2008 Season Recap
Men’s Tennis Wins Regional Tournament, Advances To NAIA Nationals For The First Time In 13 YearsFor the first time since 1995, the Malone College men’s tennis team won the NAIA Region IX Tournament and advanced to the NAIA National Championships.
In each of his four seasons at the helm of the Pioneer men’s tennis program, head coach Tom Brown has guided Malone to a spot in the regional tourney. However, over the past three years, the squad had been unable to knock off perennial American Mideast Conference power Walsh University, which entered this spring having qualified for the NAIA National Tournament in each of the previous 11 seasons. The Cavaliers’ reign atop the AMC hierarchy was finally brought to an end in 2008, though, as the Pioneers snapped their local rival’s lengthy streak by recording a come-from-behind 5-3 victory in the regional tournament final.
Malone opened its regional championship contest with Walsh on May 2nd by losing two of three doubles matches but then rallied strongly in singles play to post the 5-3 team victory. Junior Tim Springirth (Erie, PA) provided the fifth and final point needed for Malone to advance to the national tournament as he bounced back to win the final two sets of his #6 singles match (3-6, 6-3, 6-2). The Pioneers then traveled to the NAIA National Tournament at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama on May 12th and concluded their season with a 9-0 loss in an opening-round match against NAIA #10 Savannah (GA) College of Art & Design.
Malone began the 2008 campaign on a strong note by winning eight of its first 12 contests. The squad’s impressive play then continued down the stretch as the Pioneers tallied a 7-1 mark over their final eight matches to conclude the regular season with a 15-5 overall record, including a perfect 5-0 mark in AMC play. Malone entered the four-team NAIA Region IX Tournament as the top seed and advanced to face second-seeded Walsh in the final after defeating fourth-seeded Ohio Dominican University 6-3 in the opening round.
Senior Jason Christman (McKinley H.S.) and junior Kyle Bowers (Norwalk H.S.) each earned All-AMC recognition for both singles and doubles play following their impressive 2008 performances. Christman posted a 14-8 record at the #1 singles position while Bowers recorded a 16-7 mark as the #2 singles player. The duo also combined to post a 15-8 record as the #1 doubles pair.
Sophomore Nathanael Rodd (home schooled; Canton, OH), and freshman David Cairns (Strongsville H.S.) also put forth strong efforts this season. The two underclassmen teamed at #2 doubles for a majority of the year and tallied a 7-6 record. In singles, Cairns competed at the #3 spot, posting a 15-5 mark on the year, while Rodd, the team’s #4 singles player, compiled a team-best 17-5 mark.
Other important contributors included Springirth, senior Dan Yard (Louisville H.S.), sophomore Tim Frazier (Beaver Falls, PA) and sophomore Josh Fisher (Louisville H.S.). Springirth posted a 16-6 record at the #5 singles position and paired with Yard to notch an 8-8 record at #3 doubles. Yard and Frazier shared time at the #6 singles spot and posted 1-6 and 7-10 marks, respectively. Fisher saw limited action during the year but was an important reserve, contributing in practice and aiding team chemistry.
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