No. 1 Seeded Kangaroos Face Oral Roberts In Semi-Finals At The Summit League Championships
4/21/2011 10:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Kansas City, Mo. -- It's championship time for the UMKC men's tennis team and as The Summit League Regular Season Champions, they are the No. 1 seed headed in the League Tournament. The Kangaroos will face No. 4 seed Oral Roberts on Friday morning at 9 a.m., in Fort Wayne, Ind.
The other semi-final match is at 3 p.m., pitting No. 2 Western Illinois and No. 3 IUPUI against each other. The winners from each match will face off in the final on Saturday at 10 a.m., with the tournament champion earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Ristivojevic Named Men's Tennis Summit League Player Of The Week
UMKC men's tennis player Serge Ristivojevic was named The Summit League Men's Tennis Player of the Week. Ristivojevic earns his first award of the season and second of his career after completing a 3-0 week, including a pair of league victories.
Playing the No. 3 singles position, Ristivojevic notched a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Oral Roberts' Dmitry Suslov before closing out the regular season with a 6-1, 5-7, 10-6 triumph over Western Illinois' Patrick Hammers. In doubles play, Ristivojevic went 2-0, including a victory over WIU's No. 3 tandem. During the week, Ristivojevic extended his winning streaks to eight in singles and four in doubles. He enters The Summit League Championship with an 11-7 overall singles record for the top-seeded Kangaroos.
Opponent Preview
Oral Roberts closed out the regular season with a 5-8 overall record and a 4-2 Summit League record as the fourth seed in the tournament. Earlier this season, UMKC defeated the Golden Eagles, 4-2. The Kangaroos will look to avenge the 4-2 loss to Oral Roberts last season in The Summit League Championship finals. UMKC is 11-21 all-time against the Golden Eagles.
UMKC in The Summit League
The win over the Leathernecks was UMKC's 14th straight Summit League regular season victory. The `Roos haven't lost a regular season League match since April 9, 2009.
`Roos Break Record For Most Consecutive Wins
UMKC broke the school record for the most consecutive wins in a season, notching its 12th straight with the victory over Western Illinois. Head coach Kendell Hale has three teams in the top-four in this category.
UMKC Men's Tennis Most Consecutive Winning Streaks
1. *12 (2010-11)
2. *11 (2009-10)
3. 7 (1998-99)
4. *5 (2008-09)
(1997-98)
(1996-97)
(1991-92)
* - Head Coach Kendell Hale
Last Time Out: `Roos Crowned Summit League Regular Season Champs; Break School Record For Consecutive Wins
The UMKC men's tennis team closed out the regular season on top at the Plaza Tennis Center with a shutout over Western Illinois, 7-0, to be crowned The Summit League Regular Season Champions for the second straight season.
The Kangaroos set the tone during doubles play, with Nino Hasandedic and Grant Fleming quickly defeating Jeff Cote and Patrick Hammers at the No. 1 slot, 8-3. Gustavo Guerin and Cameron Schoenhofer followed suit with a 8-6 win over Mandela Shepard and Francisco Ortiz at the No. 2 line. Serge Ristivojevic and Abdul Alawadhi had a bit of battle at the No. 3 spot, but were able to play their way to a 9-8 (7-3) victory over Alejandro Buceta and Ben Yue.
Hasandedic, Fleming, Alawadhi, Guerin and Schoenhofer all defeated their opponents in two sets, while Ristivojevic had to fight off Hammers. Ristivojevic took the first set 6-1 and then dropped the second, 5-7. The senior was able to come back in the third, 10-6, to secure UMKC the 7-0 victory.
The `Roos also took a break between doubles and singles play to honor their four seniors. Head coach Kendell Hale and the UMKC men's tennis team honored and thanked seniors Zach Alholm, Nick Hays, Nick Mader and Serge Ristivojevic.
Head Coach Kendell Hale
Head coach Kendell Hale in entering his fourth season with the `Roos and in that short amount of time he has experienced an enormous amount of success. In 2010, the men's squad were The Summit League Regular Season Champions. The Kangaroos were the 2009 Summit League Tournament Champions, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Hale was voted the 2010 United States Professional Tennis Association College Coach of the Year and was the 2009 USPTA Missouri Valley College Coach of the Year.
The other semi-final match is at 3 p.m., pitting No. 2 Western Illinois and No. 3 IUPUI against each other. The winners from each match will face off in the final on Saturday at 10 a.m., with the tournament champion earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Ristivojevic Named Men's Tennis Summit League Player Of The Week
UMKC men's tennis player Serge Ristivojevic was named The Summit League Men's Tennis Player of the Week. Ristivojevic earns his first award of the season and second of his career after completing a 3-0 week, including a pair of league victories.
Playing the No. 3 singles position, Ristivojevic notched a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Oral Roberts' Dmitry Suslov before closing out the regular season with a 6-1, 5-7, 10-6 triumph over Western Illinois' Patrick Hammers. In doubles play, Ristivojevic went 2-0, including a victory over WIU's No. 3 tandem. During the week, Ristivojevic extended his winning streaks to eight in singles and four in doubles. He enters The Summit League Championship with an 11-7 overall singles record for the top-seeded Kangaroos.
Opponent Preview
Oral Roberts closed out the regular season with a 5-8 overall record and a 4-2 Summit League record as the fourth seed in the tournament. Earlier this season, UMKC defeated the Golden Eagles, 4-2. The Kangaroos will look to avenge the 4-2 loss to Oral Roberts last season in The Summit League Championship finals. UMKC is 11-21 all-time against the Golden Eagles.
UMKC in The Summit League
The win over the Leathernecks was UMKC's 14th straight Summit League regular season victory. The `Roos haven't lost a regular season League match since April 9, 2009.
`Roos Break Record For Most Consecutive Wins
UMKC broke the school record for the most consecutive wins in a season, notching its 12th straight with the victory over Western Illinois. Head coach Kendell Hale has three teams in the top-four in this category.
UMKC Men's Tennis Most Consecutive Winning Streaks
1. *12 (2010-11)
2. *11 (2009-10)
3. 7 (1998-99)
4. *5 (2008-09)
(1997-98)
(1996-97)
(1991-92)
* - Head Coach Kendell Hale
Last Time Out: `Roos Crowned Summit League Regular Season Champs; Break School Record For Consecutive Wins
The UMKC men's tennis team closed out the regular season on top at the Plaza Tennis Center with a shutout over Western Illinois, 7-0, to be crowned The Summit League Regular Season Champions for the second straight season.
The Kangaroos set the tone during doubles play, with Nino Hasandedic and Grant Fleming quickly defeating Jeff Cote and Patrick Hammers at the No. 1 slot, 8-3. Gustavo Guerin and Cameron Schoenhofer followed suit with a 8-6 win over Mandela Shepard and Francisco Ortiz at the No. 2 line. Serge Ristivojevic and Abdul Alawadhi had a bit of battle at the No. 3 spot, but were able to play their way to a 9-8 (7-3) victory over Alejandro Buceta and Ben Yue.
Hasandedic, Fleming, Alawadhi, Guerin and Schoenhofer all defeated their opponents in two sets, while Ristivojevic had to fight off Hammers. Ristivojevic took the first set 6-1 and then dropped the second, 5-7. The senior was able to come back in the third, 10-6, to secure UMKC the 7-0 victory.
The `Roos also took a break between doubles and singles play to honor their four seniors. Head coach Kendell Hale and the UMKC men's tennis team honored and thanked seniors Zach Alholm, Nick Hays, Nick Mader and Serge Ristivojevic.
Head Coach Kendell Hale
Head coach Kendell Hale in entering his fourth season with the `Roos and in that short amount of time he has experienced an enormous amount of success. In 2010, the men's squad were The Summit League Regular Season Champions. The Kangaroos were the 2009 Summit League Tournament Champions, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Hale was voted the 2010 United States Professional Tennis Association College Coach of the Year and was the 2009 USPTA Missouri Valley College Coach of the Year.
Players Mentioned
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