May 13, 2011
NCAA’s Men’s Tennis Tournament – Lexington, Ky.
First Round – Kentucky 4, Cleveland State 0
Cleveland State Coach: Brian Etzkin
On the match against Kentucky…
“We realized we were underdogs and we had to give ourselves a chance to win this match. The guys competed hard and we didn’t give anything away. We are always happy to be here at the national tournament. This is four years in a row, but you always want a little more. I am proud of the guys they gave a good effort. Kentucky gave a sharp match and they weren’t going to mess around at all. They took it to us.”
On meeting Kentucky the past three years in the tournament…
“The talent on their team makes it very difficult because we are definitely giving the effort. They have a very strong and deep team. Their top guys are as strong as anyone in the country and that is why it is so difficult. We have played them three times in a row and I feel like we are making progress. We are holding our heads high this year.”
On the future of Cleveland State tennis…
“It will be a whole new look next year. We have three starters returning meaning we will have three new guys coming in. I am very excited about next year. It is a big turnover this year, we are losing six guys from this team, but we have a good core coming back and we shouldn’t lose much of a step and hopefully improve for next year.”
Kentucky Coach: Dennis Emery
On the match against Cleveland State…
“The two toughest matches of the year are the first match of the season and the first match of the NCAA’s. There is a lot of rust there and I think our guys handled that situation pretty well today.”
On Eric Quigley’s match today …
“I didn’t get to watch much, but I know he must have played well. He had a very good match with his opponent last time, it was 7-5 and 6-4 then and I know he was expecting a very tough match today. He had a great week of practice. It’s almost like there is some justice there if he did play as well as your saying.”
On the upcoming match against Louisville …
“I think it’s great, it’s such a good opportunity to showcase what we have in the state. We have two great programs in the state and had Louisville gone to Texas A&M or something there wouldn’t have been the same sense of excitement. So I think it’s a great opportunity for both of us not just to go to the Sweet 16 but to really show the type of character and programs that we have.”
What he saw in today’s match that was positive …
“A big key to our team is our three, four and five singles players. All those guys came out and did a very good job today taking out their opponents. When you’re a freshman like Tom Jomby is, it’s not always easy to walk into the first tournament match and play well. So I think he did a really good job of handling that also.”
