georgia C & S
6. Tim Johannsen..........Armstrong
7. Philip Pakebusch.......Anderson
8. Ondra Vana...............Ouachita Baptist
9. Lorenzo Cava.............Lynn
10. Brian Compton...........Rollins
29. Jan Plewinski..............Ouachita Baptist

Doubles (top 50)
1. Ekkenga/Jelinek Valdosta
2. Array/Johanssen Armstrong
3. Pazos/Mullor Cameron
4. Vana/Smid Ouachita Baptist
5. Estrella/Castillo Incarnate Word

OBU MEN'S TENNIS FALLS TO UWF NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
May 9, 2008

PENSACOLA, Fla. - The last time the two teams met, the Argos had to rally from a 4-2 deficit to win in an epic match 5-4, with the final three singles matches all won by UWF in three sets. The two teams, both ranked in the top 10, were destined to repeat a thrilling team tennis matchup, with the last doubles match to finish going back and forth with great shot after great shot in key points. In the end, the 3rd ranked Argos defeated the 8th ranked Tigers 5-2, in match that would send one of the best teams in the nation home, without a chance to play in the NCAA championships.

In doubles, the Argos won at number two doubles and Ouachita Baptist won at number three doubles, and the number one doubles match would turn pivotal before singles play. With the set tied at 7-7, Eduardo Cavasotti andLuis Arboleda were down Love-40, and about to lose a service break. In thrilling fashion, they rallied to hold serve, and carried the momentum into the next game. However, with the Argos at match point, OBU's tandem of Ondra Vana and Jakub Smid rallied to hold serve and send the game into a tie breaker. At that point, OBU had the momentum and closed out the one hour and 42 minute pro-set with a 7-1 tie breaker score to win 9-8 and send OBU up 2-1. Vana and Smid are the 7th ranked doubles team in the nation, while Cavasotti and Arboleda are ranked 13th in the nation.

Thus it was dj Vu all over again for West Florida, who had earlier defeated OBU after being down 2-1 after doubles. At number two doubles, Nicolas Barrientos and Patrick Bateman pulled out an 8-5 win to improve their doubles record on the year to 23-2. The pair are ranked 16th in the nation in doubles. At number three doubles, Luiz Bernardi and Diego Zorzi fell by an 8-2 score to OBU's Isaac Anders and Till Heilshorn. Every matchup except number six singles and number three doubles, was the same as the April 3rd match between the two teams.
As singles play moved into the later part of the first sets, the match was incredibly even, with neither team showing an big advantage, however, the Argos would pull out the first set win in five of the six singles matches. At number one singles, it was a match of #8 Ondra Vana, of Ouachita Baptist, against the Argos Eduardo Cavasotti, ranked 21st in the nation. At number two singles, the match couldn't be any more even, as it pitted #25 Nicolas Barrientos, of West Florida, against #26 Jan Plewinski of Ouachita Baptist. The number one singles was the lone first set victory for Ouachita Baptist. Therefore, the team trailing seemed to have the slight edge, as the second sets began.

Just as most matches were still early in the second set, the number two singles match ended with UWF's Nicolas Barrientos tying up the match at 2-2, with an impressive win over 26th ranked Jan Plewinski by a 6-0, 6-1 score. Moments later, number one singles player Eduardo Cavasotti evened up his match by winning the second set, which appeared to give the Argos the edge going into the stretch run of singles action. West Florida, then took a 3-2 lead, when Patrick Bateman finished his victory at number five singles, by a 6-3, 6-1 score.

As the sun bore down on the players, the Argos number three singles player Diego Zorzi pulled out the second set tie breaker to earn a hard fought 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) win to put the Argos up 4-2. However, no time to celcbrate yet, as the last time the two team met, the Tigers were up 4-2 and the remaining three single matches went into three sets. At the moment the score went to 4-2, the number one singles was already in the third set, and the other two matches were tight midway through the second set.

But the suspense was ended a few minutes later, as number one singles player Eduardo Cavasotti capped off a great comeback with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 win. That gave the Argos the 5-2 win, and a trip to Houston for the sweet 16 National Championships. UWF is now 22-4 on the season and making their 12th consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships, and 26th trip total to either the NCAA championships or the NAIA championships. The Argos won it all in 2004, and again in 2005.

Match 3: #2 West Florida defeats #3 Ouachita Baptist 5-2
#1 Doubles: Vana & Smid (OBU) defeated Cavasotti & Arboleda (UWF) 9-8 (7-1)
#2 Doubles: Barrientos & Bateman (UWF) defeated Plewinski & Stverka (OBU) 8-5
#3 Doubles: Anders & Heilshorn (OBU) defeated Zorzi & Bernardi (UWF) 8-2
#1 Singles: Eduardo Cavasotti (UWF) defeated Ondrej Vana (OBU) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
#2 Singles: Nicolas Barrientos (UWF) defeated Jan Plewinski (OBU) 6-0, 6-1
#3 Singles: Diego Zorzi (UWF) defeated Till Heilshorn (OBU) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
#4 Singles: Luiz Bernardi (UWF) vs. Vagen Akapian (OBU) DNF
#5 Singles: Patrick Bateman (UWF) defeated Jakub Smid (OBU) 6-3, 6-1
#6 Singles: Jose Ycaza (UWF) vs. Issac Anders (OBU) DNF

OBU ATHLETIC BANQUET NEWS
ARKADELPHIA – More accolades were handed out Tuesday at the Ouachita Baptist annual athletic banquet as several student-athletes received top recognition.

Women’s swimming Lauren Vickroy and volleyball’s Meredith Henry grabbed the honors for the Outstanding Female Scholar-Athletes Award. Tabbed to the Frank Reed Male Scholar-Athlete Award were men’s swimming James Riddle, football’s Zach Wright, Blake Lockwood of baseball, Daniel Munday of men’s basketball and Jakub Smid of men’s tennis. Those awards go to the scholar-athletes whose achievements both academically and athletically have been deemed to be truly exemplary.

The major awards were also handed out as Sarah Watson (women’s swimming) and Breanne Garrett (volleyball) took home honors for Outstanding Female Athlete. The award is present to the outstanding female athlete who best demonstrates the traits of the Christian character, desire to win, sportsmanship and athletic ability.

Watson is a two-time national champion in the 200 Back and was second at nationals in the 100 Back and the 200 IM. She is an All-American and an Academic All-American.

Garrett had another outstanding season for the Purple and Gold. She was a member of the All-Gulf South Conference First Team, as well as a selection on the All-Region Team. She finished this past season with 524 kills, averaging 4.68 per game. She is the single-season holder in kills and kills per game. She also added 101 total blocks.

Radu Badalac (men’s swimming), Nelson Silva (men’s swimming), Ondrej Vana (men’s tennis), Jim Streicher (baseball), Willie Hopson (football), Memo Rodriguez (men’s basketball) and Ed Keyes (men’s basketball) were up for Bob Lambert Memorial Outstanding Male Athlete Award.

Vana and Streicher earned top honors as they were selected by the coaches for the award.

Vana was tabbed Gulf South Conference Player of the Year and is ranked No. 9 in singles play and 10th in doubles. This season, he has helped guide the Tigers to the seventh straight GSC West Division crown and a runner-up finish at the GSC Tournament. He has compiled a 17-2 record in singles play and 17-3 mark in doubles.

Streicher was a member of the first-ever Rawlings Collegiate Gold Glove. This season he was recognized twice by the conference in being named player of the week. He has hit a career-high seven home runs and is tied for the team lead in doubles with 17. He leads all Ouachita Baptist batters with a .420 average.

The Bob Lambert Memorial Outstanding Male Athlete Award is presented to the outstanding male athlete who best demonstrates the traits of the Christian character, desire to win, sportsmanship and athletic ability.

VANA AND PLEWINSKI GRAB TOP HONORS
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Ouachita Baptist men’s tennis team racked up Gulf South Conference honors Friday as the Tigers led the way with four players selected to the All-GSC West Division, including Ondrej Vana, who was tabbed player of the year, and Jan Plewinski, who earned freshman of the year honors.

Ouachita Baptist (12-3), which opens Gulf South Conference Tournament action 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 19 in quarterfinal play against West Alabama, had four players on the squad, while Harding and Delta State each had two.

Jakub Smid, who was named to the 2006 All-GSC First Team, Till Heilshorn, Plewinski and Vana, who is a three-time recipient of the honor, were tabbed with the conference honors. Pascal LaPlace and Rafael Weigard were named to the team from Delta State, while earning honors from Harding were Olzhas Taniyev and Marco Ruiz.

In the East Division, Valdosta State and North Alabama had three players selected, while West Florida had two. Nicolas Barrientos of West Florida garnered GSC East Division Player of the Year honors, while teammate Patrick Bateman was named freshman of the year.

The Gulf South Conference Coach of the year award will be given to the coach that leads the team to the championship. Because of the shortage of teams, there wasn’t a second team selected.

The GSC Tournament begins Saturday, April 19 at O’Conner Tennis Center and will conclude 12:00 p.m., Sunday, April 20.
4/18/2008

OBU men's tennis blanks Tuskegee
TUSKEGEE, Ala. – The eighth-ranked Ouachita Baptist men’s tennis team made quick work of Tuskegee University Thursday with a 9-0 victory.

The Tigers (7-2) got doubles wins by No. 14 Ondra Vana/Jakub Smid, Vasek Stverka/Till Heilshorn and Sam Wrinkle/Issac Anders. In singles play, Vana (ranked No. 16), Heilshorn, Smid, Stverka, Anders and Wrinkle rolled to victory.

Ouachita Baptist has about eight days off before traveling 10:00 a.m., Saturday, March 29 to Cleveland, Miss., to take on No. 32 Delta State.
March 20, 2008

OBU men's tennis blanks Berry, 5-0
PENSACOLA, Fla. – The eighth-ranked Ouachita Baptist men’s tennis team blanked NAIA No. 10 Berry College Tuesday morning, 5-0, at the University of West Florida.

In doubles action, the No. 14 team of Ondra Vana/Jakub Smid beat Andre Ferriera/Christan Jackie, 8-6. Vagen Akapian/Jan Plewinski (8-4) and Vasek Stverka/Till Heilshorn (8-1) also won doubles matches to give the Tigers (6-2) a 3-0 lead heading into singles play.

In singles action, Vana, ranked No. 16, defeated Jackie, 6-0, 6-0 and Heilshorn blanked Marcelo Lebrao, 6-0, 6-0 to give Ouachita Baptist the 5-0 win.

The Tigers travel 1:00 p.m., Thursday, March 20 at Tuskegee, which wraps up spring break action.
March 18, 2008

OBU men's tennis falls to No. 11 Cameron
PENSACOLA, Fla. – After being swept in all three doubles matches, the eighth-ranked Ouachita Baptist men’s tennis team tried to rally in singles play, but weren’t able to stop No. 11 Cameron with a 5-4 loss at the University f West Florida.

Earning singles wins were No. 16 Ondra Vanna, Jan Plewinski, Till Heilshorn and Jakub Smid.

Ouachita Baptist (5-2) continues to play at the University of West Florida, 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, March 18 against No. 18 Berry.
March 17, 2008

OBU men's tennis knocks off Anderson, 6-3
PENSACOLA, Fla. – The eighth-ranked Ouachita Baptist men’s tennis team knocked off No. 18 Anderson College Sunday afternoon, 6-3, at the University of West Florida.

The Tigers (5-1) got singles wins by Jan Plewinski, Till Heilshorn, and Issac Anders as the teams were tied at 3 heading into double play. But the teams of Ondra Vana/Jakub Smid (No. 14), Vagen Akapian/Plewinski and Vasek Stverka/Heilshorn gave Ouachita Baptist a clean sweep and the 6-3 win.

Up next for the Tigers is 11th-ranked Cameron 10:00 a.m., Monday, March 17 and a match 10:00 a.m., Tuesday March 18 against No. 10 Berry College.
March 16, 2008

OBU men's tennis ranked No. 8 Nationally
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Ouachita Baptist men’s tennis team is off to a 4-1 start to begin the year and is ranked No. 8 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Ranking in Division II.

The Tigers are just one of five Gulf South Conference schools in the Top 40 as Valdosta State is No. 2, West Florida No. 4, North Alabama No. 30 and Delta State No. 32.

Armstrong Atlantic State is No. 1, followed by the Blazers at No. 2. Lynn is No. 3 with the Argonauts No. 4. Drury is holding down the fifth-place spot.

Ouachita Baptist play host 2:00 p.m., Sunday, March 16 against No. 18 Anderson at the Heflin Tennis Center. The Tigers will then play No. 11 Cameron on Monday and No. 18 Berry Tuesday.

Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Rankings
Division II Men's Tennis
March 7, 2008

RankSchool
1 Armstrong Atlantic State
2 Valdosta State University
3 Lynn University
4 Univ. of West Florida
5 Drury University
6 UC San Diego
7 Barry University
8 Ouachita Baptist
9 Rollins College
10 Hawaii Pacific University
11 Cameron University
12 Concordia College (New York)
13 Abilene Christian University
14 Florida Southern College
15 Francis Marion University
16 Lander University
17 St. Edward's University
18 Anderson University, South Carolina
19 Northwood University (Mich.)
20 Univ. of South Carolina, Aiken
21 Augusta State University
22 Georgia College & State University
23 Southwest Baptist
24 Univ. of Incarnate Word
25 Brigham Young University-Hawaii
26 Washburn University
27 Columbus State University
28 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
29 Mercy College
30 Univ. of North Alabama
31 Limestone College
32 Delta State University
33 Northwest Missouri State
34 Midwestern State University
35 East Central University (Oklahoma)
36 Tusculum College
37 Palm Beach Atlantic (Fla.)
38 Ferris State University
39 Florida Tech
40 Southeastern Oklahoma State

Weather Forces Cancellation of Matches
ARKADELPHIA – Ouachita Baptist head men’s tennis coach Craig Ward announced that the tennis matches scheduled for this weekend against Southwest Baptist and Drury have been cancelled because of inclement weather.

For up-to-date information, please check the Ouachita Baptist athletic Web site at: www.obutigers.com.
-Brian Howard 03/05/2008

OBU Men's Tennis falls to No. 5 Drury
ARKADELPHIA – In a matchup of a pair of Top 10 teams, the ninth-ranked Ouachita Baptist men’s tennis team dropped its first match of the season, falling to No. 5 Drury, 5-4, Sunday afternoon at the Heflin Tennis Center.

Ondra Vana (No. 16), Jan Plewinski and Jakub Smid won singles as the match was tied at 3 heading into doubles play. The team of Vana/Smid (No. 14) won the only doubles match for the Tigers.

Ouachita Baptist returns to action 2:00 p.m., Friday, March 7 at No. 22 Southwest Baptist.
-Brian Howard 03/02/2008

OBU men's tennis remains unbeaten
ARKADELPHIA – The ninth-ranked Ouachita Baptist men’s tennis team remained unbeaten with a 7-2 victory Friday afternoon over No. 16 St. Edward’s at the Heflin Tennis Center.

Earning singles wins were Till Heilshorn, Ondra Vana (ranked No. 16), Jan Plewinski, Jakub Smid and Vasek Stverka. Ouachita Baptist got doubles victories by Vana/Smid (No. 14) and Stverka/Heilshorn.

Ouachita Baptist returns to action 10:00 p.m., Sunday, March 2 at the Heflin Tennis Center against No. 5 Drury.
-Brian Howard 02/29/2008

Men's Tennis Undefeated
ARKADELPHIA – It was another clean sweep for the ninth-ranked Ouachita Baptist men’s tennis team as the Tigers blanked Christian Brothers, 9-0, Friday afternoon at the Heflin Tennis Center.

Ouachita Baptist, which improved to 3-0 on the year, has yet to allow a loss in either doubles or singles play.

Getting victories for the Tigers in singles action was Jan Plewinski, Till Heilshorn, Jakub Smid, Sam Wrinkle, Vasek Stvuerka and Adam Hurst. The doubles teams of Stverka/Heilshorn, Smid/Plewinski and Hurst/Wrinkle surrendered just one game in getting wins.

Ouachita Baptist returns to action 2:00 p.m., Friday, Feb. 22 at the Heflin Tennis Center against Tyler Junior College.

-Brian Howard 02/17/2008

Men's sweeps pair during opening weekend
ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Baptist men’s tennis team, ranked ninth in the country, rolled past a pair of ranked opponents Saturday afternoon at the Heflin Tennis Center as the Tigers blanked No. 30 Delta State, 5-0, and No. 22 Southwest Baptist, 9-0.

The next match will be Friday, Feb. 15 against Christian Brothers at the Heflin Tennis Center.

-Brian Howard 02/10/2008

OBU men's tennis ranked 9th nationally, 3rd regionally
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The national and regional tennis rankings for the fall were released with the Ouachita Baptist University men’s team ranked ninth nationally and third regionally.

The Tigers are one of three Gulf South Conference teams ranked inside the top 10, with Valdosta State second and West Florida third. Holding the top spot nationally is Lynn, with Armstrong Atlantic State fourth and Drury fifth. Rounding out the final five were U.C. San Diego, Barry, Lander, Ouachita Baptist and Rollins.

In the South Regional Rankings, Valdosta State and West Florida are first and second, respectively. Ouachita Baptist is third, followed by North Alabama in fourth and Delta State fifth. Harding is sixth, while West Alabama is seventh, Morehouse (eighth), UAH (ninth) and Fort Valley State is 10th.

Regionally in singles action, Ondra Vana is ranked third and is the only Tigers player in the Top 10. Valdosta State’s Florian Halb is ranked first, followed by Nicolas Barrientos from West Florida.

The doubles team of Jakub Smid and Vana is ranked third. Joerg Ekkenga and Leos Jelinek of Valdosta State is ranked first, while Barrientos and Jose Ycaza are second.

VANA TABBED NO. 1 SINGLES FLIGHT WINNER
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Ondrej Vana captured the No. 1 singles flight winner Sunday afternoon to conclude a three-day Fall Invitational hosted by the University of Arkansas-Little Rock.

After playing through Friday’s and Saturday’s rounds, Vana defeated Edson Abrao of UALR Sunday afternoon 6-1, 6-1 and then beat UT-Martin’s Stephan Bruwer, 7-5, 7-5 to earn the No. 1 singles flight winner.

TIGERS END SECOND DAY AT FALL INVITATIONAL
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Ouachita Baptist University men’s tennis team completed the second day of the Fall Invitational hosted by the University of Arkansas-Little Rock Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers went 2-3-1 in singles action and 5-3 in doubles.

The doubles team of Isaac Anders and Sam Wrinkle won a pair of matches, defeating Southeastern Louisiana’s Ondrej Krivka and Matthieu Leboucher 8-3 and UT-Martin’s Alfredo Krywacz and Chris Slabbert, 8-4. Also winning in doubles action was the team of Ondrej Vana and Jakub Smid. They defeated Oral Roberts’ Alexander Dargel and Dennis Troyke 8-4 and beat UT-Martin’s Stephan Bruwer and Andrey Yesipov.

Wrinkle and teammate Matthew Harris fell to Jakub Krasniewicz and Vladimir Paunic of Southeastern Louisiana 8-1. Vana and Smid lost to Krivka and Leboucher 8-3 and Vagen Akapian and Toshi Goda fell to Vladimir Paunic and Jakub Krasniewicz 6-5.

In singles play, Ouachita Baptist got wins by Vana (6-1, 6-0 over Leboucher) and Anders (6-2, 7-5 over Southeastern Louisiana’s Medhi Darlis). Akapian tied Krivka. Wrinkle and Goda dropped matches.

TIGER WIN SIX SINGLES MATCHES , ONE DOUBLES DURING FIRST DAY OF TOURNAMENT
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Ouachita Baptist University men’s tennis team won six singles matches and one doubles match during the first day of the Fall Invitational hosted by the University of Arkansas in Little Rock.

Ondrej Vana rolled past Alexander Dargel of Oral Roberts, 6-4, 6-3, while Vagen Akapian defeated Oral Roberts’ Dennis Troyke, 6-4, 6-4. Jakub Smid blanked Clemons Geercken of Oral Roberts, 6-0, 6-0 and Isaac Anders beat UALR’s Igor Nikitin, 6-1 and 7-5. Also earning victories were Sam Wrinkle (defeated Southeastern Louisiana’s Joshua Tracy, 6-1, 6-2) and Toshi Goda (beat Matthew Harris of UT-Martin, 4-3).

The doubles team of Akapian and Goda defeated Nikitin and Victor Wibreus of UALR 8-5 for the Tigers’ lone victory. Vana and Smid fell to Edson Abrao and Rain Roigas (UALR) 8-6, while Anders and Wrinkle lost to Marko Ballok and German Perez (UALR), 9-8.
-by Lannie Byrd on 9/21/2007

TIGERS ONE OF 12 TEAMS SELECTED TO ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Ouachita Baptist University men’s tennis squad was one of 12 NCAA Division II programs recognize Friday as All-Academic teams and Scholar Athletics by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

The Tigers placed five student-athletes on the All-Academic team, including Joan Costa, Ondrey Vana, Adam Hurst, Vagen Akapian and Ike Anders.

In order to earn ITA Scholar-Athlete status, a player must earn a varsity letter, have a grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) for the current academic year and have been enrolled at the school for at least two semesters.

The 12 NCAA Division II schools to earn ITA All-Academic Team honors were Ouachita Baptist, Armstrong Atlantic State, Barry, Bentley, Florida Southern, Lynn, Michigan Tech, Rockhurst, Rollins, Southwest Baptist, Tusculum and Western New Mexico.

The ITA All-Academic Team award is open to any ITA program that a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or above.

The Tigers ended their season last spring with a loss to Valdosta State in the NCAA South Region Final.

OBU TIGERS EARN ACADEMIC ALL-GSC HONORS
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Gulf South Conference announced that Ouachita Baptist had 38 student-athletes on the Spring All-Academic Honor Roll. Seven Tigers were honored on the Academic All-GSC teams in their respective sports.

The All-Academic Honor Roll is a collection of all student-athletes with a GPA of 3.00 or higher. Christian Brothers and Valdosta State led all schools with 40 honorees. Ouachita was next with 38. Qualification for this honor is automatic based on GPA.

Academic All-GSC teams are selected by the GSC Sports Information Directors and Faculty Athletic Representatives in a joint vote. Nominees must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or better on a 4.00 scale for their entire academic career and may not be freshmen or first-semester or quarter transfers.

Jakub Smid and Ondrej Vana were voted onto the men’s tennis Academic All-GSC team for the second consecutive year, while Joan Costa is making his first appearance.

Vana, from Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, has a 3.55 GPA and a double major in Management and Marketing. The junior was named GSC West Division Player of the Year after earning a No. 14 national ranking in singles and No. 10 in doubles. He had a 9-6 record in singles and a 14-5 mark in doubles. He was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first team.

Smid, also from Karlovy Vary, is majoring in Business Administration and has a 3.38 GPA. A year after winning the GSC Player of the Year award, the junior had another successful year, going 14-5 in doubles (ranked No. 10 nationally) and 5-7 in singles.

Costa, a Barcelona, Spain, native, has a 3.45 GPA and a double major in Accounting and Finance. The senior was one of two recipients of the University’s Male Scholar Athlete of the Year award. This season he had an 8-3 record in singles and a 10-8 mark in doubles.

Men’s Tennis
Vagen Akapian, JR, Russian/Political Science
Isaac Anders, JR, Spanish/Secondary Education
Joan Costa, SR, Accounting/Business Administration
Jakub Smid, JR, Business Administration
Vasek Stverka, SO, Finance/Marketing
Ondrej Vana, JR, Management/Marketing

OUACHITA ATHLETES EARN ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONORS
May 24, 2007

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Three Ouachita Baptist athletes – junior Ondrej Vana, junior Catherine Engibous and sophomore Vicente Condorelli – earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors Thursday.

The trio was selected to the first team in District VI in the College Division. The award is selected by the district’s sports information directors and is based on a student-athlete’s combined athletic and academic performance. First-team selections move on to the Academic All-America ballot.

Vana, a native of Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, has a 3.55 grade point average with a double major in Business Management and Marketing. He was named Gulf South Conference West Division Tennis Player of the Year and First Team All-GSC by the league's tennis coaches.

Vana and the Tigers advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tennis Tournament before losing at eventual national finalist Valdosta State. Vana is an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Academic All-American and helped OBU earn All-Academic Team honors.

Engibous carries a 3.68 GPA in her Biology major. She also had a great year in the pool and capped it off by earning All-American status in four events at the national championships. She finished 4th in the 1650 Freestyle, 5th in the 800 Freestyle Relay, 6th in the 1000 Freestyle and 8th in the 500 Freestyle. She was named All-Conference and also earned Academic All-American and Academic All-Conference honors.

The Anchorage, Alaska, native is leaving a year early to attend graduate school at Marquette University in Wisconsin.

Condorelli has a 3.69 GPA with a double major in Mass Communications and Spanish. The Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, native had an outstanding season, earning All-Conference, Academic All-Conference, Academic All-American and Honorable Mention All-American honors.

The All-District VI team is comprised of student-athletes from NCAA II, NCAA III and NAIA schools in Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico.

VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Ouachita men’s tennis team lost 5-0 to host Valdosta State in the NCAA South Region final on Friday.

Doubles Competition
1. Dominik Hansen/Leos Jelinik (VSU) d. Ondrej Vana/Jakub Smid (OBU) 8-4 2. Joerg Ekkenga/Nikolas Overkemping (VSU) d. Tye-Van Myers/Vagen Akapian (OBU) 8-6 3. Mickael Andreo/Thomas Provost (VSU) d. Isaac Anders/Joan Costa (OBU) 8-5

Singles Competition
1. Joerg Ekkenga (VSU) vs. Ondrej Vana (OBU) DNF 2. Mickael Andreo (VSU) vs. Tye-Van Myers (OBU) DNF 3. Thomas Provost (VSU) vs. Vagen Akapian (OBU) DNF 4. Leos Jelinik (VSU) vs. Jakub Smid (OBU) DNF 5. Benjamin Cattan (VSU) d. Vasek Stverka (OBU) 6-3, 6-2 6. Nikolas Overkemping (VSU) d. Isaac Anders (OBU) 6-3, 6-0

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The No. 5 Ouachita men’s tennis team suffered a 6-3 road defeat to No. 8 Lynn on Thursday.

Ouachita took an early lead by winning two of the three doubles matches. The Tigers’ top pair of Ondra Vana and Jakub Smid handed Lynn’s top duo its first loss of the season.

But the Knights responded by winning five-of-six in singles. Ouachita’s Joan Costa won his No. 6 match (6-1, 6-0›.

Ouachita returns to action on Sunday in Gulf South Conference play at Christian Brothers.

OUACHITA DOMINATES HARDING IN NCAA SOUTH REGIONAL

VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Ouachita men’s tennis team swept Harding, 5-0, in the opening round of the NCAA South Regional on Thursday.

The Tigers seized the early momentum by taking all three doubles matches. Ondrej Vana and Jakub Smid won the top doubles match, 8-3. Tye-Van Myers and Vagen Akapian won 8-3, and Issac Anders and Joan Costa took the No. 3 match, 8-2.

Vana dominated the top singles match (6-0, 6-1) and showed why he is one of the top players in the country. Akapian closed out the victory for the Tigers by winning No. 3 singles (6-2, 6-3).

Ouachita, seeded second in the regional, faces the winner of top-seeded Valdosta State and No. 4 Fort Valley State on Friday at 3 p.m. for the right to advance to the NCAA Championships on May 9-11 at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla.

OUACHITA BAPTIST 5, HARDING 0
Doubles Competition
1. Ondrej Vana/Jakub Smid (OBU) d. Marco Ruiz/Lico Mejia (HU) 8-3
2. Tye-Van Myers/Vagen Akapian (OBU) d. Ryan Roberts/Brett Hoch (HU) 8-3
3. Isaac Anders/Joan Costa (OBU) d. Ethan Bryant/Enrique Mendoza (HU) 8-2

Singles Competition
1. Ondrej Vana (OBU) d. Richard Rios (HU) 6-0, 6-1
2. Marco Riuz (HU) vs. Tye-Van Myers (OBU) DNF
3. Vagen Akapian (OBU) d. Lico Meija (HU) 6-2, 6-3
4. Ryan Roberts (HU) vs. Jakub Smid (OBU) DNF
5. Olzhas Taniyev (HU) vs. Vasek Stverka (OBU) DNF
6. Ethan Bryant (HU) vs. Isaac Anders (OBU) DNF

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The No. 12 Ouachita men’s tennis team lost to No. 4 Valdosta State, 5-1, in the semifinals of the Gulf South Conference Tournament on Saturday.

VSU won two of the three points in doubles. Ouachita’s Ondra Vana and Jakub Smid won the No. 1 match.

The Blazers closed out victories in the second, third and fifth singles matches to win the match.

2007 Gulf South Conference Tennis Championships-Semifinals
#4 Valdosta State 5 - #12 OBU 1
Apr 21, 2007 at Arkadelphia, Ark.

VSU OBU Winner Score
Joerg Ekkenga Tye-Van Myers VSU 6-1 6-1
Thomas Provost Vagen Akapian VSU 6-3 6-3
N. OverkempingVasek Stverka VSU 6-0 6-1

Dominik Hansen Jakub Smid
Leos Jelinek Ondra Vana OBU 8-6

Ouachita swept West Alabama, 5-0, in the opening round.

Ouachita’s doubles teams won all three matches. Jakub Smid and Ondra Vana won the No. 1 match, Issac Anders and Tye-Van Myers won at No. 2 and Joan Costa and Vasek Stverka won at No. 3.

With the 3-0 lead after doubles, the Tigers needed just two singles victories to take the match. Tye-Van Myers and Vagen Akapian closed out their opponents first and sealed the Ouachita victory.

2007 Gulf South Conference Tennis Championships West Alabama vs Ouachita Baptist (Apr 21, 2007)
#12 Ouachita Baptist 5, West Alabama 0
Apr 21, 2007 at Arkadelphia, Ark.

Singles competition
1. Ondra Vana (OBU) vs. Sascha Dresselhaus (UWA) unfinished 2. Tye-Van Myers (OBU) def. Denton Meintjes (UWA) 6-2, 6-1 3. Vagen Akapian (OBU) def. Mylan Anderson (UWA) 6-2, 6-0 4. Jakub Smid (OBU) vs. Brandon Harris (UWA) unfinished 5. Vasek Stverka (OBU) vs. Carlin Tighe (UWA) unfinished 6. Joan Costa (OBU) vs. Alex Rondon (UWA) unfinished

Doubles competition
1. Ondra Vana/Jakub Smid (OBU) def. Sascha Dresselhaus/Mylan Anderson
(UWA) 8-1
2. Tye-Van Myers/Issac Anders (OBU) def. Denton Meintjes/Brandon Harris
(UWA) 8-2
3. Joan Costa/Vasek Stverka (OBU) def. Carlin Tighe/Micahel Garcia
(UWA) 8-1

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Ouachita men’s tennis team swept West Alabama, 5-0, in the opening round of the Gulf South Conference Tournament on Saturday.

Ouachita’s doubles teams won all three matches. Jakub Smid and Ondra Vana won the No. 1 match, Issac Anders and Tye-Van Myers won at No. 2 and Joan Costa and Vasek Stverka won at No. 3.

With the 3-0 lead after doubles, the Tigers needed just two singles victories to take the match. Tye-Van Myers and Vagen Akapian closed out their opponents first and sealed the Ouachita victory.

Ouachita, the top seed from the West Division, will face East No. 2 Valdosta State in the semifinals at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Ouachita men’s tennis team swept the West Division awards Friday and placed three players on the All-Gulf South Conference team.

For the second consecutive season, Ouachita earned both individual honors. Junior Ondra Vana was named GSC West Division Player of the Year. The Karlov Vary, Czech Republic, native is the fourth OBU player to win the award. Vana also made the All-GSC team last season.

Tye-Van Myers won the GSC West Division Freshman of the Year award. The Naples, Fla., product is the third Tiger in a row and fourth in five seasons to earn the top freshman honor.

Vasek Stverka, from Ostrava, Czech Republic, was also named to the All-GSC team after winning Freshman of the Year last season.

Top-seeded Ouachita opens GSC Tournament play on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. against West Alabama on the outdoor courts next to Ouachita’s Sturgis Physical Education Center.

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Ouachita men’s tennis team dominated Harding, 8-1, on Tuesday.

The Tigers swept all six singles matches and the top two doubles events. Ouachita plays in the Gulf South Conference Tournament this weekend in Arkadelphia.

#12 Ouachita Baptist 8 - Harding University 1 Arkadelphia, Arkansas Heflin Tennis Center April 17, 2007

Ouachita Baptist Harding Winner Score
#1 #14 Ondra Vana Richard Rios Ouachita Baptist 6-4, 6-0
#2 Tye-Van Myers Marco Ruiz Ouachita Baptist 6-4, 3-6 (10-8)
#3 Jakub Smid Joaquin Mejia Ouachita Baptist 6-1, 6-2
#4 Vasek Stverka Ryan Roberts Ouachita Baptist 6-2, 6-0
#5 Joan Costa Olzhas Taniyev Ouachita Baptist 3-6, 7-5 (10-3)
#6 Issac Anders Ethan Bryant Ouachita Baptist 7-6, 6-2

#1 #20 Ondra Vana Marco Ruiz
#20 Jakub Smid Richard Rios Ouachita Baptist 8-1
#2 Issac Anders Joaquin Mejia
Tye-Van Myers Ryan Roberts Ouachita Baptist 8-4
#3 Joan Costa Enrique Mendoza
Vasek Stverka Ethan Bryant Harding 9-8

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The No. 8 Ouachita men’s tennis team swept Christian Brothers, 9-0, in a Gulf South Conference match on Sunday.

None of the singles matches went three sets. Ouachita jumped out ahead from the start, taking all three doubles matches. The Tigers dropped only 10 games in the nine matches.

OBU Men's Tennis loses at No. 8 Lynn
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The No. 5 Ouachita men’s tennis team suffered a 6-3 road defeat to No. 8 Lynn on Thursday.

Ouachita took an early lead by winning two of the three doubles matches. The Tigers’ top pair of Ondra Vana and Jakub Smid handed Lynn’s top duo its first loss of the season.

But the Knights responded by winning five-of-six in singles. Ouachita’s Joan Costa won his No. 6 match (6-1, 6-0›.

Ouachita returns to action on Sunday in Gulf South Conference play at Christian Brothers.

Singles competition
1. #4 Lorenzo Cava (LUM) def. #25 Ondra Vana (OBM) 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-4)
2. #3 Julien Carsuzaa (LUM) def. #44 Tye-Van Myers (OBM) 6-3, 6-0
3. #10 Dennis Riegraf (LUM) def. Vagen Akapian (OBM) 6-2, 6-0
4. Denis Reinert (LUM) def. Jakub Smid (OBM) 6-3, 6-2
5. Tomas Racak (LUM) def. Vasek Stverka (OBM) 6-1, 6-1
6. Joan Costa (OBM) def. Andreas Parschau (LUM) 6-1, 6-0

Doubles competition
1. Ondra Vana/Jakub Smid (OBM) def. Lorenzo Cava/Julien Carsuzaa (LUM)
8-6
2. Tye-Van Myers/Issac Anders (OBM) def. Tomas Racak/Andreas Parschau
(LUM) 8-5
3. Dennis Riegraf/Denis Reinert (LUM) def. Joan Costa/Vasek Stverka
(OBM) 8-6

Match Notes:
Ouachita Baptist 7-5; National ranking #5
Lynn University 10-2; National ranking #8

Men's Tennis outlasts No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The No. 5 Ouachita men’s tennis team outlasted No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast on Monday, winning 5-3.

Ouachita took a 2-1 lead in doubles by winning the top two matchups. The Tigers closed out the Eagles with singles victories by Tye-Van Myers, Vasek Stverka and Joan Costa.

#5 Ouachita Baptist 5 - #12 Florida Gulf Coast 3
March 19, 2007
Ft. Myers, Florida

OBU FGC Winner Score

#1 Ondra Vana Alex Gjesten OBU 8-4
Jakub Smid Brenton Bacon
#2 Joan Costa Edson Lima OBU 8-5
Vasek Stverka Brad Henderson
#3 Vagen Akapian Mikkel Muller FGC 8-2
Tye-Van Myers Alberto Gutierrez

#1 Ondra Vana Brenton Bacon FGC 2-6 7-6(4) 10-7
#2 Tye-Van Myers Alberto Gutierrez OBU 6-1 6-3
#3 Vagen Akapian Alex Gjesten FGC 6-2 6-4
#4 Jakub Smid Mikkel Muller DNF 6-4 0-6 1-2
#5 Vasek Stverka Edson Lima OBU 1-6 6-0 6-3
#6 Joan Costa Brad Henderson OBU 6-0 6-0

Men's Tennis swept by No. 1 West Florida
PENSACOLA, Fla. – The No. 5 Ouachita men’s tennis team lost at No. 1 West Florida on Saturday.

#5 Ouachita Baptist University 0 - #1 University of West Florida 5
Pensacola, Florida
March 17, 2007

Position West Florida Ouachita Baptist Winner Score

#1 Nicolas Barrientos Ondra Vana UWF 8-2
Dante Bottini Jakub Smid
#2 Diego Zorzi Tye-Van Myers UWF 5-0, ret
Luis Arboleda Issac Anders
#3 Eduardo Cavasotti Vasek Stverka UWF 8-3
Luiz Bernardi Joan Costa

#1 Diego Zorzi Ondra Vana DNF DNF
#2 Nicolas Barrientos Tye-Van Myers DNF DNF
#3 Eduardo Cavasotti Vagen Akapian UWF 6-4, 6-3
#4 Luis Arboleda Jakub Smid DNF DNF
#5 Luiz Bernardi Vasek Stverka UWF 6-1, 6-4
#6 Vivian Chhetri Joan Costa DNF DNF
-by Ben Cutrell on 3/17/2007

Men's Tennis splits matches in Missouri
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The No. 5 Ouachita men’s tennis team split matches this weekend at the Cooper Tennis Complex, defeating No. 40 Northwest Missouri State, 5-0, on Saturday and narrowly losing to No. 4 Drury, 5-4, on Sunday.

The first match was stopped early after Ouachita took the first five matches.

Ouachita led 2-1 over Drury after doubles, but Drury responded by taking four-of-six in singles.

#5 Ouachita Baptist 5 - #40 Northwest Missouri State 0
Springfield, Missouri
March 10, 2007

#1 Singles #25 Ondra Vana Daniel Isieto Ouachita Baptist 6-3,6-1
#2 Singles #44 Tye-Van Myers Pablo Acebedo Unfinished 6-3,-2-2
#3 Singles Vagen Akapian Chris Smith Unfinished 6-7,1-1
#4 Singles Jakub Smid Lucas Ariboni Ouachita Baptist 6-2,6-2
#5 Singles Vasek Stverka Felipe Gennari Unfinished 6-6(2-0)
#6 Singles Joan Costa Jake Saulsbury Unfinished 6-2,5-2

Doubles
Ondra Vana Jakub Smid Ouachita Baptist 8-1
#11 Chris Smith #11 Jake Saulsbury

Issac Anders Tye-Van Myers Ouachita Baptist 8-6
Pablo Acebedo Daniel Isieto

Joan Costa Vasek Stverka Ouachita Baptist 8-4
Lucas Ariboni Felipe Gennari

Order of finish
Doubles-1,3,2
Singles-1,4
Match stopped after reaching 5 points

Drury 5, Ouachita Baptist 4

Doubles
1. Stefan Borg/Nikola Prpic (Drury) lost to Ondrej Vana/Jakub Smid (OBU) 8-5
2. Ali Chaudhry/Federico Levi (Drury) defeated Tye-Van Myers/Issac Anders (OBU) 8-4
3. Jimmy Asp/Alexis Lluis (Drury) lost to Joan Costa/Vasek Strevka (OBU) 8-4
Singles
1. Stefan Borg (Drury) defeated Ondrej Vana (OBU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
2. Ali Chaudhry (Drury) defeated defeated Tye-Van Myers (OBU) 6-4, 6-1
3. Federico Levi (Drury) defeated Vagan Akapian (OBU) 6-3, 6-1
4. Antonio Garcia Santos (Drury) defeated Jakub Smid (OBU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0
5. Jimmy Asp (Drury) lost to Vasek Strevka (OBU) 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5)
6. Nikola Prpic (Drury) lost to Joan Costa (OBU) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (1)

Men's Tennis falls to No. 4 Drury

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The No. 5 Ouachita men’s tennis team suffered its first loss of the season to No. 4 Drury at Heflin Tennis Center on March 3.

“Today Drury played better than us,” Ouachita coach Craig Ward said. “We had some bright spots and some areas that we will improbve. We are always disappointed when we lose, but our goal has never been to go undefeated for the year. Our goal is to continue to improve and be a much better team by years end.”

#5 Ouachita Baptist University 4 - #3 Drury University 5
Heflin Tennis Center-Arkadelphia, AR
March 3, 2007

Doubles
1. Stefan Borg/Nikola Prpic (DU) defeated Ondra Vana/Jakub Smid (OBU) 8-2
2. Federico Levi/Ali Chaudhry (DU) lost to Isaac Anders/Tye-Van Myers (OBU) 8-6
3. Jimmy Asp/Alexis Lluis (DU) lost to Joan Costa/Vasek Stverka (OBU) 8-4
order of finish 1,2,3

Singles
1. #15 Stefan Borg (DU) defeated #25 Ondra Vana (OBU) 6-4, 7-6, (7-5)
2. #31 Ali Chaudhry (DU) defeated #44 Tye-Van Myers (OBU) 6-3, 6-1
3. #36 Federico Levi (DU) defeated Vagen Akapian (OBU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Antonio Garcia (DU) lost to Jakub Smid (OBU) 6-4, 7-6, (7-4)
5. Jimmy Asp (DU) lost to Vasek Stverka (OBU) 6-4, 6-1
6. Nikola Prpic (DU) defeated Isaac Anders (OBU) 6-0, 6-4
order of finish 2,4,3,1,5,6

-by Ben Cutrell on 3/3/2007

OBU Men's Tennis cruises past St. Edward's

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- The No. 5 Ouachita men's tennis team dominated No. 9 St. Edward's on Friday, winning 8-1. Ouachita swept all three doubles matches and all but one in singles. The Tigers host No. 3 Drury on Saturday.

#5 Ouachita Baptist University 8 - #9 St Edwards University 1
Helfin Tennis Center-Arkadelphia, AR
March 2, 2007

Order of finish
Doubles-2, 1, 3
Singles-2, 1, 4, 3, 6, 5

#1 #25 Ondra Vana #22 Walter Valarezo Ouachita Baptist 6-2,6-2
#2 #44 Tye-Van Myers #49 Tyler Lyon Ouachita Baptist 6-3,6-3
#3 Vagen Akapian Jacob Walley Ouachita Baptist 7-5,4-6,(11-9)
#4 Jakub Smid Boris Barrios St. Edward’s 3-6,6-3, (10-6)
#5 Vasek Stverka Justin Raiti Ouachita Baptist 7-6,7-5
#6 #44 Tye-Van Myers Tommy Collins Ouachita Baptist 2-6,6-2, (10-4)

#1 Ondra Vana Jakub Smid Tyler Lyon Jacob Walley Ouachita Baptist 8-6
#2 Issac Anders Tye-Van Myers Walter Valarezo Boris Barrios Ouachita Baptist 8-3
#3 Joan Costa Vasek Stverka Brett Powers Justin Raiti Ouachita Baptist 8-6

ARKADELPHIA, Ark – The No. 5 Ouachita men’s tennis team defeated Tyler Junior College, 6-3, on Saturday at Heflin Tennis Center.

The Tigers remained undefeated this spring by taking two of the three doubles matches and four of six in singles.

“I was pleased with our focus and emotional control,” Ouachita coach Craig Ward said. “It is very important that we focus on every match and focus every day in our match training. The mental part of any sport is the most difficult to coach. I think we are headed in the right direction.”

Ouachita’s Ondra Vana, ranked 25th in the nation, won his No.1 singles match in three sets (4-6, 6-2, 6-1) and teamed with Jakub Smid to win No. 1 doubles.

Tye-Van Meyers, ranked 44th nationally, and Sam Wrinkle won their singles matches in two sets, and Vagen Akapian won in three (3-6, 6-4, 6-4).

“Tyler always has a very good team,” Ward said. “They are in the top 2 junior colleges in the nation, and John Peterson is one of the top tennis coaches in the country at any level.

Ouachita hosts No. 9 St. Edward’s on March 2 at 2 p.m.
-by Ben Cutrell on 2/24/2007

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The No. 5 Ouachita men’s tennis team outlasted No. 19 Midwestern State on Friday at Heflin Tennis Center.

Issac Anders and Tye-Van Meyers won their doubles match, as did Joan Costa and Vasek Stverka.

Four of the singles matches went three sets, with each team winning two. Anders clinched the team victory with a 6-3, 6-3 singles win.

“This is another good win over a top twenty team that we can be proud of,” Ouachita head coach Craig Ward said. “Midwestern is a very good team, and Coach Wiggins is an excellent coach. We knew we would have our hands full going into the match.

“We had some tough three setters that really tested our focus and desire. It's good to play these kinds of matches and even better when you can come out the winner.”

#5 Ouachita Baptist University 6 - #19 Midwestern State University 3
February 16, 2007
Heflin Tennis Center
Arkadelphia, Arkansas

DOUBLES
#1 #2Brett Emerson/Zach Dillard (MSU) defeated Ondra Vana/Jakub Smid
(OBU) 8-5
#2 Issac Anders/Tye-Van Myers (OBU) defeated Chris VanSwelm/Stefan
McKinney (MSU)8-3
#3 Joan Costa/Vasek Stverka(OBU) defeated John Svard/Travis Stegner
(MSU) 8-2
Order of finish 3, 2, 1

SINGLES
#1 #25 Ondra Vana (OBU) defeated #14 Brett Emerson(MSU) 6-4,6-3
#2 #44 Tye-Van Myers(OBU) defeated #47 Stefan McKinney(MSU) 2-6,6-2,6-2
#3 Zac Dillard(MSU) defeated Jakub Smid(OBU) 5-7,7-5,6-4
#4 Chris VanSwelm(MSU) defeated Vasek Stverka 7-6,2-6,7-6
#5 Issac Anders (OBU) defeated John Svard(MSU)6-3,6-3
#6 Joan Costa(OBU) defeated Fernando Villarreal(MSU) 6-2,5-7, (10-8)
Order of finish 2, 3, 1, 4, 5, 6
-by Ben Cutrell on 2/17/2007

Men's Tennis rolls over Delta State
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Ouachita men’s tennis team took down No. 25 Delta State on Friday in the Tigers’ season opener at the Heflin Tennis Center.

Ouachita swept all three doubles matches and won four of the six singles matchups against the Statesmen.

The Tigers host Southwest Baptist on Saturday.

#5 Ouachita Baptist University 7 - #25 Delta State University 2
February 9, 2007
Heflin Tennis Center
Arkadelphia, Arkansas

DOUBLES
#1 Ondra Vana/Jakub Smid (OBU) defeated David Voravongsa/Pascal
LaPlace(DSU) 8-5
#2 Issac Anders/Tye-Van Myers (OBU) defeated Thomas Pasquet/Mathiew
Prouvost(DSU) 8-4
#3 Joan Costa/Vasek Stverka(OBU) defeated Rafael Weigard/Kirill
Pervoun (DSU) 8-2
Order of finish 3, 2, 1

SINGLES
#1 #25 Ondra Vana (OBU) defeated #21 David Voravongsa(DSU) 6-4,6-3
#2 Pascal LaPlace(DSU) defeated #44 Tye-Van Myers(OBU) 6-4,6-3
#3 Thomas Pasquet(DSU) defeated Jakub Smid(OBU) 6-1,6-4
#4 Issac Anders(OBU) defeated Mathiew Prouvost(DSU) 7-6,6-4
#5 Vasek Stverka(OBU) defeated Kirill Pervoun(DSU) 6-47-5
#6 Joan Costa(OBU) defeated Rafael Weigard(DSU) 6-2,6-0
Order of finish 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5

-by Ben Cutrell on 2/9/2007

May 6, 2006
For Immediate Release—MEN’S TENNIS
No. 4 Ouachita Falls to No. 2 West Florida in Second Round
Chris Babb
            PENSACOLA, FL – The No. 4 Ouachita Tigers dropped three nailbiters in doubles action and the hole was too big to dig out of in singles play as No. 2 West Florida ousted the Tigers from the NCAA Division II Men’s Tennis Tournament 5-0 in Pensacola.
            The Tigers came out on the short end of two heart-breakers in doubles play as UWF was able to come away with a 9-7 win in number one doubles and a 9-8 (7-4) win in number two doubles.
            After the third doubles win, UWF go wins in No. 1 and 6 singles to wrap up the match, although the Tigers were leading in two of the other matches that were in progress at the time.
            The Tigers’ season ends with a 19-5 record. Complete match results are below.

#4 Ouachita Baptist 0, #2 West Florida 5
NCAA National Championships
2nd Round
Pensacola, Florida
May 5, 2006
Doubles
#1 Doubles Alberto Torchia/Eduardo Cavasotti(UWF) def. Vagen Akapian/Emilien Rabin(OBU), 9-7
#2 Doubles Diego Zorzi/Vivian Chhetri (UWF) def. Jakub Smid/Odra Vana(OBU), 8-5
#3 Doubles Nicolas Barrientos/Luis Arboleda(UWF) def. Joan Costa/Vasek Stuerka(OBU), 9-8(7-4)
order of finish 2,1,3
Singles
#1 Singles #12Diego Zorzi(UWF) def. Ondra Vana(OBU), 6-3, 6-4
#2 Singles #27Alberto Torchia(UWF) vs. Vagen Akapian(OBU), DNF
#3 Singles Eduardo Cavasotti(UWF) vs. Jakub Smid(OBU), DNF
#4 Singles Nicolas Barrientos(UWF) vs. Federico Pintawba(OBU), DNF
#5 Singles Gael Gaetjens(UWF) vs. Vasek Stuerka(OBU), DNF
#6 Singles Vivian Chhetri(UWF) def. Emilien Rabin(OBU), 6-4, 6-2
order of finish 1,6

April 25, 2006
Tigers Dominate GSC Awards
Eric Opperman
            ARKADELPHIA—The No. 3 Ouachita Tiger tennis team, under the direction of head coach Craig Ward, earned the Gulf South Conference West Division Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards and placed four players on the All-GSC First Team.
            Jakub Smid, a sophomore from Karlov Vary, Czech Republic, was named the GSC West Player of the Year this year after being a second-team selection as a freshman. Smid is 13-5 in singles, mostly at the No. 3 position, and is 16-1 in No. 2 doubles alongside Ondra Vana.
            Vana, a freshman also from Karlov Vary, was also named to the All-GSC First Team. He is 18-4 overall playing No. 2 doubles and is 11-9 in singles, as he has split time between No. 1 and No. 3. Vana is ranked No. 29 in the nation in the latest College Tennis Online rankings.
            Senior Federico Pintabula, of Montevideo, Uruguay, was named to the All-GSC First Team for the fourth consecutive year. He has posted a 14-9 record playing mostly No. 4 singles.
            Sophomore Vagen Akapian is a repeat member of the All-GSC first team. The Minsk, Belarus, native is 12-7 on the year in No. 2 singles and 9-4 in No. 3 doubles.
            Vasek Stverka, from Ostrava, Czech Republic, was named the GSC West Freshman of the Year. He is 14-2 playing No. 6 singles and 15-4 playing No. 3 doubles.
            Ouachita awaits the NCAA Division II Men's Tennis National Championship selection on Wednesday. The Tigers were ranked No. 2 in the South Region in the first regional poll of the season in early April. The top eight in each region will make the first and second rounds of the national championships to be held at two separate campuses.

April 22, 2006
For Immediate Release—MEN’S TENNIS
No. 3 Tiger Tennis Falls to No. 4 West Florida in GSC Semis
Chris Babb
            HUNTSVILLE, AL – The No. 4 West Florida Argonauts capitalized on a 2-1 advantage after doubles play with three wins out of three completed singles matches to defeat the No. 3 Ouachita Tigers in the semifinals of the Gulf South Conference Men’s Tennis Championships Saturday in Huntsville, Alabama.
            The Tigers reached the semis by disposing of No. 29 Lincoln Memorial earlier Saturday 5-0. The win by West Florida avenges a loss earlier in the season to Ouachita and sets up a match with No. 1 Valdosta State in the GSC Championship match on Sunday for the Argonauts.
            The Tigers’ season most likely will continue in the NCAA National Championship first round next week, but the Tigers will await the championship selection as Ouachita will be an at-large selection to the field. The Tigers were ranked No. 2 in the latest South Region poll released on April 19 behind Valdosta State and ahead of West Florida. The Championship selections will be announced on Wednesday, April 26.
            Below are the match results from Ouachita’s first-round win over Lincoln Memorial and the semifinal loss to West Florida.

#3 Ouachita Baptist 1 - #4 West Florida 5
Gulf South Conference Championships - Semifinals
Huntsville, AL -- April 22 -2006
Doubles
1. #4 Alberto Torchia/Eduardo Cavasotti(UWF) defeated Emilien Rabin/Alejandro Chong(OBU) 8-4
2. Jakub Smid/Ondrej Vana (OBU) defeated Diego Zorzi/Gael Gaetjens(UWF) 8-4
3. Nicolas Barrientos/Luis Arboleda(UWF) defeated Vasek Stverka/Joan Costa(OBU) 8-6
order of finish 1,2,3
Singles
1. Diego Zorzi(UWF) defeated Ondrej Vana (OBU) 6-0,6-4
2. Alberto Torchia(UWF) defeated Vagen Akapian(OBU) 6-3,6-0
3. Jakud Smid(OBU) did not finish
4. Federico Pintaluba(OBU) did not finish
5. Alejandro Chong(OBU) did not finish
6. Vivian Chettri(UWF) defeated Vasek Stverka(OBU) 6-1,6-1
order of finish 6,1,2

#3 Ouachita Baptist 5 - #29 Lincoln Memorial University 0
Gulf South Conference Championships-Quarterfinals
Huntsville, AL -- April 21, 2006
Doubles
1. Emilien Rabin/Alejandro Chong(OBU) defeated Jindra Chaloupka/Lukas Burkon(LMU) 8-3
2. Jakub Smid/Ondrej Vana (OBU) defeated Peter Kurhajec/Tomas Kurhajec(LMU) 8-4
3. Vasek Stverka/Joan Costa(OBU) defeated Dima Malinsky/Guilhere Alves(LMU) 8-0
order of finish 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. Ondrej Vana (OBU) and Jindra Chaloupka (LMU) 6-0,0-6,3-4 did not finish
2. Vagen Akapian(OBU) and Lukas Burkon(LMU) 7-6, 2-1 did not finish
3. Jakud Smid(OBU) and Peter Kurhajec (LMU) 6-4 did not finish
4. Federico Pintaluba(OBU) defeated Dima Malinsky(LMU) 6-2,6-3
5. Alejandro Chong(OBU) and Tomas Kurhajec(LMU) did not play
6. Vasek Stverka(OBU) defeated Guilherme Alves(LMU) 6-2,6-0
order of finish 6, 4

April 2, 2006
For Immediate Release—MEN’S TENNIS
Win Over No. 4 West Florida Highlights 2-1 Weekend for Tiger Tennis
Chris Babb
            PENSACOLA, FL – A rally in singles play against No. 4 West Florida propelled the No. 2 Ouachita Tigers to a 5-4 win over the host Argonauts, giving Ouachita a 2-1 record in weekend play in Pensacola.
            The Tigers’ overall record after the trip to Pensacola stands at 14-3 heading into the stretch run before conference and national tournament play begins.
            On Friday, the Tigers suffered only their third loss of the season, stumbling in a 5-4 loss to No. 22 St. Edward’s out of Austin, Texas. Ouachita rebounded with a 7-2 win over Georgia College and State University of Saturday before rounding out the trip with the win over UWF.
            In the match with UWF, Ouachita got off to a 2-1 lead after doubles’ play, but West Florida won the first three singles matches to take a 4-2 lead, meaning the Tigers had no room for error in the final three singles matches in the race to five wins.
            Federico Pintaluba kept the Tigers alive with a win at No. 4 singles and Vasek Stverka extended the match with a win at No. 5 singles. With the momentum having swung back the Tigers’ way, Alejandro Chong finished off the match and completed the comeback with a 6-4, 6-2 win in the only match left on the court, giving Ouachita the 5-4 win.

#2 Ouachita Baptist 5 - #4 West Florida 4
Pensacola, Florida
April 2, 2006
Doubles
1. Alberto Torchia/Eduardo Cavasotti (UWF) defeated Emilien Rabin/Alejandro Chong (OBU) 8-4
2. Jakub Smid/Ondrej Vana (OBU) defeated Diego Zorzi/Vivian Chettri (UWF) 8-4
3. Vasek Stverka/Joan Costa (OBU) defeated Nicolas Barrientos/Luis Arboleda (UWF) 8-3
Singles
1. Alberto Torchia (UWF) defeated Ondrej Vana (OBU) 6-4, 6-0
2. Eduardo Cavasotti (UWF) defeated Vagen Akapian (OBU) 6-4, 6-2
3. Nicolas Barrientos (UWF) defeated Jakub Smid (OBU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Federico Pintaluba (OBU) defeated Gael Gaetjens (UWF) 6-4, 6-3
5. Alejandro Chong (OBU) def. Marco Matteucci (UWF) 6-4, 6-1
6. Vasek Stverka (OBU) defeated Mark McGuigan (UWF) 6-0, 6-4
order of finish 1,2,3,4,6,5

March 27, 2006
For Immediate Release—MEN’S TENNIS
No. 2 Ouachita Tops No. 5 Lynn to Finish Florida Swing at 4-0
Chris Babb
                ARKAELPHIA – The No. 2 Ouachita Tigers swept the doubles action and needed just two singles victories to take a 5-1 win over No. 5 Lynn University to finish a Spring Break swing through Florida at 4-0.
                On the trip, the Tigers faced the No. 5, No. 7, No. 10 and No. 17 teams in the nation and came away unscathed to move their overall record to 11-2 on the season.
                The clincher came at No. 5 singles as Ouachita’s Alejandro Chong defeated Lynn’s Regnier Azvedo 6-3, 6-3 for the fifth and deciding point. Ouachita’s Vasek Stverka won at No. 6 singles for the Tigers’ fourth point, defeating Tom Whitaker 6-1, 6-2. Complete match results are below.
                The Tigers will return to action this week when they will face St. Edward’s (TX), Georgia College and State University and Gulf South Conference East Division foe West Florida. All matches will take place in Pensacola, Florida.

#2 Ouachita Baptist 5 - #5 Lynn 1
Orlando, Florida
Doubles
1. Emilien Rabin/Alejandro Chong(OBU) defeated Lorenzo Cava/Jan Macko(LU) 8-2
2. Jakub Smid/Ondrej Vana (OBU) defeated Dennis Riegraf/Julien Carsuzaa(LU) 8-5
3. Vagen Akapian/Joan Costa(OBU) defeated Raphael Koehle/Regnier Azevedo(LU) 8-4
order of finish 1,3,2
Singles
1. Ondrej Vana (OBU) and Lorenzo Cava(LU) 0-6,6-6 did not finish
2. Vagen Akapian(OBU) and Julien Carsuzza(LU) 7-6,0-6,1-0 did not finish
3. Jakud Smid(OBU) and Dennis Riegraf(LU) 1-6,6-3,4-2
4. Jan Macko(LU) defeated Federico Pintaluba(OBU) 7-6,6-1
5. Alejandro Chong(OBU) defeated Regnier Azvedo(LU) 6-3,6-3
6. Vasek Stverka(OBU) defeated Tom Whitaker(LU) 6-1,6-2
order of finish 6,4,5

March 6, 2006
No. 3 Ouachita Coasts Through Weekend With 4 Wins
Chris Babb
                ARKADELPHIA – The No. 3 Ouachita Tiger tennis team registered two 9-0 wins over Gulf South Conference teams and 6-3 wins over Freed-Hardeman of the NAIA and Tyler Junior College in weekend action at the Heflin Tennis Center.
                Ouachita’s overall record now stands at 6-1 overall as the match with TJC doesn’t count toward the overall record. Ouachita will return to action this weekend with their first road matches of the spring in Missouri and will have a chance to avenge its only loss of the season which came in February against Drury.
                Doubles play was a strong suit for Ouachita throughout the weekend as the Tigers combined for an 8-1 record in the doubles play.   Complete match results are below:

#3 Ouachita Baptist 6 - #6 (NAIA) Freed-Hardeman 3
March 2, 2006 -- ARKADELPHIA, AR
Doubles
1. Alejandro Chong/Emilien Rabin(OBU) defeated Everton Silva/Bruno Andrade (FH) 8-5
2. Jakub Smid/Ondrej Vana (OBU) defeated Ivan Besancaon/Lukas Hanak(FH) 8-6
3. Vagen Akapian/Vasek Stverka(OBU) defeated Francisco Redondo/Brian Ly (FH) 8-6
order of finish 1,3,2
Singles
1. Ondrej Vana(OBU) defeated Brian Ly(FH) 6-3,6-2
2. Francisco Redondo(FH) defeated Vagen Akapian(OBU) 6-7,6-4,6-4
3. Jakub Smid(OBU) defeated Bruno Andrade(FH) 3-6,6-2,6-0
4. Federico Pintaluba(OBU) defeated Ivan Besancon(FH) 6-7,6-1,6-3
5. *Lukas Hanak(FH) defeated Alejandro Chong(OBU) 0-6,7-5, (10-8)*
6. *Everton Silva(FH) defeated Emilien Rabin(OBU) 6-4,4-6, (10-8)*
order of finish 1,3,2,4,5,6
*When a team reaches 5 points all matches in progress play a tiebreaker to 10 points instead of a third set.

#3 Ouachita Baptist 9 - #21 Delta State University 0
March 3, 2006 -- ARKADELPHIA, AR
Doubles
1. Alejandro Chong/Emilien Rabin(OBU) defeated David Voravongsa/Thomas Pasquet(DSU)
2. Jakub Smid/Ondrej Vana (OBU) defeated Julien Beckensteiner/Justin Garnier(DSU) 8-5
3. Vagen Akapian/Vasek Stverka(OBU) defeated Rafael Weigard/Benjamin Plongenet(DSU) 9-8
order of finish 1,2,3
Singles
1. Ondrej Vana(OBU) defeated #5 David Voravongza(DSU) 6-3,6-0
2. #31 Vagen Akapian(OBU) defeated #50 Tomas Pasquet(DSU)
3. Jakub Smid(OBU) defeated Krill Pervoon(DSU) 6-3,6-1
4. Federico Pintaluba(OBU) defeated Justin Garnier(DSU) 6-2,6-2
5. *Vasek Stverka(OBU) defeated Rafael Weigard(DSU) 6-4,4-6, (11-9)
6. Alejandro Chong(OBU) defeated Benjamin Plongenet(DSU) 6-0,6-4
order of finish 3,1,2,4,6,5

#3 Ouachita Baptist 9 - University of North Alabama 0
March 3, 2006 -- ARKADELPHIA, AR
Doubles
1. Alejandro Chong/Emilien Rabin(OBU) defeated Bruno Zuleta/Alfredo Krywacz(UNA) 8-4
2. Jakub Smid/Ondrej Vana (OBU) defeated Gui Fonesca/Wolfgang Weber(UNA) 8-5
3. Vagen Akapian/Vasek Stverka(OBU) defeated Bebo Dutton/Michael Obrien(UNA) 8-3
order of finish 3,2,1
Singles
1. Ondrej Vana(OBU) defeated Gui Fonesca(UNA) 6-4,6-0
2. #31 Vagen Akapian(OBU) defeated Bruno Zuleta(UNA) 6-2,6-1
3. Jakub Smid(OBU) defeated Alfredo Krywacz(UNA) 6-3,6-0
4. Federico Pintaluba(OBU) defeated Wolfgang Weber(UNA) 6-1,6-4
5. Emilien Rabin(OBU) defeated Bebo Dutton(UNA) 6-1,6-2
6. Joan Costa(OBU) defeated Michael O'Brien(UNA) 6-0,6-0
order of finish 6,3,2,1,5,4

#3 Ouachita Baptist 6 - Tyler Junior College 3
March 4, 2006 -- ARKADELPHIA, AR
Doubles
1. Alejandro Chong/Emilien Rabin(OBU) defeated Amrit Narasimhan/Benedikt Fischer(TJC) 8-6
2. Jakub Smid/Ondrej Vana (OBU) defeated Nahom Serekeberhan/Jorge Vazquez(TJC) 8-6
3. Issac Anders/Justin Wimpee(TJC) defeated Vagen Akapian/Vasek Stverka(OBU) 8-4
order of finish 3,2,1
Singles
1. Ondrej Vana(OBU) defeated Nahom Serekeberhan(TJC) 6-3,6-1
2. Benedict Fisher(TJC) defeated #31 Vagen Akapian(OBU) 7-5,6-3
3. Jakub Smid(OBU) defeated Jorge Vazquez(TJC) 6-4,5-7,6-2
4. Federico Pintaluba(OBU) defeated Justin Wimpee (TJC) 6-2,6-4
5. Vasek Stverka (OBU) defeated Isaac Anders (TJC) 4-6,6-3,6-3
6. Hugo Vidal(TJC) defeated Joan Costa(OBU) 5-7,6-1,6-4
order of finish 1,2,3

February 19, 2006
For Immediate Release—MEN’S TENNIS
No. 3 Ouachita Suffers First Defeat of Season to No. 4 Drury
Chris Babb
            ARKADELPHIA – The coldest weather of the year lent it self to the hottest early-season tennis action of the young season at Ouachita’s Heflin Indoor Tennis Center as No. 4 Drury won a nip-and-tuck match with No. 3 Ouachita 5-4 Saturday.
            The Tigers (3-1) took a 2-1 advantage into the singles matches after winning number one and three doubles, but Drury took four of the six singles matches to earn the win.
            The tightest singles match of the day came at number five singles between Drury’s Omar Laalej and Ouachita’s Joan Costa. Both sets went to a tie-break with Laalej coming out on top both times for the 7-6, 7-6 win. The second set tie-break went to the tennis equivalent of overtime with Laalej winning the tie-break 8-6.
            Ondrej Vana and Vasek Stverka came up with the singles wins for the Tigers at No. 3 and No. 6, respectively.

#3 OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY 4 - #4 DRURY UNIVERSITY 5
FEBRUARY 18, 2006
ARKADELPHIA, AR – Heflin Indoor Tennis Center
Doubles
1. Alejandro Chong/Emilien Rabin(OBU) defeated Matias Oddone/Omar Laalej (DU) 9-8(8-6)
2. Stefan Borg/Ali Chjandhry(DU) defeated Joan Costa/Ondrej Vana(OBU) 8-4
3. Vagen Akapian/Vasek Stverka(OBU) defeated Krisztian Kaplan/Kevin Otto(DU) 8-6
order of finish 2,3,1
Singles
1. Matias Oddone(DU) defeated Jakub Smid(OBU) 6-4,6-1
2. Stefan Borg(DU) defeated Federico Pintaluba(OBU) 6-0,6-1
3. Ondrej Vana(OBU) defeated Ali Chandry(DU) 6-4,6-4
4. Krisztian Kaplan(DU) defeated Vagen Akapian(OBU) 6-2,7-5
5. Omar Laalej(DU) defeated Joan Costa(OBU) 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (8-6)
6. Vasek Stverka(OBU) defeated Kevin Otto(DU) 7-6(7-3),6-0
No. 3 Ouachita Tops No. 18 Midwestern State 7-2
Chris Babb
            ARKADELPHIA – The No. 3 Ouachita Tigers opened their second week of play with a 7-2 win over No. 18 Midwestern State (TX) at the Heflin Indoor Tennis Center on the Ouachita campus.
            With the win, Ouachita improved to 3-0 on the season.
            Ouachita got a 2-1 advantage after doubles play and won the first three singles’ matches that were completed to seal the win. The final three singles matches were played out and the Tigers held a 2-1 advantage in those.
            The deciding singles win came at number one singles when Ouachita’s Jakub Smid defeated Midwestern’s Brett Emerson, the 21s-ranked singles player in the nation 7-5, 6-2. Ouachita’s Federico Pintaluba dropped a tiebreak to No. 39 Gene Ligeon, coming up short of the upset in the tiebreak.
            Ouachita is scheduled to play again on Saturday against nationally fourth-ranked Drury University at the Heflin Indoor Tennis Center as well.

#3 Ouachita Baptist University 7 - #18 Midwestern State University 2
Arkadelphia, Arkansas
February 17, 2006
Doubles
1. Emilien Rabin/Alejandro Chong(OBU) defeated Brett Emerson/Jared King (MSU) 8-3
2. Charles VanSwelm/Gene LIgeon (MSU) defeated Ondra Vana/Joan Costa(OBU) 8-6
3. Vagen Akapian/Vasek Stverka(OBU) defeated Tyler D'Costa/Zac Dillard (MSU) 8-4
order of finish 1,3,2
Singles
1. Jakub Smid(OBU) defeated #21 Brett Emerson (MSU) 7-5,6-2
2. #39 Gene Ligeon(MSU) defeated Federico Pintaluba(OBU) 4-6,6-4 (10-2)
3. Ondrej Vana(OBU) defeated Charles VanSwelm (MSU) 6-3,6-3
4. Vagen Akapian (OBU) defeated Ivan Camillo (MSU) 6-3,6-2
5. Joan Costa(OBU) defeated Zac Dillard (MSU) 6-4,6-3
6. Vasek Stverka(OBU) defeated Jared King (MSU) 7-5,6-2
order of finish 4,3,1,2,5,6
February 1, 2006
For Immediate Release—MEN’S TENNIS
Tennis Hall of Fame Induction is First of Two Honors for Ouachita’s Ward
Chris Babb
            ARKADELPHIA – Ouachita Tiger tennis coach Craig Ward will receive the first of two honors coming to him in the month of February Friday night when he is inducted into the Arkansas Tennis Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Little Rock.
            Ward was also named the Professional Tennis Registry Arkansas Member of the Year for 2005 and will be recognized at the PTR International Tennis Symposium later this month.
            “These are tremendous honors for a tremendous coach and friend,” said Ouachita Director of Athletics David Sharp. “Coach Ward has done an outstanding job of not only developing talent on the court, but graduating his student-athletes and this recognition is well deserved. It’s a credit to the program that Coach Ward has developed over the past 15 years and we couldn’t be happier to have him as a part of the Ouachita athletic staff.”
            Ward has been the men’s tennis coach at Ouachita since 1990 and has built the program into one of the most prominent men’s tennis programs in the nation in NCAA Division II. Before the university entered the NCAA, Ward had built the program into one of national prominence in NAIA as well.
            During his tenure at Ouachita, Ward has been named the Arkansas Tennis Professional of the Year twice and has also won the same award given out by the United States Professional Tennis Association. Ward was named Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference Coach of the Year twice and was once named the Intercollegiate National Coach of the Year and US Professional Tennis Association College Coach of the Year.
            Last season, Ward directed his Tigers to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II men’s tennis national championship tournament, the 10th time that Ward has led a Ouachita tennis team to a top 10 finish.
            As Sharp mentioned, Ward’s teams have taken care of their work in the classroom as well as on the court. Ward has coached five Academic All-American teams, 26 Academic All-Americans and two Baldor Scholar Athletes and has a 92 percent graduation rate among all players.
            Ward has led his teams to seven conference championships, has coached 20 All-Americans and 63 All-Conference selections. Ward has compiled a 249-93 overall record which is a 72 percent winning percentage.
            The Tigers begin the 2006 season ranked No. 3 in the nation in the NCAA Division II pre-season poll and will play their first match Saturday, February 10, at the Heflin Tennis Center.

-OBU-
May 31, 2005
For Immediate Release—MEN’S TENNIS
Tiger Tennis Ends Season Ranked No. 4 in Nation in Final Poll
Chris Babb

ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Tiger tennis team has been ranked No. 4 in the nation in NCAA Division II men’s tennis in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranking for the 2005 season. The Tigers were also ranked No. 2 in the final South Region rankings behind national champion West Florida.

The Tigers, under the direction of head coach Craig Ward and assistant coach Tomas Jecminek, reached the semifinal match of the 2005 NCAA Division II National Championships before falling to North Florida. The Tigers defeated No. 5 Valdosta State, No. 16 Northwood and No. 2 Barry in their tournament march.

Ouachita finished the season with an overall record of 20-7 and reached the semis with no seniors on the roster, meaning that the team will have a veteran squad returning in 2006 to make another championship run.

The semifinal appearance for the Tigers was the first since the 2000 season and the No. 4 national ranking in the final poll is the highest that the Tigers have finished since finishing with a No. 3 ranking in that 2000 season.

The top 10 in the final national poll are listed below followed by the South Region poll.
2005 ITA Division II Men’s Tennis Final Ranking (Top 10)
1. West Florida
2. Armstrong Atlantic State
3. North Florida
4. Ouachita Baptist
5. Barry
6. Drury
7. Lynn
8. Valdosta State
9. Florida Gulf Coast
10. USC-Upstate

South
1. West Florida
2. Ouachita Baptist
3. Valdosta State
4. Lincoln Memorial
5. Delta State
6. North Alabama
7. Harding
8. Tuskegee
9. Morehouse

For Immediate Release—MEN’S TENNIS
Tigers' National Championship Hopes Fall in Semis
May 14, 2005
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla.-The ninth-ranked North Florida Ospreys jumped out to a quick lead, then held on for a 5-2 win as the 11th-ranked Ouachita Baptist Tigers made a bid to upset another top-10 team at the 2005 NCAA Division II National Tennis Tournament on Friday at Sanlando Park.
The Ospreys came up with two of the three doubles points. The Tigers grabbed the first point as Jakub Smid and Ondrej Vana defeated UNF's Elad Gabay and Eduardo Perriera 8-4 at number two. North Florida, however, battled back to take 9-7 wins at numbers one and three. Leonardo Gomes and German Escallon upset OBU's 18th-ranked pair of Emilian Rabin and Vagen Akapian, while at number three, Damian De Polignac and Jose Maria Terrera battled back from a 5-3 deficit to knock off the Tigers' Alejandro Chong and Joan Costa.
In singles, the Ospreys quickly made it 4-1 as Perriera bumped off Rabin 6-1, 6-3 at number one and Terrera handled Akapian 6-1, 6-4 at number two. But Costa defeated Glen Marshall 6-2, 6-3 at number six to pull OBU to within 4-2 and the teams split sets at numbers three four and five. At number five, UNF's Gabay rallied back from his first set loss to defeat Vana 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 to clinch the win for the Ospreys.
-- Courtesy Central Florida Sports Commission
NCAA Mens Tennis Finals (semifinals)
#11 Ouachita Baptist University 2 - #9 University of North Florida 2
Orlando , Florida
May 13, 2005
Doubles
1. Leonardo Gomes/German Escallon(UNF) defeated Emilien Rabin/Vagen Akapian(OBU) 9-7
2. Jakub Smid/Ondrej Vana(OBU) defeated Elad Gabay/Eduardo Pereira(UNF) 8-5
3. Damien De Polignac/Jose Maria Terrera(UNF) defeated Alejandro Chong/Joan Costa(OBU) 9-7
Singles
1. #10 Eduardo Pereira(UNF) defeated Emilien Rabin(OBU) 6-1,6-3
2 #27 Jose Maria Terrera(UNF) defeated Vagen Akapian(OBU) 7-5,7-6
3. Jakub Smid(OBU) leading German Escallon(UNF) 3-6,6-4,4-2
4. Ondrej Vana(OBU) leading Leonardo Gomes(UNF) 6-4,4-6,3-1
5. Elad Gabay(UNF) defeated Federico Pintaluba(OBU)1-6,6-2,6-4
6. Joan Costa(OBU) defeated Glen Marshall(UNF) 6-2,6-3April 21, 2005May 12, 2005

For Immediate Release—MEN’S TENNIS
No. 11 Tigers Reach National Semis
Chris Babb

                ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL - The No. 11 Ouachita Baptist men's tennis team upset No. 2 Barry today by the score of 5-3 in the NCAA Division II Men’s Tennis National Quarterfinals. The Tigers (19-6) took two-of-three doubles matches from the Buccaneers (22-2) before winning three singles matches to advance to the national semifinals tomorrow.
                This marks the first time that Ouachita has reached the NCAA Division II semifinals since the 2000 season.
                Notching the Tigers’ first point of the match, Alejandro Chong and Joan Costa pushed past Victor Rodriguez and Alex Praderas by the score of 8-2 at the third doubles position. Tying up the match, the sixth-ranked duo of BU’s Thomas Hipp and Patrick Rittenauer got past 18th-ranked Emilien Rabin and Vagen Akapian 8-5 at the top spot to run their record to 12-0. Unknotting the score, Ouachita’s Jakub Smid and Ondrej Vana took down Sebastian Losavio and Manuel Lauter 8-5 at the second position.
                Ahead 2-1 heading into the singles action, the Tigers picked up a win at the top position as Emilien Rabin knocked off Losavio, the 11th-ranked singles player in the nation, by the score of 6-0, 6-3. Extending their lead, Ouachita Baptist's Pintaluba put together a 6-1, 6-4 win over Lauter at the fifth spot. Battling back, the Buccaneers tallied wins at the second and third positions as 17th-ranked Hipp took down Akapian 6-3, 6-4 and 41st-ranked Rittenauer downed Smid 6-4, 6-3. Needing just one point for victory, Costa battled out a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Praderas, clinching the victory for the Tigers.
                In the semifinal match, the Tigers will face No. 9 North Florida, which defeated No. 20 BYU-Hawaii in one of Thursday’s other quarterfinal matches. In the semifinal on the other side of the bracket, No. 1 West Florida will face No. 4 Armstrong Atlantic. UWF defeated No. 5 Drury and AAU defeated No. 21 California-San Diego.

No. 11 Ouachita Baptist 5, No. 2 Barry 3
NCAA Division II Men’s Tennis National Quarterfinals
Altamonte Springs, FL
DOUBLES
1 – No. 6 Hipp/Rittenauer (BU) def. No. 18 Rabin/Akapian (OBU) 8-5
2 – Smid/Vana (OBU) def. Losavio/Lauter (BU 8-5
3 – Chong/Costa (OBU) def. Rodriguez/Praderas (BU) 8-2

SINGLES
1 – Rabin (OBU) def. No. 11 Losavio (BU) 6-0, 6-3
2 – No. 17 Hipp (BU) def. Akapian (OBU) 6-3, 6-4
3 – No. 41 Rittenauer (BU) def. Smid (OBU) 6-4, 6-3
4 – Rodriguez (BU) and Vana (OBU) did not finish
5 – Pintaluba (OBU) def. Lauter (BU) 6-1, 6-4
6 – Costa (OBU) def. Praderas (BU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

For Immediate Release—MEN’S TENNIS
Three Tigers Named First-Team All-GSC; Akapian is Freshman of the Year
Chris Babb
                ARKADELPHIA – The No. 12 Ouachita Tiger tennis team, coached by Craig Ward, placed three players on the All-Gulf South Conference Men’s Tennis First team, one on the second team and Vagen Akapian was named the GSC West Freshman of the Year as voted on by the league’s coaches.
                Junior Emilien Rabin from Nantes, France, earns his second consecutive first-team selection as the No. 1 singles player for the Tigers. Rabin is also on the No. 1 doubles team.
                Junior Federico Pintaluba from Montevideo, Uruguay, was named to his third consecutive First-Team All-GSC after going 15-4 in singles play and compiling a 9-5 record in doubles action.
                Akapian garnered first-team All-GSC honors and GSC West Freshman of the Year honors in his first season as a Tiger. Akapian, a freshman from Minsk, Belarus, finished the season with a 10-6 singles record and was 13-5 in doubles play at No. 1 doubles where he played a majority of the season with Rabin.
                Making the second team from Ouachita was freshman Jakub Smid of Karlov Vary, Czech Republic. Smid played No. 3 singles for Ouachita and was on the No. 2 doubles team.
                The Tigers won their fourth straight GSC West title and reached the semifinals of the GSC Tournament. Ouachita now awaits the NCAA Regional bids which will be given out on April 27.

April 19, 2005
For Immediate Release—MEN’S TENNIS
Tigers Fall in GSC Semis; Await Regional Bid
Chris Babb
                PENSACOLA, FL – The No. 12 Ouachita Tiger tennis team swept North Alabama in the tourney’s first round but fell 5-0 to No. 2 Valdosta State in the semifinals of the Gulf South Conference tournament in Pensacola, Florida.
                The Tigers are now awaiting the NCAA Men’s Tennis Regional tournament announcements which will be made on April 27 with the first and second rounds to be played on May 5-7.
                In the GSC tournament’s first round, the Tigers had no trouble with North Alabama, taming the Lions 6-0. Ouachita took all three doubles’ matches and then got singles’ wins from Ondra Vana at No. 2, Alejandro Chong at No. 4 and Joan Costa at No. 5 singles.
                In the semifinals, the Tigers had a rematch with No. 2 Valdosta State. The Blazers had defeated the Tigers 5-3 earlier in the season in a close match, but the 2004 national runners-up to fellow GSC member West Florida took care of Ouachita 5-0 to advance to the championship match.
                Just as the Tigers had taken care of North Alabama in all three doubles’ matches, Valdosta State did the same to the Tigers in the semifinal match. Valdosta State, which has three singles’ players ranked in the top 50 in the nation, followed the doubles’ wins with wins at number one and three singles to finish the match and advance to the championship match.
                The Tigers will now await the announcements of the NCAA Regional bids which will be announced on April 27. The Tigers could see Valdosta State again as Tiger head coach Craig Ward believes that the possibility of the Tigers being placed in the regional that the Blazers might host.
                Complete results from the Tigers’ GSC tournament matches are as follows:
No. 12 Ouachita 6, North Alabama 0
GSC Tournament First Round – Pensacola, Florida
DOUBLES
1-Vagen Akapian/Emilien Rabin-OBU def. Guilherme Fonseca/Bruno Zuleta-UNA 8-3
2-Jakub Smid/Ondra Vana-OBU def. Justin Hartley/Adam Loudermilk-UNA 8-2
3-Joan Costa/Alejandro Chong-OBU def. Vincent Cayouette/Bebo Dutton-UNA 8-2
SINGLES
1-Smid (OBU) and Fonseca (UM) DNF
2-Vana (OBU) def. Zuleta (UM) 6-1, 6-0
3-Federico Pintaluba (OBU) and Cayouette (UM) DNF
4-Chong (OBU) def. Hartley (UM) 6-1, 6-4
5-Costa (OBU) def. Dutton (UM) 6-2, 6-2
6-Chris Jones (OBU) and Loudermilk (UM) DNF

No. 2 Valdosta State 5, No. 12 Ouachita 0
GSC Tournament Semifinals – Pensacola, Florida
DOUBLES
1-Eduardo Rincon/Philipp Laucht-VSU def. Akapian/Rabin-OBU 8-6
2-Christoph Schneider/Dominik Hansen-VSU def. Smid/Vana-OBU 9-7
3-Mickael Andreo/Niko Overkemping-VSU def. Costa/Chong 8-1

SINGLES
1-Schneider-VSU def. Rabin-OBU 6-1, 6-4
2-Akapian-OBU and Rincon-VSU DNF
3-Andreo-VSU def. Smid-OBU 6-3, 6-2
4-Vana-OBU and Laucht-VSU DNF
5-Pintaluba-OBU and Hansen-VSU DNF
6-Chong-OBU and Overkemping-VSU DNF

April 10, 2005
For Immediate Release—MEN’S TENNIS
Tigers Get Revenge Over Delta State to Win 4th Straight GSC West Title
Chris Babb
                ARKADELPHIA – The No. 11 Ouachita Tiger tennis team used three doubles wins to get off to a good start in avenging an earlier loss to Delta State with an 8-1 win over the No. 13 Statesmen Saturday at the Heflin Tennis Center.
                The win improved the Tigers to 14-5 overall and secured Ouachita’s fourth straight Gulf South Conference West Division championship. The Tigers will take the court next in the Gulf South Conference tournament in Pensacola, Florida, hosted by the University of West Florida as the number one seed from the GSC West.
                The tournament field features four of the nation’s top 13 teams in NCAA Division II including No. 1 West Florida and No. 2 Valdosta State. No. 11 Ouachita and No. 13 Delta State are the other top-ranked teams in the tournament.
                The Tigers took numbers one and two doubles by identical 8-4 scores, but took a first-to-seven tie-breaker to win the third doubles match to take a 3-0 lead in the race to five wins.
                In number three doubles, Ouachita held a 6-3 lead in the tie-break when Delta State returned a serve from Ouachita’s Ondrej Vana into the net to end the doubles action.
                The Tigers then went on to earn their fourth and fifth points when Alejandro Chong took the number six singles quickly 6-2, 6-1 and Federico Pintaluba followed soon thereafter with a 6-3, 6-2 win in number five singles’ action. Complete match results are as follows:

No. 11 Ouachita 8, No. 13 Delta State 1
Doubles
1. Rabin/Akapien(OBU) defeated Pasquet/Voravongsa(DSU) 8-4
2. Smid/Vana(OBU) defeated Alvez/Wiegard(DSU) 9-8
3. Chong/Costa(OBU) defeated Alvez/Nicolau(DSU) 8-4
Singles
1. David Voravongsa(DSU) defeated Emilien Rabin(OBU)6-0,6-0
2. Vagen Akapian(OBU) defeated Thomas Pasquet(DSU) 6-4,1-6,6-3
3. Jakub Smid(OBU) defeated Alexandre Nicolau(DSU) 6-7,6-2,10-3
4. Ondra Vana(OBU) defeated Alejandro Alvez(DSU) 6-3,6-7,5-4 (retired)
5. Federico Pintaluba(OBU) defeated Rafael Weigard(OBU)6-3,6-2
6. Alejandro Chong(OBU) defeated Arnold van Dyk(DSU) 6-2,6-1

November 22, 2004
For Immediate Release—MEN’S TENNIS
Tigers Ranked No. 8 In ITA Fall Division II Rankings
Chris Babb
                ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Baptist University Tiger tennis team has been ranked No. 8 in the nation in NCAA Division II in the latest fall rankings release by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
                The Tigers, a consistent Top 10 team in Division II, are far from the only teams in the South Region to be in the Top 10. In fact, the top two teams in the nation are members of the South Region. Ouachita is also ranked third in the South Region behind No. 1 West Florida and No. 2 Valdosta State.
                Individually for the Tigers, Alejandro Chong is ranked ninth in the South Region in singles play and Chong and Federico Pintaluba are the third-ranked doubles team in the region.

-OBU-

July 26, 2004
For Immediate Release—MEN’S TENNIS
Ouachita Tiger Tennis Team Earns All-Academic Status
Chris Babb
                ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Baptist University Tiger tennis team has become one of only 16 NCAA Division II men’s tennis teams to be named an ITA All-Academic Team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for the fall 2003 – spring 2004 academic year.
                Head coach Craig Ward’s team earned the honor by compiling a team grade point average above a 3.2 on a 4.00 scale. All student-athletes who are on the NCAA squad list and competed in one or more matches must average into the GPA for the entire academic year.
                The Tigers finished the 2004 season with a nation ranking of No. 8. In addition to the team being named an All-Academic team, senior Andre Edwall was named an ITA scholar-athlete for the second straight year. ITA scholar-athletes must be a junior or senior and hold at least a 3.5 GPA to be eligible for the team.

Ouachita Ranked 8th in Nation in Final Poll

                ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Baptist University Tiger tennis team, under the direction of head coach Craig Ward, was ranked eighth in the nation in the final NCAA Division II men’s national rankings.
                The Tigers finished the 2004 campaign with an overall record of 13-7. Six of those seven losses came against three of the top five teams in the nation to finish the year. The Tigers’ season was ended in the second round of the NCAA National Tournament when eventual national championship runner-up Valdosta State knocked the Tigers out of the bracket.
                The Tigers will return three rising juniors for the 2005 team and also had two freshman on the team in 2004. Seniors Andre Edwall, who finished the season as the 42nd-ranked singles player in the nation, and Pierre Perez are the only two players who have exhausted their eligibility.
-by Chris Babb on 6/14/2004

Ouachita Tennis-Athletes Named Academic All-GSC

                ARKADELPHIA – Ouachita Tiger baseball centerfielder Michael McLanahan and Lady Tiger tennis player Sabrina Benitez have been named to the 2004 Gulf South Conference spring All-Academic team as voted on by the league’s Sports Information Directors and Faculty Athletic Representatives.
                Qualifications for the Academic All-GSC team include carrying a cumulative 3.2 grade point average or above, being at least a sophomore in academic standing who has been at the GSC school for one academic year, and being a significant contributor on the field of play.
                McLanahan is a two-time Academic All-GSC selection and also was named to the second-team Academic All-America team by the College Sports Information Directors of America. McLanahan led the Tigers in batting average in 2004 and was named one of the team’s co-Most Valuable Players during his senior season.
                Benitez is also a two-time Academic All-GSC selection and is also a 2003 second-team All-GSC selection. Benitez was a part of the Lady Tiger tennis squad that repeated as Gulf South Conference champions during the 2004 season. Both Benitez and McLanahan graduated from Ouachita in the spring.
                16 other Ouachita student-athletes were named to the Spring Academic Honor Roll. All student-athletes who have a cumulative 3.0 GPA are named to the Academic Honor Roll.
                Those student-athletes from Ouachita named to the spring honor roll include: Colin Chandler, baseball; McLanahan; Jake Plyler, baseball; Brandon Stroope, baseball; Jeni Maxton, softball; Sarah Sartor, softball; Danielle Staggs, softball; Joan Costa, men’s tennis; Andre Edwall, men’s tennis; Chris Jones, men’s tennis; Federico Pintaluba, men’s tennis; Emilien Rabin, men’s tennis; Benitez, Casey Danner, women’s tennis; and Inga Ziemina, women’s tennis.

Tigers Stopped in GSC Finals 4/18/2009

Tigers Stopped in GSC Finals
4/18/2009