Courtside

Your Guide to GW sports

Tag

Greg Munoz

Saturday, April 27, 2013 11:17 p.m.

Men’s tennis advances to fourth straight A-10 finals

by The GW Hatchet

This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Jake Deitcher.

It appeared almost too easy Saturday for the men’s tennis team.

The Colonials beat Charlotte 4-0 – the second match in a row in which they has failed to lose a point – setting the stage for a fourth straight appearance in the Atlantic 10 title game.

But if you look more closely at the sweep, head coach Greg Munoz said, GW gritted out a win.

Then-freshman Francisco Dias, shown here during the 2011 A-10 tournament. The Colonials will appear tomorrow in their fourth straight A-10 finals. | Hatchet File Photo

“It really wasn’t dominance. Several of the matches that were suspended after we clinched the victory could’ve gone either way and then it could have been a four to three match,” Munoz said. “You go through the tournament and there are different emotions and conditions on each day. You can’t look at the day before. Today we were the stronger and better team.”

The Colonials last defeated the 49ers two weeks ago, 5-1, showing similar strength as they did in today’s semifinal victory.

 The Colonials secured the doubles point after winning matches from the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles position. Junior Nikita Fomin and freshman Danil Zelenkov continued their winning streak from the No. 2 doubles position, winning 7-3 after their opponents elected to retire from the match.

Senior Leo Lapentti and sophomore Francisco Dias earned a quick 8-2 victory from the No. 3 doubles position, giving GW the early 1-0 lead.

The Colonials’ top two singles players set the tone early with their strong and aggressive play. Fomin won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, from the No. 1 singles position, while Dias also convincingly beat his No. 2 singles opponent in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.

Junior Ulrik Thomsen would be the one to clinch the finals berth for GW, defeating his No. 5 singles opponent, 6-3, 6-4.

The win set ups a dramatic rematch Sunday against the only team in the conference to beat the Colonials: VCU.

Munoz said he sees the Rams as a more than formidable opponent, and acknowledged that VCU likely has similar views of GW.

“They are the number one seed and they earned it,” Munoz said. “I think we played at their level last time and it was very close. They probably underestimated us that time but they won’t now and they are going to be ready.  We will bring our best energy and bring our best on the court.”

 

  • Permalink
  • Comments
Friday, April 26, 2013 7:41 p.m.

Men’s tennis dominates in A-10 quarterfinals

by Nick Ong

The Colonials dominated from start to finish Friday, beating Richmond 5-0 to advance to the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship.

Senior Alexander van Gils prepared to return a serve on Senior Day earlier this month. He won his No. 1 doubles match with junior Ulrik Thomsen on Friday to help the Colonials advance to the Atlantic 10 semifinals. Hatchet File Photo

Second-seeded GW, which earned a first-round bye in the tournament, had faced off against the Spiders earlier this season, winning 5-2. But the Colonials saved their best tennis for their second match, winning each of their singles matches in straight sets.

“It felt good today. We are focused and we feel like we are playing our best tennis of the spring,” head coach Greg Munoz said. “It’s tough playing as the higher seed when you are facing a team that you’ve played already this season. They have nothing to lose and will play aggressively. We stayed focused though.”

The Colonials easily secured the first point of the day – the doubles point – after winning all three matches. Junior Nikita Fomin and freshman Danil Zelenkov dominated from the No. 2 doubles position, winning 8-3.

Senior Alex van Gils and junior Ulrik Thomsen prevailed 8-4 in No. 1 doubles, while senior Leo Lapentti and sophomore Francisco Dias earned an 8-4 victory at No. 3 doubles.

“This is the best team we’ve ever put out. Every team we are potentially going to play is a team we’ve faced already,” Munoz said. “Those teams want a shot at us but we are a tough team to defeat. This is a mental game and we need to be prepared to give out best.”

The Colonials continued to dominate in singles. Dias won quickly from the No. 2 singles position, dominating in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2. Zelenkov also finished off his No. 3 singles opponent early in his first ever conference tournament, winning in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. Fomin earned the victory in No. 1 singles, winning, 6-3, 6-2, while junior Viktor Svensson closed out the match for the Colonials by winning, 6-4, 6-1, from the No. 6 position.

The Colonials will play third-seeded Charlotte in the semifinals as they continue to play for their third-straight A-10 title.

  • Permalink
  • Comments
Wednesday, March 6, 2013 8:13 p.m.

Two men’s tennis players nab A-10 weekly honors

by Elizabeth Traynor

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Sam Johnson.

The men’s tennis team garnered A-10 two awards this week. After a 2-1 record over the weekend, junior Nikita Fomin was awarded the Atlantic 10 Men’s Tennis Performer of the Week and freshman Danil Zelenkov was christened the league’s Rookie Performer of the Week.

This is Fomin’s first award as a Colonial- the junior transferred to GW before the 2012 season. It’s Zelenkov’s second award of the season, after he won the rookie title in February.

The weekend also resulted in the Colonials’ highest ever-national ranking at No.45 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association during head coach Greg Munoz’s seven-year term.

Their records are win-heavy. Fomin now has a 7-4 dual-match singles play and 2-0 on the No.1 spot. Zelenkov owns an even stronger record with a 7-3 dual match record. The duo together as No.2 doubles pair are now 6-3.

  • Permalink
  • Comments
Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 12:49 p.m.

Men’s tennis team earns national ranking

by Elizabeth Traynor

Then- freshman Francisco Dias sends it back to Fordham last season. Hatchet File Photo

This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Jake Deitcher.

The men’s tennis team received a No. 50 national team ranking from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association yesterday, breaking into the national rankings after facing six nationally ranked opponents over the early part of its season.

The ranking comes after the Colonials topped both No. 60 Georgia State and No. 61 South Alabama last weekend. The team’s ranking is its highest-ever during head coach Greg Munoz’s seven years at GW.

“Putting 10 or more nationally ranked teams on our schedule was a chance we had to take in order to make our presence known,” head coach Greg Munoz said in a release. “It is early in the year and there is always work to do and things we can improve upon, but it is nice to achieve a solid ranking at this point in the season.”

The Colonials are two-time defending Atlantic 10 champions and have faced tougher out-of-conference opponents in the early stages of the spring season compared to past seasons. They are 4-2 against top-70 ranked teams this spring.

 

  • Permalink
  • Comments
Monday, Feb. 18, 2013 6:42 p.m.

Weekend wrap-up

by Elizabeth Traynor

Senior captain Stephanie Stoicovy goes through her balance beam routine. Hatchet File Photo by Jordan Emont | Photo Editor

A lot of Colonial sports teams were in action this weekend. Here’s a look at what couldn’t fit on the sports page:

Gymnastics

GW finished in fourth of six teams at the Sweetheart Invitational this weekend.

Its best event as a team was the balance beam, where the Colonials scored a cumulative 48.750. GW was paced by senior Stephanie Stoicovy, who finished fourth in the all-around with 38.975, including 9.875 on floor exercise, which was good enough to tie her for third in that category.

Sophomore Elena Corcoran tied for third on the vault with a 9.775 and senior Kayla Carto tied for third on the balance beam with a 9.850.

Women’s water polo

The Colonials went 2-2 this weekend, defeating Bucknell and Villanova but dropping to Marist and Hartwick.

GW defeated Bucknell in its opening match of the weekend 10-9, off the offensive strength of freshman Erin Donoghue, who scored a career-best five goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Chandler Vilander kept the Colonials in the game with six saves. Later that day, GW fell to Hartwick 23-12. Junior Katherine Berry paced GW with four goals, and fellow junior Rachel Bentley added six points on three goals and three assists.

The next day, the Colonials opened play with a 10-6 loss to Marist, which scored three unanswered goals down the stretch to take a 5-3 lead into halftime. From there, they pulled away, holding GW to just 6-27 shots on the game, despite Vilander recording a season-high 11 saves. But it was the Colonials’ offense’s turn to shine against Villanova, led by Donoghue, who tallied a hat trick. GW pulled away decisively to take that game 11-6.

Women’s Squash

The Colonials competed in the CSA Team Nationals this weekend, making it to the Consolation Finals before falling to Williams College in their final match of the season, 8-1.

In the team’s first match of the championships, freshman Anna Gabriela Porras was the only Colonial to pick up a win, defeating her No.1 opponent Catherine Jenkins 11-4, 11-6, 11-8.  Unfortunately, the rest of the squad did not fair so well, ultimately falling to Columbia 8-1.

Continuing competition in the Consolation Semifinals, the Colonials faced off against Amherst, winning the match 7-2.  Porras again won her No.1 match in straight sets, along with freshman Alexa Tzarnas and junior Elizabeth Tapley who won their No. 6 and 5 matches, respectively.

In what would be their final match of the season, the Colonials were defeated by Williams College, 8-1.  Repeating Friday’s performance, the Colonials gave no help to Porras, who tallied the only win for GW.  Porras went undefeated on the weekend and finished her inaugural season with a 16-4 record.

The team concludes the season ranked as the No.14 team in the CSA. Porras and junior Jackie Shea will move on to represent the Colonials at the CSA Individual National Championships, March 1-3.

 

Men’s Tennis

The Colonials went into action at the ECAC Indoor Championship this weekend, finishing play with a 1-2 record.

On Friday, the team fell to No.42 Columbia, 4-2.  Junior Nikita Fomin defeated his No.2 singles opponent 6-2,6-4, while fellow junior Viktor Svensson earned a victory in his No.6 match, 6-3, 7-6.  In doubles action, Columbia earned points in the No.1 and 2 matches, garnering enough points for the overall victory.

The Colonials pulled the upset on Saturday, defeating No.59 Dartmouth 4-3.  It was the highest ranked team the Colonials have defeated since head coach Greg Munoz took over seven seasons ago.  In the No.2 doubles match, Fomin and freshman Danil Zelenkov defeated their opponent 8-5, while sophomore Francisco Dias and senior Leonardo Lapentti won their No.3 doubles match 8-2.  In singles play, Dias and Fomin won their No.1 and No.2 matches, respectively, setting up junior Urlik Thomsen to clinch the match with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 win.

In the fifth-place match, the Colonials were swept by Yale, 4-0.  The loss left the team in sixth place for the tournament.

 

Women’s Tennis

The Colonials opened up A-10 play this weekend with a 6-1 win over Saint Joseph’s.

GW swept doubles play, holding the Hawks to a combined four points and earning the first three points before heading into singles action.  The team was just as dominant in singles action, losing just the No. 1 match.  Freshman Lana Robins got GW back on track with a win in the No.2 position, followed by wins from freshman Stephanie Wei and senior Mimi Hamling in the No.3 and 4 spots, respectively.  Senior Dorota Lysienia and junior Isabella Escobar closed out the matches with wins of their own.

The team stayed perfect on their first weekend of conference play with a 4-3 win over Duquesne.  GW earned two out of three doubles victories, with wins from the pairs of Lysienia and Robins, and Wei and freshman Christina Carpenter.  In singles play, junior Leah Pascarella defeated her No.1 opponent 6-3, 7-5, while Wei and Hamling followed behind with wins in the No.3 and 4 slots to close out the match.

 

Sailing

In their first match of the spring session, the Colonials climbed three spots from their Day 1 position to finish the College of Charleston Coed Spring Intersectional in 12th place.

The team earned their 12th place finish with a combined 181 points total.  Winning the even was host and third ranked College of Charleston, with a total of 58 points.

Freshman Maria Sinagra, sophomore Matthew Ricci and senior Richard Sant teamed together to finish 8th in the B Division with 69 points.  Senior Ian Conner and seniors Rebecca Engel and Skye Kussmann earned a total of 112 points to place 16th overall in the A Division.

- By Elizabeth Traynor and Nick Ong

  • Permalink
  • Comments
Wednesday, June 20, 2012 4:04 p.m.

Men’s tennis MVP Ugur Atalay receives A-10 sportsmanship award

by Elizabeth Traynor
Ugur Atalay, men's tennis

Senior Ugur Atalay prepares for his opponent to serve the ball during match against Georgetown last year. Hatchet File Photo

Ugur Atalay is the recipient of the 2011-12 Atlantic 10 Sportsmanship Award, chosen by the senior women administrators of each league institution, for his actions during competition in the men’s tennis A-10 title game.

In a move that caused the Xavier head coach to praise a “classy” GW squad, Atalay reduced the intensity of his play in the final and deciding match of the championship, allowing opponent Mesa Mei, who was suffering from severe cramps, greater ease in competition. Atalay lobbed serves and returns slowly to give Mei a chance to compete, and when the GW senior was victorious, he refrained from celebration, instead shaking Mei’s hand and exchanging a hug.

“Ugur has always been a team player who likes to keep a low profile,” men’s tennis head coach Greg Munoz said in a release. “He leads with his actions, as opposed to his voice, and lets his racquet do the talking for him.”

Ataly is the second GW player to earn the sportsmanship award, following Raman Luthra, a member of the men’s golf team, who took home the prize following the 2006-07 season.

Atalay was a four-year All-Conference selection and helped bring the men’s tennis team to back-t0-back A-10 championships at the No.1 and 2 singles slots.

 

  • Permalink
  • Comments
Tuesday, May 1, 2012 8:20 p.m.

Men’s tennis set for rematch in NCAA tournament first round

by Elizabeth Traynor

Freshman Francisco Dias sends it back to Fordham earlier this season. Hatchet File Photo

This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Jake Deitcher

The Colonials will face Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament for the second straight season.

The Colonials (17-7) will travel to Durham, N.C. May 12 to face the No. 8 seed Blue Devils. This year, GW boasts two strong additions to its roster: freshman Francisco Dias, who was recently named the Atlantic 10 Conference’s Most Outstanding Performer and Most Outstanding Rookie Performer, and senior Ugur Atalay.

Atalay missed the tournament last season for personal reasons but said he is eager to compete in his first NCAA tournament at the end of his final collegiate season.

“For me, this year is special because last year I had to go back home before NCAA’s for unfortunate reasons,” Atalay said. “I’m going to be playing in NCAA’s for the first time in my life. I’m really excited and all of my teammates are really excited.”

GW will take on a deep Blue Devils squad, one that swept the Colonials in postseason play in 2011. Duke went 22-5 this season en route to its NCAA bid.

But after today’s NCAA selection show, the Colonials were quick to point out they pulled off three upsets en route to the A-10 title and beat a nationally-ranked Radford squad this season.

“They are definitely more experienced. There are guys who have been playing in international tournaments before they come to college. Their experience in professional tournaments is more so than us at this point,” Atalay said. “But GW is getting better. We are really practicing hard for this. We always have the chance to beat anyone in the nation.”

Both teams are familiar with each other from last year’s NCAA tournament, and head coach Greg Munoz said he was excited for a rematch against the Blue Devils.

The Colonials were underdogs throughout the 2012 season, before nabbing their second straight A-10 crown and numerous postseason accolades. Still, Munoz knows his team is not favored against the Blue Devils, and said GW will need to rise to the occasion.

“We have one year under our belt against them,” Munoz said. “They know what it’s like to play at the top so it’s not like they’ll ever be unprepared. Now we are just more prepared.”

  • Permalink
  • Comments
Thursday, April 26, 2012 1:28 p.m.

Men’s tennis sweeps A-10 awards

by Elizabeth Traynor

Freshman Francisco Dias sends it back to Fordham earlier this season. Hatchet File Photo

Fresh off its second consecutive A-10 title, the men’s tennis team swept A-10 awards, nabbing the Coach of the Year, Most Outstanding Performer and Most Outstanding Rookie Performer honors and four all-conference team members.

Freshman Francisco Dias picked up both the Most Outstanding Performer and Most Outstanding Rookie Performer awards, the first-ever A-10 student-athlete to earn both honors in a season. Dias posted an 18-5 record at No. 1 singles and an 11-4 record at No. 1 doubles with senior teammate Ugur Atalay. The freshman, who owned a No. 64 ranking from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association this season, is the second Colonial in program history to win the Outstanding Performer award and the fifth to earn Rookie Performer honors.

“I knew Francisco was something special when I recruited him,” men’s tennis head coach Greg Munoz said in a release. “He proved it this year – to me and to his team. He really deserves both of these awards.”

Munoz picked up his second straight A-10 Coach of the Year honor after guiding GW to the championship and a 17-7 overall record. He led the Colonials, who were seeded fifth heading into the A-10 tournament, to victories over the Nos. 1, 2 and 4 seeds en route to a league title.

Munoz also saw his team post a seven-match win steak from March 11-30 and guided it to a victory over nationally-ranked Radford in its regular-season finale.

“The A-10 has gotten a lot stronger over the years, and that’s due to the incredible coaches that are coming in and doing a great job recruiting,” Munoz said. “I am honored to receive the award, but I also feel that there are several other coaches that were deserving.”

Joining Dias on the A-10 All-Conference First Team are Atalay and junior Alexander van Gils, while sophomore Ulrik Thomsen earned second team honors. It’s the fourth straight year Atalay’s been named to the first team, who owned a 21-9 singles record on the season.

Van Gils’ first team award is the first of his career, following second team honors last season, and comes after he posted an 11-5 record at No. 3 singles on the season and a 9-1 record at No. 2 doubles with Thomsen. It’s also the first postseason conference honor for Thomsen, who won nine of his last 10 doubles matches.

“Ugur has always been a passionate player and I knew that when I recruited him. He has he never let me down in his four years here, and I never doubted his ability,” Munoz said. “Alex is probably the best doubles player I have had here at GW. He and Ulrik are a very special combination and the pair have made competing much easier for us.”

The Colonials next head to the NCAA tournament for the second time in two years.

  • Permalink
  • Comments
Monday, April 16, 2012 3:04 p.m.

Xavier tennis coach praises ‘classy’ GW squad

by Elizabeth Traynor
Ugur Atalay, men's tennis

Senior Ugur Atalay prepares for his opponent to serve the ball during a match against Georgetown last year. Hatchet File Photo

The A-10 men’s tennis championship came down to the No. 2 singles match Sunday, pitting Colonials senior Ugur Atalay against Xavier sophomore Mesa Mei for the point that would earn their team the league title.

After Mei took the first set, he was sidelined by an injury that prevented him from playing to his full strength. Unwilling to quit on his team, the Musketeers sophomore played through the pain, but it hampered his performance and he dropped the next two sets to to Atalay.

After the match concluded, and GW had claimed its second straight Atlantic 10 championship, Xavier head coach Eric Toth complimented Atalay and the Colonials for their sportsmanship during the No. 2 singles match and celebration after claiming the A-10 title.

“The atmosphere was set for a special finish to this year’s tournament, but Mesa just physically could not be at his best. That happens sometimes in college tennis and Mesa did the best he could to finish. I give Ugar Atalay credit for the way he executed to finish the match, but more importantly how he conducted himself in a tricky situation. He has been a class act in his four years at GW and today was no exception,” Toth said in a news release. “I also congratulate [Colonials head coach Greg] Munoz and the rest of his squad on another championship, but mostly for the class he and his guys showed in winning the match, ideally not the way they would want to clinch a championship. They were classy. Kudos to them.”

Atalay, also a member of GW’s No. 1 doubles pair with freshman Francisco Dias, and the rest of the Colonials will next head to the NCAA tournament, where they will look to avenge last year’s loss in the first round to Duke.

  • Permalink
  • Comments
Sunday, April 15, 2012 3:08 p.m.

Men’s tennis captures A-10 championship for second straight year

by Elizabeth Traynor

Freshman Francisco Dias sends it back to Fordham earlier this season. Hatchet File Photo

The men’s tennis team nabbed its second straight A-10 championship Sunday, defeating Xavier 4-3 and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The Colonials, who entered the A-10 tournament as the fifth seed, defeated La Salle, Temple and Charlotte to advance to the finals Sunday. Xavier took the doubles point to open play, putting GW in a 1-0 hole entering singles competition. Much like they did against the 49ers Saturday, the Colonials regained ground through tight singles competition to ultimately grab its second straight A-10 title.

Senior Richard Blumenfeld was the first GW victory of the day, taking the No. 6 singles match. From there, sophomore Viktor Svensson and junior Alexander van Gils won at No. 5 and No. 3 singles, respectively, to put the Colonials up by two. After freshman Francisco Dias and junior Leonardo Lapentti fell at No. 1 and No. 4 singles, the match came down to senior Ugur Atalay. Like he did against Radford April 8, Atalay shrugged off the pressure, grabbing a victory at No. 2 singles to win the championship for the Colonials.

GW defeated Xavier in last season’s finals to capture the championship, then advancing to the NCAA tournament before falling in the first round to Duke. Last year’s record earned head coach Greg Munoz A-10 Coach of the Year honors, and the Colonials were tabbed to repeat as champions this season by the league’s head coaches in January.

  • Permalink
  • Comments