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written by Joe Costello, Bloomsburg Sports Information Student Assistant

BLOOMSBURG—Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania will host the 2001 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) men's and women's Tennis Championships Friday through Sunday (April 20-22). The event will feature eight men's teams and 11 women's teams vying for the championship under a new team format. Teams will seeded with the winners advancing to the next round of the tournament until a champion is crowned.

Last year, the Bloomsburg and Kutztown tied for the men's team championship, while in women's action, the Huskies shared the title with Millersville. It was the 14th consecutive PSAC Championship recorded by the men.

The women will kick off the event on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. with first round action, while the men will get underway with quarterfinal play Saturday morning at 8 a.m. The championship matches will be played on Sunday afternoon, with the women beginning at noon and the men starting at 2 p.m.

The favorites this weekend in both men's and women's action will be Bloomsburg and Millersville. The top seed in the men's bracket is Bloomsburg, while the Marauders have garnered the second seed in men's play. On the women's side of the bracket, Millersville captured the number one seed, while the Bloomsburg women earned the second seed.

The Huskies' men enter the championships with a 7-4 record, while the women enter the weekend with a record of 9-5. Millersville's men enter play with a 12-1 record, while the women come into action with a strong record of 21-2.

Pacing the Bloomsburg men this season is Floris Vogel (Leiden, Netherlands) who is 18-4 on the season, splitting his time equally between number four and number five singles action. Kris Shumway (Towanda/Troy) is contributing with a 15-6 record at number two singles, while Kurt Caster (Williamsport/Williamsport) is helping out with a record of 12-7 at number six singles. Jay Nistad (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) also has a winning record on the year with a 10-7 mark. The Huskies' number one singles player is freshman Aleksander Kalezic (Belgrade/Yugoslavia), who has a solid mark of 5-10, while playing in the top spot for most of the year for Bloomsburg.

The Huskies' top doubles team is the duo of Caster and Vogel, who have a solid 11-2 record.

The Bloomsburg women will look to Erin Bartsch (Warren/Warren) and Beth Fulton (Nesquehoning/Tamaqua) to lead the way in their pursuit to the championship. Bartsch, the reigning PSAC Player of the Week, boasts a 13-5 record on the season at number one singles, while Fulton enters the weekend with a record of 14-6 playing at number two singles. Jenn Esposito (Lock Haven/Lock Haven) and Miranda Campbell (Warren/Warren) also enter the tournament with winning records. Esposito has a record of 12-7, while Campbell will begin play on Friday with a mark of 12-8 on the year.

The Millersville men are led by Ryan Cuevas and Ryan Mellinger who have records of 16-2 and 20-3, respectively. Justin Miller (14-3), John Rossi (12-3) and Mick Marmor (11-3) will all try to help the Marauders snap the long Bloomsburg University streak.

In Millersville men's doubles action, the Marauders will be led by the team Cuevas and Justin Miller, who have compiled a 21-3 record this year. Mellinger and Keith Mahaffey have a 9-1 record as a team this season.

The women of Millersville will be led by Kristina Eger, who enters play with a 19-2 overall record. Abbey Neff (20-5) and Hilary Cornelius (20-6) will both be contributing to the top-seeded Marauders efforts this weekend, as will be Lauren Witmer (19-4), Abbie Sweitzer (19-6) and Laura Halter (15-2).

This weekend will also be a homecoming of sorts for the Marauders' Heather Miller. The junior played her first two and a half seasons at Bloomsburg, before transferring to Millersville before the start of this semester. She has an overall record of 17-6 with the two schools this season. Miller compiled a 54-14 singles record and a 44-22 doubles record during her time at Bloomsburg.

For complete results on the championship, go to www.bloomu.edu/sports.