TABOR COLLEGE: Bluejay netters dethrone three-time champs
Men's tennis team unseats Bethany for first-ever KCAC title; Isaac named Coach of the Year
BY RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Since Lonnie Isaac resumed the coaching duties of the Tabor tennis program two years ago, one team has been standing in the Bluejays' way of capturing their first ever league title.
Regardless of how good their players are, the Bethany Swedes have always found a way to leave Tabor playing nothing better than second fiddle.
That's yesterday's news.
Paced by a quintet of first-place finishes, the Bluejays finally dethroned the back-to-back-to-back defending KCAC champion Swedes April 26 at the league meet held at Wichita's Ralph Wurz Riverside Tennis Center.
Of the nine matches and eight finals the Bluejays competed in, the worst of any finish was third place.
The Bluejays upended the Swedes decisively, too, winning by a 100-84 margin.
"This was a big step for our tennis program," Isaac said. "It's big for the kids and especially the seniors to beat Bethany both in duals and the tournament. Something like this can really help in recruiting wars."
For leading the Bluejays to their first league title in school history, Isaac was tabbed the league's Coach of the Year.
"That's a honor that comes from the players," said Isaac of his being named coach of the year. "It's the players that make the coach. The league coaches vote on that and it's good to have your piers recognize what you're doing."
In first singles, Ryan Camping advanced to the semifinals with a bye before beating his Southwestern opponent in two matches by a pair of 6-3 scores.
Camping outlasted the Swedes' Bryan Harvey the first match of the finals, 6-3, but stumbled in the next two, 6-2 and 7-5, respectively.
Despite a runner-up finish, Camping was still named to the KCAC's first team.
The second singles competitor, Rob Baboniu also advanced to the semifinal round via bye.
Baboniu toppled the Bethel Threshers' Josh Heim 6-0 and 6-1 to set up a final match with the Friends Falcons' Dennis Matzen.
But Matzen tripped Baboniu in two, 6-1 and 6-2. Baboniu joined both Camping and Michael Hagen as first- team selections.
Competing in number three singles, Hagen advanced to the semifinal final match against Southwestern's Jason Kearns.
Hagen blanked Kearns by a pair of 6-0 scores, leaving only Swede Micah Larson standing in his way of a league title.
Hagen's pair of 6-1 wins marked the first of five gold medals for the Bluejays on the day.
The Bluejays' success didn't drop off in fourth singles with James Fisher beating Southwestern's Warren Hanson in the semifinals, 6-0 and 6-1.
Fisher topped Friends' Brian Kerschen 6-1 and 6-3 for Tabor's second singles' title of the day. Fisher was also tabbed the league's co-scholar of the year along with being selected to the second team.
After a first round bye, sophomore Neil Rabi beat Southwestern senior Brent Wolf 6-3 and 7-5 to set the table for a title match against Bethany's Ryan Beigert.
Beigert got the best of Rabi the first match, 6-4, but Rabi kept the Bluejays' success rolling, winning the next two by 6-3 margins.
Only a sophomore, Rabi joined Fisher as part of the league's second team.
Rounding out the singles' titles was number six Jon Adrian.
Adrian got to the Falcons' Brandon Hickel in the final match after posting 6-2 and 6-0 wins over the Swedes' Matt Samson in the semifinals.
Hickel fared no better than Samson, falling victim to Adrian's two 6-1 wins in the title match.
Tabor's lone title in doubles' action came from the third team of Adrian and Rabi.
The one doubles team of Camping and Scott Friesen got to the semifinal match knocking off the Southwestern team, 6-2 and 7-5.
Camping and Friesen dropped down to the third-place match after falling to the eventual champions Harvey and Mark Sullivan, 7-5 and 6-4 in semifinals.
Tabor picked up its only third place finish with Camping and Friesen topping Kansas Wesleyan's Brent Mooney and Adam Tripp in two 6-4 wins.
The second doubles team of Hagen and Baboniu beat Southwestern's team of Ramon Lozano and Kearns with 6-0 victories to face the Swedes' team of Larson and Beirgert in the final match.
The Bluejays edged the Swedes' team 6-4 in the opening set but dropped the next two by 6-3 margins to finish as runner-up.
Tabor's lone doubles title came from the third team of Rabi and Adrian, who beat Bethel's Justin Wasmuth and Joel Gaeddert in the semifinals by 6-2 marks.
Even with the help of teammate Adam Erker, the Falcons' Hickel couldn't beat Adrian, who along with Rabi, topped Friends 6-0 and 6-2, respectively.
The Bluejays face the Great Plains Conference champion Sioux Falls (S.D.) in the first round of regionals Saturday again at Wichita's Riverside Tennis Center at 9 a.m.
The finals are slated for 1 p.m.
"We'll be the underdog," Isaac said. "I think we're capable of beating the teams there, but it's going to take one of our best days to win."
