Smaller Font  Bigger Font  Print Page  Bookmark page

 For the first time in 13 years, the Malone College men's tennis team is headed back to the NAIA National Championships, this year in Mobile, Alabama May 12-16.  The team earned an automatic bid to the event by virtue of winning the four-team AMC/NAIA Region IX tournament last Thursday and Friday (hosted by Walsh University). 
     

In the tournament semifinals on Thursday, top-seeded Malone defeated #4 Ohio Dominican University 6-3 after losing two of three doubles matches.  Through the first half of singles play, it appeared that Malone might trail by as much as 4-1 but the Pioneers rallied to take the match 6-3 after Kyle Bowers and Tim Springirth came back to win (after losing their first sets) and Jason Christman emerged with a three-set victory.
     

In the tournament finals on Friday, Malone faced #2 seeded Walsh University which defeated #3 Cedarville University 5-4 in the other semifinal match on Thursday.  The Pioneers again lost 2 of the three doubles matches but once again rallied back strongly in the singles match to post the 5-3 team victory.  Tim Springirth provided the fifth and final point needed for Malone to advance to the national tournament as he bounced back to win his final two sets.  Since at that point, the overall outcome of the match was determined, Jason Christman, at #1 singles, did not need to finish his third and final set.  In addition, the victory for Malone snapped an 11-year string of the Walsh men's team qualifying for the NAIA national tournament and gave Malone its first national tourney bid since 1995 (when the team advanced to the national tournament for the second straight season).
    

Scores for the two tournament matches (in order -- ODU, Walsh) were as follows:
#1 Jason Christman (Sr., McKinley H.S.)       W  6-3, 1-6, 6-3         DNF
#2 Kyle Bowers (Jr., Norwalk H.S.)                  W 6-7, 7-6, 6-4          W 6-1, 7-6
#3 David Cairns (Fr., Strongsville, OH)           W 6-2, 6-0                  W 7-5, 6-0
#4 Nathanael Rodd (So., Canton, OH)             W 6-1, 6-2                  W 6-1, 6-0
#5 Tim Springirth (Jr., Erie, PA)                         W 5-7, 6-4, 7-5             ----
#6 Tim Springirth                                                     -----                          W 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
#5 Tim Frazier (So., Beaver Falls, PA)                 -----                          L 6-0, 6-1
#6 Tim Frazier (So., Beaver Falls, PA)             L 6-1, 6-1                       ----
#1 Christman/Bowers                                        W  8-4                         L 9-8
#2 Cairns/Rodd                                                   L 8-6                           L 8-6
#3 Springirth/Dan Yard (Sr., Louisville H.S.)  L 8-4                           W 8-5
    

This week, Malone (17-5, 5-0 AMC) is idle and will next compete at the NAIA National Championships at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama May 12-16.