Bloomsburg to Host PSAC Tennis Championships

Bloomsburg University will serve as the host of the 2008 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Team Tennis Championships on Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26. Action starts on Friday at 1 p.m., as both women's semifinals will be played at the same time. The men's semifinals will follow at 3:30 p.m.

Saturday's championship finals are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. with the women's final and conclude at 11 a.m. with the men's final. Consolation matches for both the men and women will run concurrently with the respective final.

The Western Division's top seed and reigning champion California will take on the Eastern Division's second-seeded Kutztown in one semifinal while the other semifinal pits Slippery Rock, the Western Division's No. 2 seed against the Eastern Division's No. 1 seed, Bloomsburg. Winners of each semifinal will advance to play in the championship match on Saturday at 9 a.m. The consolation match will also start at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

After snapping Bloomsburg's consecutive team championships streak at three, California looks to repeat as champions following its dominating performance a year ago. The Vulcans enter the tournament ranked fifth in the nation and boast an impressive 20-2 overall record and a 4-0 PSAC West record this season. California has two players ranked in the top five of the FILA/Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, including this year's PSAC individual champion, Helena VanEysendeyk (No. 3) and runner-up Inga Chilingaryan (No. 5). California also has a nationally ranked doubles team in VanEysendeyk and Chilingaryan (No. 4). Meanwhile, this year's PSAC doubles champions Lisa Santoro and Olga Alekseeva will also provide a threat.

Kutztown has amassed a 6-6 overall record and a 4-1 PSAC East record. The top individual threats are Barbara Joerns (8-4) and Sabrina Arnaud (9-5). Kutztown's top doubles pair consists of Joerns and Rohini Das. The duo is ranked fifth in the East Region and boasts a 7-7 record this year.

Bloomsburg owns a 11-5 overall record and a 5-0 record in PSAC East action, and is currently ranked eighth in the East Region. The team is led by senior Torie Cunningham (10-4) and sophomore Katie Hasyn (8-6). The two are joined by freshman standout Laura Sullivan (10-3). In doubles play, the duo of Hasyn and Brittani Weeks have combined for a strong 9-1 record to lead the Huskies.

Slippery Rock has posted an 18-2 overall record, 3-1 in the Western Division, and ranks as the No. 2 team in the East Region. Junior Kayla Blackburn, a PSAC individual tournament semifinalist, leads the team. Blackburn, is ranked fourth in the East Region, while she and partner Laura Handy rank 24th nationally. Samantha Blackburn and doubles partner Jessica Hilborn are ranked eighth in the East Region. The Rock's only two losses this year came at the hands of California.

In light of an 8-1 regular season win, Bloomsburg looks to have a solid chance of snapping Kutztown's run of four consecutive team titles. The team enters the tournament ranked 44th nationally, with a 5-0 conference record and a 12-5 overall record. Bloomsburg is led by 2006 individual champion Dan Gal. Gal has posted a 13-2 record this season and is ranked fourth in the East Region by the FILA/Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings. Fernando Perez and Ryan Chow join Gal as the 13th and 14th ranked players in the East Region respectively. The pair of Gal and Perez are ranked second in the East Region.

The Golden Bears are ranked fifth in the East Region and carry a 3-1 conference record and a 3-7 overall record. The squad is led by Lukas Labitsch and Arpit Sharma. Labitsch combined with Santiago Baquerizo to beat the Bloomsburg duo of Chow and Gal in the finals of PSAC Doubles Championship.

Millersville enters the tournament with a 2-2 conference record and a 3-8 mark overall. The Marauders are led by Chris Matisse who holds a 5-4 record on the season and advanced to the quarterfinals of this year's PSAC Individual Championships. Matisse combines with Drew Slocum to form Millersville's top doubles team (3-6).

East Stroudsburg takes the final seed in the tournament as they have posted a 1-3 conference record and a 4-9 record overall. The Warriors are led by senior Jeffery Kurz, who advanced to the quarterfinals of this year's PSAC Individual Championships and sophomore Kyle Doebler. Kurz and Jared Howat combine to make the Warriors top doubles pair.