2001 E-Force 29th World
Intercollegiate Championships
Las Vegas Sporting House
Las
Vegas, Nevada: March 28 - April 1
releases
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2:00 pm -- Women's #1 Singles Final: #1 Brooke Crawford (Santa Clara) vs. #2 Kristen Walsh (Baldwin Wallace)
3:00 pm -- Men's #1 Gold Singles: #1 Shane Vanderson (Baldwin Wallace) vs. #2 Josh Tucker (Southern Missouri State)
Singles champions will be appointed to the U.S. National Team for a term of one-year.
Mixed #1 Doubles Final @ 10:00 am
Women's #1 Doubles Final @ 4:00 pm
Men's #1 Doubles Final @ 5:00 pm
Playoffs for all other roster positions (singles #2-#6 and doubles #2-#3) will take place throughout the day, with team points for Division I and II schools tallied and announced at the event banquet on Saturday evening.
In the men's draw, top seeded Shane Vanderson (Baldwin Wallace) got past Jason Jansen (Normandale Community College in two straight games. In the first game Vanderson was brilliant, jumping out to a 9-0 lead and finishing the game 15-6. Jansen does not give up easily as Willie Tilton (University of Southern Colorado) can attest to. In the semifinal match-up between Tilton and Jansen, Tilton took the first game 15-3 only to lose the match in a tiebreaker.
It looked as though Jansen was planning the same type of comeback in his match versus Vanderson when he stormed out to a 10-0 lead. He slowed down the pace and forced Vanderson into making costly mistakes. After coming out
of a timeout at 10-0 Vanderson "was just thinking about getting a point." He got his point but it didn't seem to slow down Jansen who quickly rattled off two more to make the score 12-1. That is when Vanderson started his remarkable comeback with crisp passes and amazing gets that rattled Jansen and forced him to take his own timeout at 13-9, but Vanderson was relentless scoring the next six points to take the match and reserve his spot in Saturday's final.
"At 10-0, I pretty much thought that I wasn't going to be able to come back." Explained Vanderson, "I just concentrated on getting a point and then I wanted to get more than six so that I could have the first serve in the
tiebreaker. When I got to ten I thought, 'Maybe I can win this thing'." He did just that and will face Josh Tucker (Southern Missouri State) for the right to earn a spot on the U.S. National team.
Second seeded Tucker, who faced Jeff Bloom (CA Western School of Law), was impressive in his match. He kept the pressure on the entire match and overpowered Bloom with hard passes and pinch rollouts. Bloom seemed frustrated with himself at times and could never really get into the flow of the match as Tucker took it in straight games, 15-2, 15-3. "I felt really comfortable out there today, as I have all week. I felt relaxed and just went out there and played my game."
This won't be the first time that Vanderson and Tucker have faced each other in a big match, previously they met in the finals of the 1999 18-and-under Junior Nationals and, in the same year, the 18-and-under Junior Worlds. Tucker was victorious in both matches and Vanderson may have revenge on his mind.
Top seeded Brooke Crawford (Santa Clara) had little trouble advancing, as she was victorious in her semifinal match against Christina Lewendal (Oregon State), 15-9, 15-6. Lewendahl, who previously hadn't lost a game during the
tournament, was overpowered by Crawford and forced into many mistakes. Through her determination she was able to keep the match close but in the end Crawford proved to be just too much.
Kristin Walsh (Baldwin Wallace), the number two seed, was outstanding in her match against Claudia Corpi (University of Southern Colorado). She blanked Corpi 15-0 in the first game while never missing a shot. The second game was much of the same as Walsh jumped out to an 11-0 lead but the spunky Corpi never gave up, diving time and time again to retrieve Walsh's kill shots. At one point in the match Corpi dove, opening up a cut on her left knee and was forced to take an injury time out. After the injury it was
noticeable that the knee was bothering her every time she got up after a dive but the outcome might have been the same as Walsh took the second game 15-6.
"I felt really good out there, all of my shots were going how I wanted them to. I feel that I step it up at National tournaments, I love playing in them and I look forward to playing in the finals tomorrow."
Just as in the men's finals, Crawford and Walsh are not strangers when it comes to playing each other with a title on the line. They faced each other in the finals of the 1999 High School National Championships in which Walsh edged Crawford for the title.
Two of the top seeds were upset, and another pushed to the limit, during Thursday's action. Jason Jansen (Normandale Community College) knocked off No.4 seeded Willie Tilton (University of Southern Colorado) in the first quarterfinal match of the day. Tilton looked as though he was in control of the match as he took the first game with ease, 15-3. But Jansen was able to re-group between games and stormed back to take the second, 15-5. With both games so lopsided, it was hard to tell what would happen in the tiebreaker.
Tilton took the first lead in the deciding game, jumping out to
a 4-1 advantage, but Jansen wouldn't be denied. "I knew that if I could keep him moving from side to side, like I did in the second game, that I could win the match."
Jansen did some moving himself, with spectacular diving retrievals,
and after each of them, jumping up and pumping his fists to keep his momentum going. Fueled on emotion, Jansen rolled off ten unanswered points to take the game 11-4, and earn the right to
advance into the semifinals.
Jeff Bloom (CA Western School of Law) pulled off the second upset of the day, with surprising ease, over Ceasar Carrillo (University of Memphis) 15-8, 15-1. Bloom has been playing superbly all week,
has not lost a game, and held each of his opponents to under ten points. He will face Josh Tucker (Missouri Southern State), who also has not given up a game
yet this tournament, in their semifinal.
The number one seed, and current 18-and-under world champion, Shane Vanderson (Baldwin Wallace), cut short Ryan Rodgers' (University of Texas) run after a hard fought match that went into a tiebreaker. The match featured some of the most exciting rallies of the week, as both players made unbelievable retrieves, diving and returning balls that seemed impossible to get. Vanderson, who also is a member of the Baldwin Wallace golf team, may have had the Las Vegas links on his mind as he dropped the first game 15-13.
He then re-focused between games and, with the support of his cheering teammates, was able to pull off the win by taking the second game and tiebreaker 15-3,
11-5.
Top seeded Brooke Crawford (Santa Clara), was tested against Melissa Borgwat (Shasta College). Borgwat came out hot in the first game ad grabbed an early lead, going up 11-6. Crawford then gathered herself and battled back to tie the score at 13-13. But Borgwat quickly finished with a perfectly executed cross-court pinch just out of Crawford's reach.
In the second game it was clear that Crawford had
only one thing on her mind - winning. She jumped out to a 13-0 lead and hardly missed a shot during her run. With each shot you could sense her confidence grow as she hit crisp passes and low pinches. Borgwat struggled to get on the board and eventually succumbed
with a 15-4 second game score. In the deciding third, Crawford once
again was on fire, pulling away with a 5-0 lead. Borgwat made it interesting by closing the gap to 5-4 but that was as close as she would get, as Crawford scored the last
six points to take the game, and the match, 11-4.
Claudia Corpi (University of Southern Colorado) was pushed to the limit by Liana Kerwood (University of Oregon) in their quarterfinal,
after Corpi won the first game, 15-10, but Kerwood evened things up in the second
with a 15-8 win.
In the tiebreaker, a frustrated Corpi quickly found herself on the wrong side of a 6-1 lead, then called a time-out to confer with her coach. "I was being defensive and not taking shots." Corpi explained, "I was moving well and diving but when I did I would hit ceiling balls or lob it back to her. I needed to be more aggressive."
That she was as she began to hit a hard z-serve and quickly tied the score at 6-6. Kerwood wasn't fazed and rattled off three more points of her own to take a 9-6 lead. Again, Corpi dug deep to tie the score at 9-9 and after a series of side-outs she was able to pull out the match with an 11-9 victory.
Plenty of Action But No Upsets on First Day of National Intercollegiate Racquetball Championships
In the men's division, top seeded Shane Vanderson (Baldwin Wallace) survived an early scare in the first game against Ricardo Soto (Utah State) before prevailing 15-14, 15-7. He will face Ryan Rodgers (University of Texas) tomorrow at 3:30pm. Second seeded Josh Tucker made quick work of his
opponent, Jon Solomon (Clarkson University), 15-1, 15-2. Tomorrow he will be challenged by James Ford (University of North Carolina - Charlotte), who also was impressive in his match by winning 15-3, 15-0. Third seeded Ceasar Carrillo (University of Memphis) and fourth seeded Willie Tilton (University of Southern Colorado) both advanced and will play their quarterfinal matches tomorrow afternoon.
The women also followed form with all the top seeds advancing to the quarterfinals. The top seed, Brooke Crawford (Santa Clara), will face Melissa Borgwat (Shasta College) after defeating Yen Quach (Southwest Missouri State), 15-5, 15-2. Second seeded, Kristin Walsh (Baldwin Wallace), will be paired with Quinn Morton (Penn State), third seeded, Claudia Corpi (University of Southern Colorado), will play against Liana Kerwood (University of Oregon), and fourth seeded, Christina Lewendal (Oregon State University), will be challenged by Ning Spears (Brigham Young University).
The most exciting match of the day was between Ryan Rodgers (University of Texas) and Travis Passey (Brigham Young University) in the first round of the men's #1 singles. Throughout the match both players exhibited their athleticism by making spectacular retrieving dives time and time again. Rodgers won the first game in which they battled back and forth, the lead never venturing further than a few points at a time. In the second game Rodgers came out hot and took a commanding 10-1 lead, looking as though he would walk away with the match in straight games, but Passey battled back rolling off 14 unanswered points to take the second game 15-10. Unshaken by his collapse in the second game, Rodgers came out hot again in the tiebreaker, taking an early 8-2 lead - and this time he would not give it up. After several more fantastic rallies, Rodgers won the tiebreaker and the match, 11-4.
Matches are scheduled through Saturday at the Las Vegas Sporting House located on Industrial Road in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Field Set for E-Force 29th USRA
National Intercollegiate Racquetball
Championships
In the men's gold singles division, top-seeded Shane Vanderson (Baldwin Wallace College) has a bye in the first round and will then face the winner of the match between Nicholas Kost (Marist College) and Ricardo Soto (Utah State) at 3:45 pm. Second seeded, Josh Tucker (Missouri Southern State) will face Max Hazen (Wright State) at 1:45 pm. The third seed, Ceasar Carrillo (University of Memphis) will be challenged by Casey Richardson (U.S. Airforce Academy), and No.4 seeded Willie Tilton (University of Southern Colorado) will go up against Aaron Johnson (Southwest Missouri State).
In the women's gold division, all of the top seeds have bye's in the first round and will play their first matches of the tournament on Wednesday afternoon. The starting times for those matches will be: #1 seed Brooke Crawford (Santa Clara) - 2:30pm, #2 seed Kristin Walsh (Baldwin Wallace College) - 5:15pm, #3 seed Claudia Corpi (University of Southern Colorado) - 6pm, #4 seed Christina Lewendal (Oregon State) - 6pm.
Matches begin each day at 9:00 am and continue into the afternoon and early evening. The women's gold division final will be played at 2:00 pm Saturday and the men's gold division final will be played at 3:00 pm on Saturday. Eligible winners (U.S. citizens) of each of these divisions will earn a one year appointment to the U.S. National Team.
preview
Last year's silver medalist and current 18 and under boys world champion, Shane Vanderson (Baldwin Wallace), hopes to add the intercollegiate title to his list of accomplishments, while Josh Tucker (Missouri Southern State) is expected to challenge Vanderson after finishing in the quarterfinals at last year's event. Also look for Ceasar Carrillo (University of Memphis), last years men's #2 singles gold medal winner, to make a splash as he moves up into the #1 men's singles field.
Brooke Crawford (Santa Clara) will seek her first intercollegiate championship after taking home the silver in last year's competition. She'll be challenged by freshman sensation, Kristen Walsh (Baldwin Wallace). A final between the two could be a repeat match up of the 1999 National High School Championships where Walsh edged Crawford for the title.
With wins at this event, Vanderson and Walsh would join Jack Huczek as the only current players to boast membership on both the U.S. Junior National Team and U.S. Adult National Team.
The University of Southern Colorado will be seeking its fourth straight overall team title, while the Brigham Young University team will be going for its seventh consecutive women's team title. Expected to challenge for the overall title is Baldwin Wallace College, last year's division II team title winners. After ending a six year title drought last year with the men's team title, the University of Memphis is also expected to be in the mix with a strong team.
Matches begin Wednesday, March 28, at the Las Vegas Sporting House, with some matches also being played at the Chuck Minker Sporting Complex. Titles in six singles and three doubles divisions for men and women and three mixed doubles divisions will be up for grabs, in addition to Division I and II men's, women's and overall team titles.