HILTON, HEAD, S.C. – The Baldwin Wallace University men's tennis closed out its annual spring break trip with its third consecutive shutout as it posted a 9-0 victory against Nebraska Wesleyan University at Hilton Head Beach and Tennis.
BW (9-1) gained a 3-0 advantage as all three doubles teams won their matches. Sophomore All-Ohio Athletic Conference player Dominic Polifrone (Hudson) and sophomore Matt Harris (Akron/Revere) won first doubles by a score of 8-0. Senior Academic All-OAC players Nathan Katz (Upper Arlington/Bexley) and Jake Liebler (Medina) captured second doubles by a score of won 8-4. Senior Brian Carano (Akron/Revere) and freshman Jake Elbin (Findlay) took third doubles by a score of 8-1.
The Yellow Jackets secured the shut out by claiming all six singles matches. Polifrone won at first singles by identical scores of 6-1. Katz earned a three-set victory at second singles by scores of 6-2, 5-7 and 10-8. Harris took third singles by identical scores of 6-3. Carano picked up the win at fourth singles by scores of 6-0 and 6-3. Liebler claimed fifth singles in three sets by scores of 6-3, 3-6 and 10-6. Elbin closed out the trip by winning sixth singles by identical scores of 6-1 and 6-4.
BW is back in action on Saturday, March 18 when it travels to Berea, Kentucky for a non-conference match against Berea College at the Wilson Evans Tennis Complex at 12 p.m. The first home outdoor match is on Monday, March 27 when the team hosts a non-conference match against Bethany (W. Va.) College on the "Pop" Collins Tennis Courts at 3:30 p.m.
YELLOW JACKET CHATTER
RECTOR KEEPS WINNING: Earlier this season, BW 28-year Head Coach Brian Rector won his 500th career match to become just the first Ohio Division III coach and just the second in Ohio history to win 500 matches (the other was 1962 BW graduate Bob Walters at Ashtabula and Ashtabula Lakeside high schools). Rector enters the northern portion of the season with a 5-4 and 101 career-record wth and an .833 winning percentage.
RECTOR TO BE HONORED ON MARCH 27: Prior to BW's March 27 OAC dual match versus cross-town rival John Carroll University at the Pop Collins Tennis Courts, the University will formally honor the occasion of Brian Rector's historic 500th career victory prior to the match.
KATZ CALLS: Senior No.2 singles and doubles student-athlete Nathan Katz is 10-5 this season and 64-29 in hiscareer and now ranks 16th all-time in singles wins. Katz is a two-time Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference and two-time ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) Scholar-Athlete award-winner.
DID YOU KNOW THAT: Famed tennis analyst and former Boston Globe newspaper sports writer Bud "Arthur" Collins is a graduate of the University. Collins, who began his writer career right on the BW campus doing the student newspaper as well as contributing to the local newspaper, is the son of Arthur "Pop" Collins. The BW tennis facility is named after the elder Collins, who both taught and coached at BW.
