Men's Tennis News
DETAILS SET FOR REGIONAL TENNIS AT UIW -- posted Friday, May 2 2008
Incarnate Word will host one-half of the upcoming NCAA Division II Central Regional Tennis Championships and both Cardinals teams will be in action.
The Cardinals, men and women, qualified for the tournament and, based on their respective second seeds in the region, will host matches on May 8 and 9 at the Mabry Center on the UIW campus.
The Central Region, as are all eight Division II regions, is divided into two segments with the numbers one and two teams hosting. The winners of the two sections will advance to the national championships set for May 14-17 in Houston.
On May 8, two women’s semi-final matches will be played. At 10 a.m. Tarleton State will play Cameron while at 2 p.m. UIW will host Central Oklahoma. The winners will meet at 2 p.m. on Friday for the trip to Houston.
On the men’s side, a deciding match on Friday will send its winner to Houston. At 10 a.m. Incarnate Word plays Abilene Christian and that winner moves on the Sweet 16 in Houston.
The format for all regional matches calls for three doubles matches followed by six singles for a total of nine points. When one team reaches the magic fifth point competition in that particular match is halted and that team is declared the winner.
CARDINALS ALL OVER HEARTLAND YEAREND AWARDS -- posted Monday, April 28 2008
Henry Estrella is the 2008 Heartland Conference player of the year.
As befitting winning a Heartland Conference team championship recently, Incarnate Word’s men’s tennis Cardinals made their presence felt all over the awards list announced by the league.
Roaring through the conference tournament with dropping a single match, UIW received three of the four individual honors.
Senior Henry Estrella got it started for the Cardinals by being voted player of the year. Next up was Chase Holliday as the senior of the year. The third major honor went to John Newman as the coach of the year. Newman doubled up with the coaches’ award as the UIW women won a league title and he received their coach of the year nod.
On the All-Heartland Conference Team were six Cardinals—seniors Estrella, Holliday, Michael Castillo, Rudy Obregon and Jake McMindes. Those were joined by sophomore Efrain Cayama.
After winning the league title, the Cardinals now are awaiting a bid to the NCAA Division II Central Regional Tournament.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Player of the Year, Henry Estrella, Incarnate Word
Senior of the Year, Chase Holliday, Incarnate Word
Freshman of the Year, Mick Walter, St. Edward’s
Coach of the Year, John Newman, Incarnate Word
ALL-HEARTLAND CONFERENCE TEAM
Henry Estrella, Incarnate Word
Chase Holliday, Incarnate Word
Michael Castillo, Incarnate Word
Efrain Cayama, Incarnate Word
Rudy Obregon, Incarnate Word
Jake McMindes, Incarnate Word
Justin Raiti, St. Edward’s
Brett Powers, St. Edward’s
Bernard Lancaster, St. Edward’s
Boris Barrios, St. Edward’s
Richard Vo, Dallas Baptist
Brett Sticker, Dallas Baptist
Rodrigo Lacaya, St. Mary’s
Troy Neighbors, St. Mary’s
CARDINALS CAPTURE HEARTLAND CONFERENCE TITLE -- posted Saturday, April 26 2008
Senior Michael Castillo teammed with senior Henry Estrella to win at number one doubles as UIW was on the way to the Heartland Conference championship.
The Cardinals paused long enough for a team photograph after winning the Heartland title.
INCARNATE WORD 5, ST. EDWARD'S 0
Incarnate Word won the Heartland Conference men's tennis championship on Saturday in convincing fashion with a 5-0 sweep of defending titlist St. Edward's.
At the matches played at the South Austin Tennis Center, the Cardinals won all three doubles points before seniors Henry Estrella at number one singles and Chase Holliday at two won the clinching points. All the other singles matches were halted at that time because down 5-0 the Hilltoppers had no chance of keeping the trophy.
The last two springs St. Edward's has won the Heartland title over Incarnate Word. The last UIW championship was in the spring of 2002.
With the win, Incarnate Word goes to 13-6 on the year and now awaits its fourth bid in a row to the NCAA Division II Central Regional Tournament. And, the Cardinals await word that they will host one-half of the regional bracket based on their ranking of second in the Central. The regional action will begin May 8.
After jumping out 3-0 in doubles, Estrella and Holliday both dropped first sets before rallying in strong fashion to win the next two and the title. Estrella demonstrated why he is the second ranked player in the nation for Division II as he kept his season mark perfect at 15-0.
DOUBLES
1) Henry Estrella-Michael Castillo, UIW, d. Brett Powers-Jacob Walley, SEU, 8-5
2) Chase Holliday-Efrain Cayama, UIW, d. Justin Raiti-Boris Barrios, SEU, 8-3
3) Rudy Obregon-Jake McMindes, UIW, d. Nick Arnold-Mick Walter, SEU, 8-1
SINGLES
1) Estrella, UIW, d. Raiti, SEU, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
2) Holliday, UIW, d. Powers, SEU, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2
3) Michael Castillo, UIW, vs. Bernard Lancaster, SEU, DNF
4) Cayama, UIW, vs. Barrios, SEU, DNF
5) Obregon, UIW, vs. Walley, SEU, DNF
6) McMindes, UIW, vs. Tommy Collins, SEU, DNF
RECORD:
Incarnate Word 13-6
CARDINALS MOVE ON TO FINALS -- posted Friday, April 25 2008
Chase Holliday won in both singles and doubles in the Heartland Conference semi-finals without the loss of a single game.
INCARNATE WORD MEN 8, NEWMAN 0
Top-seeded Incarnate Word breezed through the semi-finals at the Heartland Conference championship tennis tournament with an 8-0 sweep of Newman Friday afternoon in Austin.
With the win the Cardinals get another shot at defending champion St. Edward's. The two will tangle at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the South Austin Tennis Center.
A year ago St. Edward's won the conference title with a win over Incarnate Word in the finals. The two met in the first week of March this spring with the Cardinals coming away with a 6-3 win in Austin.
On Friday Incarnate Word got three points in the doubles and then took the top five singles points to far surpass the needed five points to advance. Along the way UIW dropped no points in the doubles and but five in singles.
DOUBLES
1) Henry Estrella-Michael Castillo, UIW, d. James Fox-Nathan Peters, NU, 8-0
2) Chase Holliday-Efrain Cayama, UIW, d. Drew Spencer-Derek Emmert, NU, 8-0
3) Rudy Obregon-Jake McMindes, UIW, d. Wes Stassel-Regis Fox, NU, 8-0
SINGLES
1) Estrella, UIW, d. Fox, NU, 6-2, 6-1
2) Holliday, UIW, d. Spencer, NU, 6-0, 6-0
3) Castillo, UIW, d. Peters, NU, 6-0, 6-1
4) Cayama, UIW, d. Emmert, NU, 6-1, 6-0
5) Obregon, UIW, d. Stassel, NU, 6-0, 6-0
6) McMindes, UIW, vs. Fox, NU, DNF
RECORD:
Incarnate Word 12-6
UIW SEEKS HEARTLAND TITLE AS TOP SEED -- posted Tuesday, April 22 2008
Incarnate Word goes to the upcoming Heartland Conference championship tennis tournament in Austin as the top seed based on the Cardinals spring record.
UIW finished the regular season with a mark of 11-6 overall and that included a perfect slate of 5-0 in dual matches against other Heartland teams.
The Cardinals will see their first action on Friday at 3 p.m. when they play the winner of a morning match between #4 Dallas Baptist and #5 Newman.
A year ago Incarnate Word was runnerup in the Heartland tournament to St. Edward’s.
This year’s championship match is set for 10 a.m. on Saturday at the South Austin Tennis Center.
FRIDAY, at St. Edward’s University
9 a.m. #4 Dallas Baptist vs. #5 Newman
Noon #2 St. Edward’s vs. #3 St. Mary’s
3 p.m. #1 Incarnate Word vs. winner Dallas Baptist / Newman
SATURDAY, at South Austin Tennis Center
10 a.m. Championship match
REGION'S TOP TWO GET TOGETHER AT UIW -- posted Friday, April 11 2008
Senior Henry Estrella held on to his reputation as the nation's number two player.
CAMERON MEN 5, INCARNATE WORD 3
It was as close as the two team’s regional rankings Friday afternoon as Incarnate Word dropped a narrow 5-3 tennis match to visiting Cameron of Oklahoma.
Cameron is number one in the NCAA Division II Central Region while Incarnate Word is right behind at number two. And both are in line to host first round matches in the national tournament set to begin in early May.
Additionally, both are ranked nationally; Cameron is 12 and Incarnate Word is 23. So, all that made for some drama and some fireworks.
Incarnate Word got out early with two wins in the three doubles matches. The unexpected came at number one where the Cameron pair won 9-8 in a tiebreaker over the Cardinals’ Henry Estrella and Michael Castillo.
Chase Holliday and Efrain Cayama won at number two while Rudy Obregon and Jake McMindes were victorious at three by the narrowest of margins.
Cameron won at number four singles to knot the day at two each before Incarnate Word’s Estrella showed why he is the nation’s second ranked singles player. He dropped a first set before rallying for his 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win and the third UIW point. Five points are needed in a traditional nine-point team match.
The whole thing became tied again, at 3-3, when Cameron won at number two singles in another three-setter. Then, things went south for Incarnate Word. Castillo was leading 5-2 in his third set when leg problems forced him to retire giving the point to Cameron putting the Aggies up 4-3 and in need of just one more point.
That match-clincher came at number five where Saman Samii won over the Cardinals’ Rudy Obregon.
DOUBLES
1) Jordi Mullor-Daniel Pazos, CU, d. Henry Estrella-Michael Castillo, UIW, 9-8
2) Chase Holliday-Efrain Cayaman, UIW, d. Nicolas Mascheroni-Christian Easton, CU, 9-7
3) Rudy Obregon-Jake McMindes, UIW, d. Ignacio Murgier-Saman Samii, CU, 8-5
SINGLES
1) Estrella, UIW, d. Mullor, CU, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
2) Pazos, CU, d. Holliday, UIW, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2
3) Murgier, CU, d. Castillo, UIW, 7-6, 4-6, 2-5 retired
4) Easton, CU, d. Cayaman, UIW, 62, 6-1
5) Samii, CU, d. Obregon, UIW, 6-3, 6-2
6) Pierce Brandon, UIW, vs. Agustin Criado, CU, Did Not Finish
RECORDS:
INCARNATE WORD 10-6
CAMERON 14-4
NUMBER FIVE BARRY WINS OVER UIW -- posted Friday, April 4 2008
Henry Estrella upheld his nation's second ranking Friday with wins in both singles and doubles.
BARRY 7, INCARNATE WORD 2
Incarnate Word got close Friday afternoon before dropping a dual match to Barry of Florida, the nation’s number five team in Division II.
UIW, ranked 18th in the same poll, won at the top doubles position as Henry Estrella and Michael Castillo won. The Cardinals however lost the next two doubles to go down 2-1.
Estrella, ranked number two in Division II, had to go three sets before he prevailed over Barry’s Patrick Rittenauer in three sets, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2. Rittenauer is number 25 the country.
That, however, would be it for the day as far as Incarnate Word was concerned. While the top four singles matches all went three sets, the Buccaneers won two through four to clinch the match and then won five and six for good measure. The Buccaneers go away at 14-3 on the year.
DOUBLES
1) Henry Estrella-Michael Castillo, UIW, d. Patrick Rittenauer-Ales Svigelj, BU, 8-5
2) Emmanuel Fraitzl-Jakub Fejfar, BU, d. Chase Holliday-Efrain Cayama, UIW, 8-6
3) Roman Werschel-Christoph Gayer, BU, d. Rudy Obregon-Jake McMindes, UIW, 8-5
SINGLES
1) Estrella, UIW, d. Rittenauer, BU, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2
2) Fraitzl, BU, d. Holliday, UIW, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
3) Svigelj, BU, d. Castillo, UIW, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
4) Werschel, BU, d. Cayama, UIW, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0
5) Fejfar, BU, d. Obregon, UIW
6) Manuel Laufer, BU, d. McMindes, UIW
RECORDS:
Barry 14-3
Incarnate Word 10-5
CARDINALS RANKED HIGH IN FIRST POLL -- posted Wednesday, April 2 2008
The NCAA has announced its first Central Regional poll of the spring for Division II men’s tennis and Incarnate Word has achieved a lofty position.
Based on their perfect 5-0 mark inside the region, the Cardinals are positioned at number two. For the season UIW is 10-4.
Topping this initial voting is Cameron of Oklahoma which, like UIW, is 5-0 inside the region. The regional mark is the one that carries the most weight when it comes time to select teams to compete for the national title. Cameron comes to town on April 11 for a regional showdown. Matches that day at the Mabry Center will begin at 10 a.m.
With 10 days remaining in the UIW regular season, the Cardinals hold wins over Abilene Christian, St. Edward’s, St. Mary’s and Dallas Baptist, all ranked squads. At the end of the season, the top two teams will host the opening rounds of the Division II tournament.
Following Cameron and Incarnate Word are Abilene Christian at third and Midwestern State at fourth. Midwestern State and Incarnate Word were originally set for a match on Saturday (April 5) but travel difficulties for the Mustangs forced the match to be cancelled.
CENTRAL REGION POLL (April 2)
1) Cameron (Okla)
2) Incarnate Word
3) Abilene Christian
4) Midwestern State
5) St. Edward’s
6) East Central Oklahoma
7) Southeastern Oklahoma
8) St. Mary’s
9) Dallas Baptist
UIW OUTLASTS NATIONAL JC CHAMPIONS -- posted Tuesday, March 18 2008
Senior Chase Holliday got the deciding singles point in UIW's win over the defending national JC champions.
INCARNATE WORD MEN 5, LAREDO CC 4
Three key matches went three sets Tuesday afternoon and Incarnate Word won two on the way to avenging an earlier loss to Laredo CC with a 5-4 win over the three-time defending national junior college champions.
With two matches still in progress and the day's outcome remaining in doubt, Cardinals senior Chase Holliday outlasted Francisco Segura in a three-setter to give UIW its needed fifth point and seal the verdict. In just one of several spirited matches on the day, Holliday prevailed 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.
The Palominos having won the last three national titles were a perfect 5-0 before Tuesday and were ranked number one in the nation among junior colleges. They go home now with a 5-1 mark while Incarnate Word improves to 8-4.
UIW jumped in front by winning two of the three doubles matches which opened play. Interesting enough, Holliday and his partner Efrain Cayama lost at number two in doubles for the only negative point.
The Cardinals got a forfeit at number three singles to go up 3-1 before LCC won at the four and six singles to even the overall count at 3-3.
Incarnate Word got its fourth point at number one singles with a Henry Estrella win over Miguel Santos in the other key three-setter, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
That set up Holliday for his dramatic win.
The Tuesday victory at the Mabry Center evened the year's series with Laredo which had defeated UIW 6- 3 back on March 1 in Laredo.
DOUBLES
1) Henry Estrella-Michael Castillo, UIW, d. Miguel Santos-Francisco Segura, LCC, 8-4
2) J. C. Tolertino-Maxime Moreau, LCC, d. Chase Holliday-Efrain Cayama, UIW, 8-3
3) Rudy Obregon-Jake McMindes, UIW, d. Diego Troiano-Georgie Perez, LCC, 8-3
SINGLES
1) Estrella, UIW, d. Santos, LCC, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
2) Holliday, UIW, d. Segura, LCC, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
3) Michael Castillo, UIW, d. J. C. Talentino, LCC, default
4) Moreau, LCC, d. Cayama, UIW, 6-2, 6-3
5) Troiano, LCC, d. Obregon, UIW, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
6) Perez, LCC, d. McMindes, UIW, 6-2, 7-6
RECORDS:
LCC 5-1
UIW 8-4
UIW DROPS MATCH TO NATIONALLY RANKED TEAM -- posted Monday, March 17 2008
HAWAII PACIFIC MEN 6, INCARNATE WORD 3
Hawaii Pacific rolled into the Mabry Center Monday afternoon filled with confidence and ranked number 10 across the whole of Division II and the Sea Warriors had to scrap all afternoon to go away with a 6-3 win over Incarnate Word.
Sporting a perfect 10-0 record, now 11-0, HPU dropped the top doubles match at the outset when UIW's Henry Estrella and Michael Castillo won 8-2. Pacific however captured numbers two and three doubles heading for the singles competition.
Quickly the Sea Warriors won at numbers three and four and moved to within one point of the needed five to win the entire day. That came at the number two singles where Mark Mestan defeated UIW's Chase Holliday 6-4, 6-2.
After HPU reached five points, Incarnate Word won two of the remaining three singles including Henry Estrella's victory at number one.
At the end of the day UIW is 7-4. The Cardinals are ranked number 24 in the same poll which put HPU at 10.
DOUBLES
1) Henry Estrella-Michael Castillo, UIW, d. Mark Mestan-Anton Sanuilau, HPU, 8-3
2) Nikola Petrov-Daniel Luedi, HPU, d. Chase Holliday-Efrain Cayama, UIW, 9-8 (2)
3) Hendrik Bode-Jan Hroch, HPU, d. Rudy Obregon-Jake McMindes, UIW, 8-4
SINGLES
1) Estrella, UIW, d. Bode, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
2) Mestan, HPU, d. Holliday, UIW, 6-4, 6-2
3) Ludi, HPU, d. Castillo, UIW, 6-2, 6-2
4) Petzov, HPU, d. Cayama, UIW, 6-2, 6-2
5) Obregon, UIW, d. Samuilau, HPU, 4-1 default
6) Hroch, HPU, d. McMindes, UIW, 6-4, 6-1
RECORDS:
Hawaii Pacific 11-0
Incarnate Word 7-4
CARDINALS SLAM DOOR ON ST. MARY'S -- posted Friday, March 14 2008
Senior Chase Holliday won his number two singles match giving UIW the needed fifth point for victory.
INCARNATE WORD MEN 9, ST. MARY’S 0
If there was a critical win Friday afternoon it came at number two singles as Incarnate Word shut out St. Mary’s 9-0 in Heartland Conference tennis action at the Mabry Center.
Senior Chase Holliday put away Andres Guerrero 6-1, 6-3 at that position giving the Cardinals their magical fifth point in a nine-point match.
Leading off the day UIW had captured all three doubles matches followed by a win from senior Henry Estrella at number one singles, 6-4, 6-3, over Rodrigo Lacayo. That was the fourth point giving way to the fifth and winner from Holliday.
The Cardinals thereafter whipped through the remaining four singles for the shutout.
Next up for the Cardinals is the nation’s number 22 team Hawaii Pacific. That match is set for Monday at 2 p.m. at the UIW Mabry Center.
DOUBLES
1) Henry Estrella-Michael Castillo, UIW, d. Rodrigo Lacayo-Troy Neighbors, StM, 8-3
2) Chase Holliday-Rudy Obregon, UIW, d. Vitas Vandyke-Marcos Villarreal, StM, 8-4
3) Efrain Cayama-Jake McMindes, UIW, d. Andres Guerrero-Russell Stoders, StM, 8-0
SINGLES
1) Estrella, UIW, d. Lacayo, StM, 6-4, 6-3
2) Holliday, UIW, d. Guerrero, StM, 6-1, 6-3
3) Cayama, UIW, d. Neighbors, StM, 6-3, 6-3
4) Obregon, UIW, d. Vandyke, StM, 6-0, 6-0
5) McMindes, UIW, d. Villarreal, StM, 6-4, 6-2
6) Stephen Cavazos, UIW, d. Stoders, StM, 6-1, 6-0
RECORDS:
StM 3-7
UIW 7-3
MEN TAKE TENNIS MATCH FROM SCHREINER -- posted Wednesday, March 12 2008
Incarnate Word's men's tennis team sailed to an 8-1 win over visiting Schreiner Wednesday afternoon droppng only two sets the entire day.
The Cardinals got out quickly with wins in all three doubles followed by wins at one through four singles. The lone blemish came at number five singles where Schreiner's Josh Schumann defeated UIW's John Anderson 6-2, 7-6.
Next up for the Cardinals is a Friday (March 14) meeting with Heartland Conference rival St. Mary's. The matches at UIW's Mabry Center begin at 2 p.m.
DOUBLES
1) Chase Holliday-Efrain Cayama, UIW, d. Brent Coleman-riley Winterringer, SU, 8-4
2) Rudy Obregon-Jake McMindes, UIW, d. Carlo Sasam-Ben Jackson, SU, 8-0
3) Hunter Carter-Gerardo Gomez, UIW, d. Josh Schumann-Dan Oklan, SU, 8-5
SINGLES
1) Holliday, UIW, d. Sasam, SU, 6-0, 6-0
2) Obregon, UIW, d. Winterringer, SU, 6-0, 6-0
3) Cayama, UIW, Coleman, SU, 6-1, 6-3
4) McMindes, UIW, d. Jackson, SU, 6-4, 6-1
5) Schumann, SU, d. John Anderson, UIW, 6-2, 7-6
6) Stephen Cavazos, UIW, d. Okland, SU, 6-1, 6-2
RECORDS:
Incarnate Word 6-3
Schreiner 2-2
UIW MEN SPLIT A PAIR OF MATCHES -- posted Monday, March 10 2008
Incarnate Word’s men’s tennis team split their most recent pair of matches and in the process won on the day that counted the most.
The Cardinals traveled north to Austin to engage St. Edward’s in a match that many observers said would be an indication of what might happen down the road at the Heartland Conference championships and then the NCAA regional tournament.
The Cardinals prevailed by a count of 6-3 over the Hilltoppers who were ranked number 17 in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The Cardinals went in rated 24th.
UIW got off on a good foot when its top two doubles teams won their points and then Henry Estrella, Chase Holliday and Michael Castillo won in singles at numbers one through three.
Following that win, the Cardinals returned to San Antonio to face perennial Division II powerhouse Trinity on the Trinity courts. Incarnate Word dropped that match 6-3 based largely on the Tigers winning all three doubles to begin the day.
The three Incarnate Word points came at numbers one and two singles, Estrella and Holliday, and at number five where Rudy Obregon won in three sets.
UIW WINS HOME OPENER IN TENNIS -- posted Friday, February 29 2008
INCARNATE WORD MEN 7, MCMURRY 2
Incarnate Word's men's tennis team opened the home side of its spring schedule Friday afternoon with an 7-2 victory over McMurry University in a match played at the Mabry Center on the UIW campus.
Incarnate Word won the first and second doubles matches to get out early before McMurry captured the third doubles to make it 2-1 heading into the singles.
From there however the Cardinals swept all but the number five singles on the way to the victory and to a 4-1 season record.
The Cardinals next will be in Laredo on Saturday for a match at Laredo College.
DOUBLES
1) Henry Estrella-Michael Castillo, UIW, d. Will Davis-Bryan Rainwater, MU, 8-2
2) Chase Holliday-Rudy Obregon, UIW, d. Adam Ewing-Brian Armour, MU, 8-3
3) Olivares-Brad Armour, MU, d. John Andersoln-Pierce Brandan, UIW, 8-5
SINGLES
1) Holliday, UIW, d. Davis, MU, 6-2, 6-2
2) Obregon, UIW, d. Rainwater, MU, 6-3, 6-1
3) Efrain Cayama, UIW, d. Tony Williams, MU, 6-4, 6-2
4) Jake McMindes, UIW, d. Ross Bennett, MU, 6-1, 6-1
5) Ewing, MU, d. Rodrigo Pope, UIW, 6-2, 6-3
6) Brandan, UIW, d. Brad Armour, MU, 6-3, 6-2
RECORDS:
UIW 4-1
MU 3-4
UIW’S ESTRELLA TO PLAY DAVIS CUP -- posted Tuesday, January 29 2008
Senior Henry Estrella will represent the Dominican Republic in upcoming Davis Cup action.
Incarnate Word senior Henry Estrella for the fifth straight year will compete for his home country, the Dominican Republic, in Davis Cup tennis action in early February.
Estrella plays number two on the Dominican team while his brother Victor is the country’s top player. Also, the brothers will play doubles together when Dominica travels to play Bolivia in the first round of Group 2 in the American Zone. The matches February 8 to 10 are set for Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
A year ago the Estrella brothers and Dominica reached the group semi-finals before falling to Paraguay. UIW’s Estrella and his homeland team the previous years had reached the zone finals.
If Dominica triumphs in the first round, Estrella and his team will be at home in Santa Domingo, in April, to host the second round when the likely opponent would be Ecuador, the zone favorite. Group 2 includes eight nations.
At Incarnate Word Estrella is ranked number four in the nation for Division II according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). In the most recent ITA poll, UIW as a team is 23rd in the nation.
Last fall, Estrella won a regional title and advanced all the way to the semi-finals in the ITA-sponsored Super Bowl of Small Colleges
ESTRELLA FALLS IN SUPER BOWL; TO PLAY FOR THIRD -- posted Friday, October 12 2007
Incarnate Word senior Henry Estrella reached the semi-finals before falling to a higher-seeded player in the Division II portion of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) National Small College Championships.
In Friday’s match, Estrella was on the short side of the 6-1, 6-0 decision which went to third-seeded Alex Grubin of Concordia University (Minn).
Estrella, the Central Regional champion, entered the competition in Mobile, Ala., as the seventh seed. In the quarterfinals, he was the only player other than numbers one or two seeds to win a match. He defeated the number two seeded Julien Carsuzza of Lynn University.
Now, on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Estrella will play Florian Halb of Valdosta State for third place. Halb is seeded fourth.
Running concurrently are competitions for both men’s and women’s singles and doubles in Division II, Division III, NAIA and Junior College. At the end of Saturday, each of the four divisions will have champions and those winners will compete in the Super Bowl of small colleges. The ultimate winners earn at-large berths in November’s ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships in Ohio. This indoor event is primarily a Division I tournament.
This is Estrella’s second consecutive trip to the tournament. A year ago he won the Central Region but lost his first-round match in the national competition.
ESTRELLA ADVANCES AT SUPER BOWL -- posted Thursday, October 11 2007
MOBILE, Ala. – Incarnate Word's Henry Estrella created the lone upset on day one of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) National Small College Championships being contested in Mobile, Ala.
In the first round of Division II singles play, Estrella, seeded seventh, advanced with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over second seed Julien Carsuza of Florida's Lynn University. Next up for Estrella is an 8:30 a.m. match Friday against fourth seed Alex Gruben of Minnesota's Concordia University.
This is Estrella's second consecutive trip to the Super Bowl of college tennis. A year ago, after winning the Central Region, he fell in the first round.
All eight of the No. 1 seeds advanced to Friday's semifinals with opening round wins Thursday at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center.
This unique event is presented by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Outback Steakhouse. It dates back to 1986 and determines national champions for NCAA Divisions II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College men's and women's singles and doubles during the first two-and-a-half days of play.
Those champions then compete to become the overall national small college champs (for all divisions) on Oct. 13-14 in the ITA "Super Bowl" of Small College Tennis.
All but one of the No. 2 seeds in the divisions also notched opening round victories today. The lone upset came in men's Division II, where Estrella topped Carsuzza.
The overall ITA "Super Bowl" of Small College Tennis champions on Oct. 14 will earn wild cards into the Nov. 1-4 ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, hosted by The Ohio State University in Columbus. This tournament is the second of three national championships for Division I tennis and offers the small college participants the opportunity to become champions for all divisions of collegiate tennis.
UIW’S ESTRELLA GOES TO SUPER BOWL -- posted Tuesday, October 9 2007
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association this weekend will conduct its annual super bowl of tennis and Incarnate Word’s Henry Estrella will be competing for the singles title beginning October 11 and running through October 14.
Estrella, a senior at UIW, recently won the Central Regional title and that gave him a ticket to the national tournament for the second year in a row. Estrella will open competition in the Division II bracket on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. when he plays Julien Carsuzza of Lynn University of Florida.
Estrella is the seventh seed while Carsuzza, who won the Southeast title, is second. The Lynn name on Carsuzza’s shirt will look familiar as a year ago Estrella split sets with Lorenzo Cava of Lynn before retiring with an ankle injury. Even more familiar is the fact that this year in the Southeast Carsuzza defeated Cava in the finals.
Begun back in 1986, the ITA National Small College Championships this year are being contested in Mobile, Ala., at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center.
After Estrella won his singles title in the regional tournament, he narrowly missed a double invitation to the super bowl. He and UIW teammate Michael Castillo reached the final match in doubles before falling.
This is a unique format for college tennis. In the initial rounds, there are four tournaments—Division II, Division III, NAIA, Junior College--with eight competitors each. When each division determines its winner, those four will come together in a semi-final round of action leading to a overall national small college champion.
Within each of those four divisions, a national champion will be declared in men’s and women’s singles, and men’s and women’s doubles. Those winners then get wild card berths into the November ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships set for Columbus, Ohio. That tournament principally will include players from Division I schools.
ESTRELLA DEFENDS ITA TITLE -- posted Monday, September 24 2007
Incarnate Word senior Henry Estrella headed up a strong Cardinal showing over the weekend by defending his ITA Central Regional singles title at the event played at Abilene Christian University.
Estrella won five matches between Friday and Sunday and all were in straight sets. Only in two sets did he give up as many as four games to an opponent. It ended with his 6-2, 6-2 finals win over Juan Nunez of Abilene Christian. A year ago Estrella won the regional crown and advanced to the second round of the national title event.
Singles play was not the only concentration for Estrella as he teamed with fellow Dominican Michael Castillo to reach the doubles final before dropping a 6-3, 6-3 match to Hudson and Nunez of ACU.
The Cardinals were dominate enough that UIW had two players reach the semi-finals setting up the possibility of Incarnate Word playing Incarnate for the singles title. Senior Chase Holliday however dropped his semi’s match to Nunez by the count of 6-1, 6-2.
Castillo won three singles matches and reached the quarterfinal round before retiring in the first set with an injury allowing Ignacio Murgier of Cameron (Okla) to move through.
Also, senior Rudy Obregon of UIW reached the round of 32 in singles and then teamed with Holliday to win a pair of matches and reach the quarters before falling to the ACU team of Hudson and Nunez.
With his singles victory, Estrella now prepares for the ITA National Championships set for Mobile, Ala., from October 11 to 14.
UIW SINGLES RESULTS
Round of 64
Rudy Obregon, UIW, d. Chris Kriel, East Central Oklahoma, 6-3, 3-0 (retired)
Michael Castillo, UIW, d. Danilo Hiraoka, SE Oklahoma, 6-0, 6-1
Round of 32
Chase Holliday, UIW, d. Mick Walter, St. Edward’s, 6-4, 7-5
Henry Estrella, UIW, d. Bernard Lancaster, St. Edward’s, 6-0, 6-2
Juan Nunez, Abilene Christian, d. Rudy Obregon, UIW, 6-4, 6-2
Michael Castillo, UIW, d. Daniel Pazos, Cameron (Okla), 5-7, 7-5, 2-0 (retired)
Round of 16
Chase Holliday, UIW, d. Petr Sitnikov, East Central Oklahoma, 6-2, 6-4
Henry Estrella, UIW, d. Cristian Easton, Cameron (Okla), 6-0, 6-4
Michael Castillo, UIW, d. Bryan Joiner, Abilene Christian, 6-4, 7-6
Quarterfinals
Henry Estrella, UIW, d. Joey Farias, Abilene Christian, 6-1, 6-2
Chase Holliday, UIW, d. Jordi Mullor, Cameron (Okla), 6-0, 6-4
Ignacio Murgier, Cameron (Okla) d. Michael Castillo, UIW, 4-3 (retired)
Semifinals
Henry Estrella, UIW, d. Ignacio Murgier, Cameron (Okla), 6-3, 6-4
Juan Nunez, Abilene Christian, d. Chase Holliday, UIW, 6-1, 6-2
FINALS
Henry Estrella, UIW, d. Juan Nunez, Abilene Christian, 6-2, 6-2
UIW DOUBLES RESULTS
Round of 32
Holliday-Obregon, UIW, d. Mascheroni-Samii, Cameron (Okla), 6-3, 7-6
Round of 16
Holliday-Obregon, UIW, d. Disley-Hiraoka, SE Oklahoma, 6-0, 6-1
Castillo-Estrella, UIW, d. Mullor-Murgier, Cameron (Okla), 6-4, 6-1
Quarterfinals
Castillo-Estrella, UIW, d. Hawk-Jones, Abilene Christian, 6-2, 6-2
Hudson-Nunez, Abilene Christian, d. Holliday-Obregon, UIW, 6-2, 0-6, 10-6
Semifinals
Castillo-Estrella, UIW, d. Barrios-Raiti, St. Edward’s, 6-2, 6-3
Finals
Hudson-Nunez, Abilene Christian, d. Castillo-Estrella, UIW, 6-3, 6-3
