2011 eiu panther tennis online guide

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12010-11 online tennis guide

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2 eastern illinois panthers

2011 panther tennis

2010-11 EIU PANTHER WOMEN: (front row, l-r) Cara Huck, Shannon Brooks, Amanda Dibbs, and Annie Egan; (back row, l-r) Janelle Prisner, Kristen Laird, Merritt Whitley, and Jennifer Kim.

2010-11 EIU PANTHER MEN: (front row, l-r) Vance Davis, Andy Bays, Kevin Bauman, and Matyas Hilgert; (back row, l-r) Volodymyr Zverkovsky, Warren Race and Jamie Firth. Not pictured -- Charlie Dryden and Michael Sperry.

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panther quick facts

PANTHER ATHLETIC MISSION STATEMENT: The Department of Athletics is committed to providing a competitive, culturally diverse, gender-equitable sports program that operates within the rules and regulations of Eastern Illinois University, the Ohio Valley Conference, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The department strives to recruit academically sound student-athletes who have the desire and motivation to graduate and to become responsible citizens. Department of Athletics personnel and student-athletes shall act with honesty and sportsmanship at all times representing the honor and dignity of fair play and the universally recognized high standards associated with wholesome competitive sports. The intercollegiate athletics program is dedicated to a belief that athletic participation promotes the development of sportsmanship, good character, and a strong work ethic. The overall physical and mental well being of student-athletes is a top priority of the department of athletics. University spirit and community pride will be developed through a successful athletics program.

MEDIA GUIDE CREDITSThe 2010-11 Eastern Illinois University Panther Online Tennis Guide was prepared by the EIU Sports Information office and supervised by Rich Moser, Associate Athletic Director for Media & Public Relations.

DESIGNComplete design and layout by Bart Rettberg, Assistant Sports Information Director/Tennis contact.

Addit ional assistance from Sandy King, Graphic Designer & Photographer.

PHOTO CREDITSPhotographs courtesy of Bev Cruse, EIU Media Services; Sandy King, Bart Rettberg, and Tony Marable (TTU).

HEAD COACHJohn Blackburn (6th Year) .....Oklahoma Christian, 1996.....................................................Oklahoma State, 1999

Men’s EIU & Career Coaching Records .......................... Overall / OVC ........................ 47-55 (.461) / 18-24 (.429)Women’s EIU & Career Coaching Records ..................... Overall / OVC ........................ 46-56 (.451) / 21-27 (.438)

GRADUATE ASSISTANT COACHDias Doskarayev (2nd Year) ......... South Alabama, 2008

2010 TEAM RECORDSMen’s Overall Record .............................................. 4-15 Men’s OVC Record ................................ 1-6 (7th of 8)

Women’s Overall Record ......................................... 6-12 Women’s OVC Record ........................ 3-6 (7th of 10)

University President..........................Dr. William L. PerryDirector of Athletics.................................. Barbara BurkeFaculty Athletic Representative ............. Dr. Gail Richard

Senior Associate Athletic Director........ Mark BonnstetterAssociate AD/Media & Public Relations ....... Rich MoserAssociate AD/Athletic Support Services ........Tracy ScottAssociate AD/Major Gifts ...............................John SmithAssistant AD/Development .........................Amanda BosAssistant AD/Special Projects ...................David KidwellAssistant AD/SWA .....................................Mary Wallace

Location ......................................Charleston, IL (20,000)Year Founded / Enrollment ........................1895 / 11,630Nickname / School Colors ..........Panthers / Blue & GrayAffiliation ................................................ NCAA Division IConference ................................. Ohio Valley (15th year)Courts ............... Rex Darling Courts & Lantz Fieldhouse

BY PHONE (217 AREA CODE)Athletic Department ..... 581-2319 Athletic Fax ............. 581-7001Tennis Office ................ 581-3326 Tennis Fax ............... 581-7192Sports Info Office ......... 581-6408 Sports Info Fax ........ 581-6434

ONLINEE-mail [email protected] ...........EIUpanthers.com

BY MAIL Panther Tennis Office 1301 O’Brien Stadium Eastern Illinois University 600 Lincoln Avenue Charleston, IL 61920

BART RETTBERGAssistant Sports

Information Director(Tennis Contact)

[email protected](217) 581-6408

GREG LAUTZENHEISERAssistant Sports

Information Director


SANDY KINGGraphic Designer& Photographer


RICH MOSERAssociate AthleticDirector for Media& Public Relations


sports information staff & contact info

general information m/w tennis information

eiu administrative staff

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JOHN BLACKBURN, who enters his sixth season as head coach of the Eastern Illinois men’s and women’s tennis programs, continues to help the Panthers compete as annual contenders in the Ohio Valley Conference race. Unfortunately, a rough 2010 season had both squads finish in seventh place in their respective conference races, while also failing to advance to the end-of-season six-team Ohio Valley Conference tournament. However, for the eleventh time in his EIU coaching tenure, Blackburn had a player earn All-OVC kudos, as former standout Jeff Rutherford collected his second First Team honor, and third overall league award, following his senior season. The 2009 campaign saw the men’s and women’s squads finish with 10-13 and 8-13 records, respectively. Both units finished in sixth place in the league, with the men tying for sixth with a 3-5 record and the women sporting a 4-5 mark. Blackburn coached Jeff Rutherford to his second career All-OVC honor, he earned Second Team kudos at the top of the lineup. In 2008, the EIU men and women tied for third and fifth place, respectively, with the Panther men dropping a tough 4-3 first round matchup in the OVC tournament. Three players earned All-OVC honors as Jeff Rutherford was named to the First Team and Jordan Nestrud and Robert Stedman to the Second Team. The EIU women earned the squad’s first-ever national ranking near the start of the 2008 spring season. The Panthers were ranked No. 74 by ITA following a 6-2 start, which included wins over midwest rivals Bradley, IPFW, Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Valparaiso, and Western Illinois. At the end of the season, Natalie Martin once again earned First Team All-OVC award kudos.

The men finished at 10-10 and the women at 6-15 in 2006, while his sophomore season in 2007 proved to one of the best in school history. The EIU women vaulted to third in the OVC rankings with two first team selections and the program’s first-ever OVC ‘Freshman of the Year’ honoree. They also had a doubles team earn a national ranking early in the season, also a program first. For the men, Blackburn moved the program back into the OVC Tournament with a fifth place finish as they cracked the regional rankings midway through the year after a 7-1 start to the season. He previously served four years as men’s and women’s coach at Coker College (2002-2005) a NCAA II program located in Hartsville, SC. At Coker, Blackburn was charged with restarting a men’s program that had

been on a one year hiatus from competition. In his tenure there, the men’s team rose to seventh place in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference, which was the highest league finish and win total in over a decade. The women finished sixth in 2005 in the conference championship, and placed three positions higher in the league standings in each of the previous three years. The women’s program also had the best team grade point average for three straight semesters. Prior to that, Blackburn coached at NAIA affiliated Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida (1999-2001). Both the men and women were ranked in the NAIA Top 20 two of his three years as head coach, and the women’s team qualified for the NAIA national tournament all three seasons. While there Blackburn coached two Al l -Americans and one Academic All-American. In 1997-98 he was assistant women’s coach at Oklahoma State

and in 1996 he served as both the men’s and women’s assistant at Oklahoma Christian University. From 1993-99, he was an assistant teaching professional with the Edmond (OK) Racquet Club. Blackburn earned an undergraduate degree from Oklahoma Christian in 1996 and a masters from Oklahoma State in 1999.

panther coaching staff

MEN OVERALL OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE FINISH 2006 ...............10-10 ......................3-6 .............................. Ohio Valley ... 7th 2007 .................13-8 .......................5-4 .............................. Ohio Valley ... 5th 2008 .................13-9 .......................6-3 ...........................Ohio Valley ... T-3rd 2009 ................10-13 ......................3-5 ........................... Ohio Valley ... T-6th 2010 .................4-15 .......................1-6 .............................. Ohio Valley ... 7thTOTAL ........47-55 (.461) ..........18-24 (.429)

WOMEN OVERALL OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE FINISH 2006 ................6-15 .......................2-8 .............................. Ohio Valley ... 9th 2007 .................13-9 .......................7-3 ..............................Ohio Valley ... 3rd 2008 .................13-7 .......................5-5 ........................... Ohio Valley ... T-5th 2009 .................8-13 .......................4-5 .............................. Ohio Valley ... 6th 2010 .................6-12 .......................3-6 .............................. Ohio Valley ... 7thTOTAL ........46-56 (.451) ..........21-27 (.438)

PANTHER MEN 2006 ......Chuck Levaque .....................Second Team 2007 ......Chuck Levaque .....................Second Team 2008 ......Jeff Rutherford ............................First Team ..............Jordan Nestrud ......................Second Team ..............Robert Stedman ....................Second Team 2009 ......Jeff Rutherford .......................Second Team 2010 ......Jeff Rutherford ............................First Team

PANTHER WOMEN 2007 ......Hayley Homburg......‘Freshman of the Year’ ..............Natalie Martin .............................First Team ..............Sandra Sasidharan.....................First Team 2008 ......Natalie Martin ........................Second Team

blackburn’s eastern illinois coaching history

all-ovc honorees under coach blackburn

BLACKBURNjohn

HEAD COACH

Sixth Season

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DIAS DOSKARAYEV joined the EIU tennis staff prior to the start of spring competition in early 2010, after previously a tennis pro at Saddlebrook Tennis Resort in Tampa Bay, Fla. Doskarayev came from Baton Rouge, La., but previously attended the University of South Alabama where he earned his Bachelors degree in Finance in 2008. While a student-athlete at South Alabama, he racked up

quite a resume. He was the Sun Belt Conference player of the year in 2007, where he was ranked 48th in the country in singles play in 2007 and won the Jimmy Taylor ‘Student-Athlete of the Year Award’ in 2007. He became an Assistant coach for South Alabama in August of 2007. Earlier in his career he was a member of Kazakhstan’s Davis Cup team (1998-2004). He won the Kazakhstan singles National Championship from 2000-2003. In 2000 and 2001, he was a member of the International Tennis Federation team. Doskarayev performed a variety of jobs at the Carmel Valley Tennis Camp from 2005-08. These roles include counselor, head counselor, senior head counselor and assistant director. Beginning in May of 2005, Doskarayev worked for over a year as a professional tennis instructor at the Mobile Tennis Center. He is fluent in English, Russian and Kazakh.

panther coaching staff

DOSKARAYEVdias

GRADUATE ASSISTANT COACH

Second Season

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EIU MEN AWARD WINNERS 1999 .....Jason Braun ................................. First Team

2001 .....C.J. Weber ................................... First Team 2003 .....Brian Holzgrafe................‘Coach of the Year’ .............Brandon Blankenbaker ................. First Team .............Lukasz Pluta ................................. First Team .............Matt Sadler ................................... First Team .............C.J. Weber ................................... First Team 2004 .....C.J. Weber ......................‘Player of the Year’ .............Brandon Blankenbaker ................. First Team .............Chuck Levaque ............................ First Team .............C.J. Weber ................................... First Team 2005 .....Chuck Levaque .......................Second Team 2006 .....Chuck Levaque .......................Second Team 2007 .....Chuck Levaque .......................Second Team 2008 .....Jeff Rutherford .............................. First Team .............Jordan Nestrud ........................Second Team .............Robert Stedman ......................Second Team 2009 .....Jeff Rutherford .........................Second Team 2010 .....Jeff Rutherford .............................. First Team

EIU WOMEN AWARD WINNERS 1999 .....Adeline Khaw ............................... First Team .............Rachel Wright ............................... First Team

2001 .....Barb Wolfe .................................... First Team 2003 .....Becky Brunner .............................. First Team 2004 .....Becky Brunner .............................. First Team 2007 .....Hayley Homburg........‘Freshman of the Year’ .............Natalie Martin ............................... First Team .............Sandra Sasidharan....................... First Team 2008 .....Natalie Martin ............................... First Team

Prior to the 2005 season OVC selected 12 members to All-OVC squad. First and Second Team designation honors began during the 2005 season.

panther all-ovc honorees

CHUCK LEVAQUE

ohio valley conference honors

JORDAN NESTRUD

JEFF RUTHERFORD

C.J. WEBER

NATALIE MARTIN SANDRA SASIDHARANHAYLEY HOMBURG

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4-15 Overall ... 1-6 OVC (7th place)

DATE OPPONENT W/L SCOREJ 18 ......Purdue ......................................L ........ 2-5J 24 ......at IPFW ...................................W ....... 5-2J 30 ......at SIU-Edwardsville .................W ....... 5-1

F 5 ........at Saint Louis............................L ........ 1-6F 7 ........at Illinois State ..........................L ........ 2-5F 12 ......at Northern Illinois ....................L ........ 2-5F 24 ......at Ball State ..............................L ........ 1-6F 28 ......at Marquette .............................L ........ 1-6 .............vs. UW-Green Bay ...................L ........ 2-5

M 3 .......at Bradley .................................L ........ 3-4M 5 ......IUPUI .....................................W .......4-3M 13 .....at Michigan State......................L ........ 1-6M 21 ....• TENNESSEE TECH .......... L .......0-6M 27 .....• at Eastern Kentucky ...............L ........ 2-5M 28 .....• at Morehead State .................L ........ 2-5

A 2 .......• JACKSONVILLE STATE ... L .......1-6A 4 .......• TENNESSEE STATE ........W .......7-0A 10 ......• at Murray State ......................L ........ 3-4A 11 ....• AUSTIN PEAY ................... L .......3-4

HOME MATCHES held at Darling Courts• Ohio Valley Conference Matches

PANTHER MEN YEAR HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL / PREVIOUS SCHOOLKevin Bauman ............. Freshman ...........Naperville, Illinois ...........................................................Naperville CentralAndy Bays .................. Sophomore .........Charleston, Illinois .....................................................................CharlestonVance Davis ................... Senior..............Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ..............Westmoore / Southeastern Oklahoma StateCharlie Dryden ...................Freshman ............. Winchester, England ................................................................Peter Symonds CollegeJamie Firth ..................... Junior ..............South Grafton, Australia .................................... McAuley Catholic CollegeMatyas Hilgert ................ Junior ..............Jiloviste, Czech Republic ...........................Klasicke Gymnasium ModranyWarren Race .............. Sophomore .........Dallas, Texas ..................................................................................GarlandMichael Sperry ........... Sophomore .........Gold River, California .............Oak Ridge / American River Junior CollegeVolodymyr Zverkovsky .. Freshman ...........Skokie, Illinois ........................................................................... Niles West

HEAD COACH: John Blackburn (6th year)GRADUATE ASSISTANT COACH: Dias Doskarayev (2nd year)

men’s roster & 2010 results

2010 men’s dual match records ... overall

2010 men’s dual match records ... ohio valley

2010 men’s dual resultsPANTHER SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTALSJeff Rutherford ............................ 11-8 ...............................................................................11-8Warren Race ........................................ 1-4 ....... 0-8 .......2-3 ........................................ 3-15Jamie Firth ........................................... 1-7 ....... 0-7 .......1-3 ........................................ 2-17Matyas Hilgert ..................................... 2-4 ....... 1-2 .......1-4 .......1-2 .......1-1 .............. 6-13Justin Haag............................................................0-1 .......0-4 .......4-3 .......5-1 ............... 9-9Andy Bays .......................................................................1-0 ......................................... 1-0Michael Sperry ...........................................................................3-6 .......6-4 .............. 9-10TEAM TOTALS ....................... 11-8 ..... 4-15 ..... 1-18 .....5-14 ..... 8-11 .....13-6 ............ 42-72

PANTHER DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTALSJustin Haag / Jeff Rutherford .................................6-6 ...................................................... 6-6Matyas Hilgert / Jeff Rutherford .......................1-2 ...................................................... 1-2Jamie Firth / Jeff Rutherford .............................0-1 ................0-1 ................................ 0-2Warren Race / Michael Sperry .................... 0-1 ................0-3 ...........0-2 ............... 0-6Matyas Hilgert / Michael Sperry .......................................1-1 ................................ 1-1Jamie Firth / Justin Haag ........................................................1-1 ................................ 1-1Matyas Hilgert / Warren Race ...........................................0-7 ................................ 0-7Vance Davis / Matyas Hilgert ............................................1-1 ...........0-1 ............... 1-2Vance Davis / Justin Haag .......................................................................1-0 ............... 1-0Jamie Firth / Warren Race ..................................................................1-1 ............... 1-1Vance Davis / Jamie Firth ....................................................................0-1 ............... 0-1Vance Davis / Michael Sperry ............................................................0-1 ............... 0-1Justin Haag / Matyas Hilgert ...................................................................0-1 ............... 0-1Jamie Firth / Michael Sperry ..............................................................3-4 ............... 3-4TEAM TOTALS .................................................7-10 ..............3-14 ......... 6-11 ............ 16-35... singles & doubles matches won or lost by forfeit or default not included

PANTHER SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTALSJeff Rutherford ................................. 6-1 .......................................................................................6-1Jamie Firth ................................................1-3 ........0-3 ...........................................................1-6Warren Race .............................................0-3 ........0-3 ...........................................................0-6Matyas Hilgert ........................................................1-0 ........1-2 ........0-2 ........0-1 .................2-5Andy Bays ..............................................................................1-0 .............................................1-0Justin Haag................................................................................0-3 ........1-2 ...............................1-5Michael Sperry ...................................................................................1-1 ........3-2 .................4-3TEAM TOTALS ............................ 6-1 ........1-6 ........1-6 ........2-5 ........2-5 ........4-3 ...............16-26

PANTHER DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTALSJustin Haag / Jeff Rutherford .......................................3-3 ...........................................................3-3Matyas Hilgert / Warren Race ..................................................0-2 ....................................0-2Vance Davis / Matyas Hilgert....................................................1-1 ....................................1-1Matyas Hilgert / Michael Sperry ..............................................1-1 ....................................1-1Jamie Firth / Warren Race ............................................................................1-1 .................1-1Jamie Firth / Michael Sperry .......................................................................1-2 .................1-2TEAM TOTALS ........................................................3-3 ................. 2-4 .............2-3 ................7-10... singles/doubles matches won or lost by forfeit or default not included

Returning Panthers in bold

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men’s senior profile

EIU (2009-10): Utilized as a doubles-only player, Vance finished the season with a 2-4 mark... played mostly at the No. 3 spot... went 1-0 when teamed with Justin Haag... had a 1-1 mark at the No. 2 spot while playing alongside Matyas Hilgert.... EIU (2008-09): Vance went 0-2 in limited singles action... went 2-8 in doubles play winning a match along with Jamie Firth and Matyas Hilgert.... HS/COLLEGE TRANSFER: Vance played three years of tennis for Lannie Atkins at Westmoore HS, earning a trip to the state tournament... transferred to Eastern after attending Southeastern Oklahoma State, where he placed in the top ten percent of freshmen student-athletes academically.... PERSONAL: Majoring in business finance... a recent No. 1 sports highlight was “playing my first match here at EIU, as I had not played for a team in two years and I felt like I earned a ‘redo’ in my tennis career”... credits his parents for influencing his tennis

career, “because they have always supported me no matter what I have done which is very endearing of them”... son of Thomas & Freda Davis.... FUN STUFF: Chose EIU “because I felt like it would be a great place to challenge myself athletically... plus felt that I could achieve the goals I had set for myself with tennis, while also getting my degree”... is a member of EIU’s concert choir and Camarata, so naturally enjoys creating music when he can... currently drives a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer... loves to eat Japanese food and anything his mother makes, but dislikes anything with onions or tomatoes... since coming to EIU he has learned “what really matters in life”... would love to trade places with Lady Gaga for just one day... his advice for a younger athlete is to “keep reassessing your short and long term goals”... has enjoyed taking Noel Brodsky’s economics class... his favorite quote is “make it work” from Tim Gunn (Project Runway), “because it works for everything... just making things work can be a challenge in life”.... QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “Vance has really stepped up his play in doubles this fall and has posted some good wins... he brings a lot of experience and energy to that area... we’ll be looking for him to hopefully make a big contribution this spring in the doubles lineup.”

DAVISvance

SENIOROklahoma City, OklahomaWestmoore HS / Southeastern Oklahoma State

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men’s senior profile

SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL 2008-09 .................................................................................................. 0-2 ...........0-2 2009-10 ....................................................................................................................0-0 TOTALS .............................................................................................0-2 .......... 0-2

DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTAL 2008-09 ....teamed with Matyas Hilgert .............0-1 .........1-3 .............................1-4 ...............teamed with Jamie Firth ................................................1-4 ..............1-4 2009-10 ....teamed with Matyas Hilgert ............................1-1 .........0-1 ..............1-2 ...............teamed with Justin Haag ...............................................1-0 ..............1-0 ...............teamed with Jamie Firth ................................................0-1 ..............0-1 ...............teamed with Michael Sperry ..........................................0-1 ..............0-1 TOTALS ....................................................... 0-1 ........ 2-4 ........ 2-7 ............4-12

davis’s career records

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men’s junior profiles

EIU (2009-10): As a sophomore, Jamie went 2-17 overall in singles play, competing mostly at the No. 2 spot in the lineup where he recorded a 1-7 mark, 1-6 in OVC play... also so action at both the No. 3 and No. 4 spots... in doubles, earned a 3-4 record when teamed with Michael Sperry at No. 3 duos... also played a few matches at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles as well... ended with a 5-9 overall duo record.... EIU (2008-09): Jamie posted a 9-13 singles record... spent most of the season at No. 5 singles, occasionally playing No. 6 and No. 4 singles... posted a 4-2 doubles record with Jeff Rutherford... went 3-4 in OVC singles play.... HIGH SCHOOL: Was member of both the tennis and cricket squads at McAuley Catholic College in Grafton, New South Wales, Australia.... PERSONAL: A business management major... his mum and dad have had the biggest influence on his playing career “because they

have always been there for me and supported me in everything I do both on and off the court”... son of Rick & Sue Firth.... FUN STUFF: ‘Firthy’ chose to come to EIU “because the business school looked good for my major and the tennis program also looked good”... feels EIU has an advantage over other schools in the OVC and state “because the campus is all close together and everything is within walking distance... plus I feel our facilities are better and located more conveniently”... besides tennis, also enjoys playing cricket, golf and soccer... his hidden talent is juggling... enjoys Thai and Chinese food, but dislikes anything with onions in it... would love to trade places with Roger Federer for one day “so that I could see what it would be like to play professionally”... since coming to EIU he has learned “that a lot of people are willing to help and that it can get very cold here”... some of his favorite tv shows are ‘Entourage’, ‘NCIS’, and ‘CSI: Miami’... his advice to a younger athlete is “keep practicing and things will happen and dreams will come true”... his goals while at EIU include “leading the tennis team to a conference championship and to graduate with a good GPA”.... QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “We’ve seen a lot of positive progress with in Jamie’s game this fall... he has been improving his consistency so we’ll look for him to make a big contribution to the lineup this year.”

firth’s career recordsSINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL 2008-09 .........................................................................1-2 .......5-9 ...... 3-2 ..........9-13 2009-10 .................................................1-7 ......0-7 ......1-3 ....................................2-17 TOTALS ........................................... 1-7 ..... 0-7 ......2-5...... 5-9 ......3-2 ........11-30

DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTAL 2008-09 ....teamed with Jeff Rutherford ...........................1-0 .........3-2 ..............4-2 ...............teamed with Drew Grimaldi ...........................................3-6 ..............3-6 ...............teamed with Vance Davis ..............................................1-4 ..............1-4 2009-10 ....teamed with Jeff Rutherford ............0-1 .........0-1 .............................0-2 ...............teamed with Justin Haag ................................1-1 .............................1-1 ...............teamed with Michael Sperry ..........................................3-4 ..............3-4 ...............teamed with Warren Race .............................................1-1 ..............1-1 ...............teamed with Vance Davis ..............................................0-1 ..............0-1 TOTALS ....................................................... 0-1 ........ 2-2 ......11-18 ........13-21

FIRTHjamie

JUNIORSouth Grafton, AustraliaMcAuley Catholic College

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men’s junior profiles

EIU (2009-10): Playing in nearly every lineup position in singles play, Matyas recorded a 6-13 mark as a sophomore... went 2-4 at no. 2 Singles and 2-5 in league-only contests... finished the season at 3-13 in doubles, playing a majority of the season at the No. 2 spot alongside Warren Race.... EIU (2008-09): Matyas spent most of the season playing No. 4 singles, posting a 8-15 clip for the year... finished 8-11 in doubles play including a 7-4 record with partner Jeff Rutherford... earned four straight wins and added three out of four conference victories in the middle of the season... HIGH SCHOOL: Matyas played summer tennis for SK Oars Praha in Prague... went to Klasicke Gymnasium Modrany in Jiloviste, which is just outside Prague... also a former quarterfinalist at the ITF.... PERSONAL: Majoring in business management... credits his parents for influencing his playing career, “because they both used to be excellent professional athletes and thanks to their influence I quickly understood the responsibility and what it

really takes to become succesful in what you are doing... plus they believe in me and push me forward”... son of Ivan Hilgert & Marcela Hilgertova.... FUN STUFF: ‘Mathewson’ chose to come to EIU “because I got a great chance to play for a Division I school in the U.S. and I took it”... also enjoys soccer, snowboarding, kiteboarding, windsurfing, and ice hockey... enjoys eating peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti with ketchup and cheese, cereals and milk, but dislikes mushrooms, sushi or anything that should be cooked but isn’t... his family’s two dogs are named ‘Tchenda’ and ‘Lea’... since coming to EIU he has learned “how to responsible, because taking English classes in high school doesn’t mean you can speak English”... enjoyed recently taking EIU’s professor Cameron Craig’s weather and climate class... if he could bring anything to EIU from his hometown it would be his feather-filled comforter and pillows... lists his hidden talent as drawing and graphic design... his advice to a younger athlete would be “to try and avoid taking 16 or more credit hours during the Spring semester”... his personal goal while at EIU is “to contribute to a successful year with our young tennis team... and to eventually get involved in my parents’ business”.... QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “Matyas probably played the most consistent tennis for us this past fall... he works extremely hard on his game, spending by far the most time on the court of any of our players... I genuinely believe his work ethic will pay off for him this spring season.”

SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL 2008-09 .............................................................0-2 .....7-13 ......1-0 .......................8-15 2009-10 .................................................2-4 ......1-2 ......1-4 .......1-2 ...... 1-1 ...........6-13 TOTALS ...........................................2-4 ..... 1-4 .... 8-17 .... 2-2 ......1-1 ........14-28

DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTAL 2008-09 ... teamed with Jordan Nestrud ............0-1 .........0-2 .............................0-3 .............. teamed with Vance Davis ................0-1 .........1-3 .............................1-4 .............. teamed with Jeff Rutherford ...........................7-4 .............................7-4 .............. teamed with Drew Grimaldi ............................0-2 .............................0-2 2009-10 ... teamed with Jeff Rutherford ............1-2 ............................................1-2 .............. teamed with Warren Race ..............................0-7 .............................0-7 .............. teamed with Michael Sperry ...........................1-1 .............................1-1 .............. teamed with Vance Davis ...............................1-1 .........0-1 ..............1-2 .............. teamed with Justin Haag ...............................................0-1 ..............0-1 TOTALS ....................................................... 1-4 ......10-20 ..... 0-2 ...........11-26

hilgert’s career records

HILGERTmatyas

JUNIORJiloviste, Czech RepublicKlasicke Gymnasium Modrany

EIUpanthers.com


men’s sophomore profiles

EIU (2009-10): Saw limited action as a freshman, playing in just one singles match... yet did end up winning that battle at the No. 4 spot in OVC play as the Panthers routed Tennessee State.... HIGH SCHOOL: Andy is a local product who graduated from Charleston HS in 2009... earned four varsity letters in tennis, one in golf and one in football… was the tennis team captain in 2008 and 2009 under coach Ryan Schick… was a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society and finished in the top 10 of his class academically.... PERSONAL: Son of Clint & Kirsten Bays… is still undecided on a major… his number one personal sports moment was getting his first victory at the varsity level during his freshman year… his major influence in his sports career is his tennis instructor Brian Holtzgrafe, “not only did he teach me the fundamentals of tennis, he pushed me in all aspects of life, and he taught me the value of modesty, trust and love of life in general”... most admires Rafael Nadal, “because he has the

most heart of any athlete today”.… FUN STUFF: Chose to come to EIU “because it’s close, fun and cost efficient”... most admired former EIU athlete is basketball star Henry Domercant… would like to participate in badminton, volleyball and football intramurals… has mastered the game Frogger for Super Nintendo… currently drives a red 1998 Ford Mustang… favorite food is fried pork chops but has a strong disdain for mustard… Eminem and Bring me the Horizon are most likely to be played on his I-Pod… enjoys classes taught by Dr. Nida Elmuti, professor of Biological Sciences… enjoys hanging out with friends… his favorite quote is “Vini, Vidi, Vici,” from Julius Caesar, meaning “I came, I saw, I conquered”… his advice for youngsters is “be modest no matter your skill and you will excel”.... QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “Andy has made tremendous progress from his freshman year and may be our most improved player due to his very strong work ethic in practice... we’ll be looking for him to continue this progression for us in his second season with the team.”

SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL 2009-10 .........................................................................1-0 .....................................1-0 TOTALS ................................................................... 1-0 ....................................1-0

DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTAL 2009-10 ...........................................................None.............................................

bays’ career records

BAYSandy

SOPHOMORECharleston, IllinoisCharleston HS

EIUpanthers.com



EIU (2009-10): As a true freshman finished the season 3-15 in singles matchups, including a 2-3 mark at the No. 4 spot... yet played mostly of his bouts at the third spot... hit a rough patch in doubles play, going 1-14 on the year, with his lone win coming alongside Jamie Firth at No. 3 duos.... HIGH SCHOOL: Played under head coach Cary Jackson on Garland HS, which twice won the state championship… went undefeated in district matches in his senior season.... PERSONAL: Credits his father for being the top influence on his sports career “because he has always been there and has helped me through my whole career and pushed me to be better”… coach he most admires is Dave Anderson, because “he is a good example and teaches life lessons along with tennis through his experiences”…. FUN STUFF: Nicknamed ‘Stonehands’... chose EIU because of the, “close environment, good academics and hard-working athletic department”... athlete he likes to watch most is teammate Jeff Rutherford... some hidden talents include

being able to juggle and program calculators and computers... drives a 2007 Honda Fit... favorite food is pizza... favorite t.v. show is ‘Big Bang Theory’... favorite movie is ‘Accepted’... would like to switch places with Rafael Nadal to, “know how it would be to be able to work in the extreme extra effort”... favorite building on the EIU campus is Stevenson Hall... since coming to EIU he has learned “that it’s important to stick together with your friends”... he has a dog named ‘Venus’ and three cats named ‘Athena’, ‘D’Artagnan’ and ‘Smokey’... his advice to younger athletes is “go the extra mile no matter how tired and work harder than others”... his favorite quote comes via Dave Anderson -- “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity”... after graduation he would like to become a doctor.... QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “We’ve seen Warren make some big strides for us the fall... he played very strong tennis in singles during the fall tournaments... I think he is poised to have a breakout spring if his progress continues.”

SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL 2009-10 .................................................1-4 ......0-8 ......2-3 ....................................3-15 TOTALS ...........................................1-4 ..... 0-8 ..... 2-3 ...................................3-15

DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTAL 2009-10 ... teamed with Michael Sperry ............0-1 .........0-3 .........0-2 ..............0-6 .............. teamed with Matyas Hilgert ............................0-7 .............................0-7 .............. teamed with Jamie Firth ................................................1-1 ..............1-1 TOTALS ....................................................... 0-1 .......0-10 ....... 1-3 ............1-14

race’s career records

RACEwarren

SOPHOMOREDallas, TexasGarland HS

EIUpanthers.com



EIU (2009-10): Finished a nice first season a Panther, earning a 9-10 mark in singles play... that included a 6-4 overall record at the No. 6 spot, while going 4-3 in OVC-only action... went 4-12 in doubles, 2-3 overall in league matchups... when teamed with Jamie Firth, the duo notched a 3-4 tally at No. 3 doubles.... HS/JUNIOR COLLEGE: Attended Oak Ridge HS in Gold River, Calif., where he played for coach Pat Ryan... also attended American River JC in Sacramento… played high school tennis baseball and football… won Division II individual district tournament in his junior season… named all-conference by The Sacramento Bee…. PERSONAL: A business management major… son of Cindy & Zel Sperry… number one sports moment is being ranked 8th in northern California for boys 18s and 16s… biggest influence on his sports career has been his father, “because he has

been the one to coach me and push me in all of the sports I’ve participated in”… his sister, Jenny, played tennis at the University of San Francisco and his brother, Bill, plays at Sonoma State…. FUN STUFF: People on the squad nicknamed him “Pecha”… chose to come to EIU “because of the opportunity to play for a big DI college”… besides tennis, he also enjoys playing Texas Hold ‘em poker, baseball and football with friends and family… favorite food is sushi, but doesn’t care too much for pasta… Cent… favorite movie is ‘Anchorman’… favorite actor is Will Ferrell… if he could, he would like to switch places with Roger Federer for a day… since coming to EIU he has learned that “life is what you make of it”… enjoyed taking EIU professor Scott Stevens’ Business 1000 class... advice he would share with younger athletes is “you have to put in the time to get the results”… if he could bring one thing from with him to EIU it would be his X-Box 360... one of his goals for this season include “finishing in the final four of our conference tournament”…. QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN SAYS: “Michael has a lot of potential to make a big jump for us this spring... he worked very hard this summer after having a productive freshman season... we’ll be looking for him to step up his game for us in a higher lineup position this spring.”

SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL 2009-10 ......................................................................................3-6 ...... 6-4 ...........9-10 TOTALS ................................................................................ 3-6 ......6-4 .........9-10

DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTAL 2009-10 ... teamed with Warren Race ...............0-1 .........0-3 .........0-2 ..............0-6 .............. teamed with Matyas Hilgert ............................1-1 .............................1-1 .............. teamed with Jamie Firth ................................................3-4 ..............3-4 .............. teamed with Vance Davis ..............................................0-1 ..............0-1 TOTALS ....................................................... 0-1 ........ 1-4 ........ 3-7 ............4-12

sperry’s career records

SPERRYmichael

SOPHOMOREGold River, CaliforniaOak Ridge HSAmerican River JC

EIUpanthers.com


men’s newcomer profiles

HIGH SCHOOL: Played tennis for coaches Dan Brown and Greg Contro... member of the Naperville Central squad that twice earned conference team honors, and sectionals three times... played varisty tennis as a sophomore to senior year, earning team captain honors twice... won three conference and all-state kudos... also conference and sectional individual champion... a three- time All-Academic award winner.... PERSONAL: Plans on majoring in education while at EIU... son of Jerry & Judy Bauman... No. 1 sports highlight was “when I played this one tournament during the summer of my junior year... I was exhausted the whole match and played in 105 degree temperatures, so ended up throwing up on the court... eventually both myself and my opponent ended up cramping up yet we finished the match with me outlasting the other guy... however, both of us ended up in the hospital that night”... admires his coach from back “because he coached me since 7th grade and really pushed me throughout my high schoool career and taught me what it takes to win”.... FUN STUFF: ‘K-Bomb’ chose EIU “because I enjoyed the atmosphere and thought it was the right school for me”... feels

that EIU has the advantage over other OVC and state schools “because I think we have really good academic programs, such as education... plus the school really looks after the athletes”... besides tennis also enjoys playing baseball, basketball, football, ping pong, and swimming... currently driving a 2007 Honda CRV... enjoys eating a variety of foods, especially deep dish pizza and cheeseburgers, yet isn’t too fond of meatloaf or sweet potatoes... his advice to a young tennis player is “I know it is a lot of hard work, but well worth it in the end”... his favorite tv shows include ‘Seinfeld’, ‘The Office’, and ‘Eastbound and Down’... enjoyed taking EIU professor John McInerny’s kinesiology and sports studies class... since coming to EIU he has learned “that life is more difficult without your parents”... goals he has while at EIU include “getting good grades and finishing with an above average record in conference”…. QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “Kevin comes to us with a very strong doubles and team background... he will provide a big boost to both our doubles and singles lineup this year and I really like the overall energy he brings to practices and matches.”

HIGH SCHOOL: Joined the squad at the start of the spring portion of the schedule... played tennis coach Liz Davies while at Peter Symonds College in Winchester, England... was crowned the national doubles champion... also earned A level honors in geography, economics and law.... PERSONAL: Planning on majoring in geography... son of Marc & Susie Dryden... No. 1 personal highlight was “representing South West England and winning the national tennis colleges competition in 2010... credits his parents for influencing his sports career “because they have funded and supported my tennis throughout my life and driven me across the country to the various tournaments”.... FUN STUFF: Chose to ‘cross the pond’ to the US and attend EIU “because of the good facilites and it is a nice part of America to live in”... feels that EIU has the advantage of other OVC and state schools “because Eastern has a good tennis set-up with strong facilities and a good coach who is enthusiastic... plus the school is solid academically which will help me to obtain a good degree”... besides tennis, enjoys playing golf, cricket and soccer... says one of his hidden talents is that “I’m funny”... currently riding in a 2009 Golf car... his favorite quote is “some people are born great, while others have greatness thrust upon them”... enjoys dining on Chinese sweet and sour chicken, but dislikes spinach... would enjoy trading places with Rodger Federer for just one day, “because he is the world’s best tennis player of all time”... if he could bring anything to EIU from his

hometown, it would be “my favourite bar pitcher and piano”... his advice to a young tennis player is “train hard all the time and never give up”... personal goals while at EIU include “improving my tennis game and helping EIU win the conference... while also leaving with a good degree”…. QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “Charlie joined the team in January and I think he will give us a big boost... he is a very experienced player in both singles and doubles, playing a large number of tournaments in his native England... I think that match experience will help him make an immediate impact for us.”

BAUMANkevin

FRESHMANNaperville, IllinoisNaperville Central HS

DRYDENcharlie

FRESHMANWinchester, EnglandPeter Symonds College

EIUpanthers.com


men’s newcomer profiles

HIGH SCHOOL: Four-year letter winner in tennis and also ran track for coaches Brad Wilson and Ben Grais while at Niles West HS... earned all-conference both his sophomore and junior seasons... state qualifier as a junior... voted team MVP following his sophomore and junior years... three-time team captain.... PERSONAL: Plans on majoring in kinesiology and sports studies... son of Iryna Zverkovska & Andrey Shostak... credits his dad for being the biggest influence on his sports career “because he introduced me to the game and has been pushing me to be the best since I started”... No. 1 sports moment was “making it to state my junior year”.... FUN STUFF: ‘Vova’ chose to come to EIU “because it is away from home, but not too far away... plus I also heard great things about the school”... besides tennis, also enjoys playing basketball, football, volleyball, and soccer... feels that EIU has an advantage over other OVC and state schools “because of the location of the school... we are close to other big schools”... favorite foods include spaghetti and lasagna, yet doesn’t care much for mushrooms...

enjoys hanging out with friends, listening to music and watching movies in his free time... ‘Family Guy’ is his favorite tv show... his dog is a Russian black terrier... would like to trade places with Roger Federer for a day, “because I would want to see how it feels to be the best in the world”... since coming to EIU he has learned “what life is like wouthout my parents telling me what to do on a daily basis”... his advice to a younger tennis player is “to love tennis because if you don’t love the game, then college tennis isn’t for you”... a personal goal he has while at EIU is “I want to perform my best on the court and in the classroom on a daily basis”…. BLACKBURN SAYS: “We’ve already seen some good things from ‘Vova’ in his first semester with us... he has an aggressive game that I think will be a big benefit to the team this year... I think we will see a lot of development in his game as the season progresses.”

ZVERKOVSKYvolodymyr

FRESHMANSkokie, IllinoisNiles West HS

EIUpanthers.com


YR COACH RECORD(S) CONF FINISH1931.......George Ivins ........................ 1-11932.......Charles Spooner ................. 0-41933.......Charles Spooner ................0-2-11934.......Charles Spooner ................. 0-61935.......Glenn Seymour ................... 2-21936.......Glenn Seymour ................... 1-21937.......Glenn Seymour ................... 5-21938.......Glenn Seymour ................... 2-51939.......Glenn Seymour ................... 3-4

1940.......No Team1941.......Henry Sugden ....................1-4-11942.......Gilbert Carson ....................1-2-11943.......No Team1944.......No Team1945.......No Team1946.......Rex Darling ......................... 0-41947.......Rex Darling ......................... 0-4................... IIAC ................2nd1948.......Rex Darling ......................... 1-2................... IIAC .................4th1949.......Rex Darling ......................... 2-3................... IIAC .................5th

1950.......Rex Darling ......................... 5-4................... IIAC .................5th1951.......Rex Darling ......................... 2-8................... IIAC .................3rd1952.......Rex Darling ........................ 2-10.................. IIAC .................3rd1953.......Rex Darling ......................... 1-9................... IIAC .................4th1954.......Rex Darling ......................... 8-4................... IIAC .................3rd1955.......Rex Darling ......................... 5-7................... IIAC .................5th1956.......Rex Darling ......................... 6-6................... IIAC .................5th1957.......Rex Darling ........................ 12-2.................. IIAC ..............T-1st1958.......Rex Darling ........................ 10-4.................. IIAC ................2nd1959.......Rex Darling ......................... 6-4................... IIAC ................2nd

1960.......Rex Darling ......................... 7-4................... IIAC ................2nd1961.......Rex Darling ......................... 8-3................... IIAC .................3rd1962.......Rex Darling ......................... 5-5................... IIAC .................4th1963.......Rex Darling ......................... 5-7................... IIAC ..............T-3rd1964.......Rex Darling ......................... 6-7................... IIAC ................2nd1965.......Rex Darling ......................... 6-4................... IIAC ................. 1st1966.......Rex Darling ......................... 7-6................... IIAC ................. 1st1967.......Rex Darling .........................11-2 .................. IIAC ................. 1st1968.......Fritz Teller ........................... 2-10.................. IIAC ................2nd1969.......Rex Darling ......................... 2-7................... IIAC ................2nd

1970.......Rex Darling ......................... 6-6................... IIAC ................. 1st1971.......Rex Darling ........................ 10-21972.......Rex Darling ......................... 8-51973.......Rex Darling ......................... 9-6.........................................11th*1974.......Rex Darling ......................... 6-6.........................................13th*1975.......Dutch Gossett ..................... 7-7..................................... T-20th*1976.......No Team1977.......Dutch Gossett ..................... 3-91978.......Dutch Gossett .................... 3-141979.......Dutch Gossett ..................... 4-4................. AMCU ...............4th

1980.......Carl Sexton .........................11-8 ................ AMCU ...............4thPanthers moved to NCAA Division I status starting with the 1981 season

1981.......Carl Sexton .........................11-8 ................ AMCU ...............3rd1982.......Carl Sexton ........................ 12-8................ AMCU ..............2nd1983.......Carl Sexton ........................ 18-6................ AMCU ............... 1st1984.......Carl Sexton ........................ 12-6................ AMCU ..............2nd1985.......John Bennett .......................11-8 ................ AMCU ...............4th1986.......John Bennett ....................... 8-8................. AMCU ...............4th1987.......John Bennett ...................... 4-13................ AMCU ...............3rd1988.......John Bennett ...................... 7-10................ AMCU ...............5th1989.......John Bennett ...................... 4-12................ AMCU ...............6th1990.......John Bennett ...................... 7-16................ AMCU ...............8th

1991.......John Bennett ...................... 4-21...............Mid-Con ..............8th1992.......John Bennett ...................... 12-9...............Mid-Con ..............8th1993.......John Bennett ...................... 4-12...............Mid-Con ..............7th1994.......John Bennett .......................6-11 ...............Mid-Con ..............7th1995.......Rosie Kramarski ................. 15-7...............Mid-Con ..............3rd1996.......Rosie Kramarski .................. 7-7................Mid-Con ..............4th1997.......Rosie Kramarski ............. 6-10 / 2-6 .............OVC .................5th1998.......Marla Reid ...................... 4-14 / 2-6 .............OVC .................7th1999.......Marla Reid ...................... 7-16 / 1-4 .............OVC .................8th2000.......Michael Hunt .................. 6-18 / 1-6 .............OVC .................7th

2001.......Michael Hunt .................. 13-9 / 4-4 .............OVC .................5th2002.......Brian Holzgrafe .............. 9-11 / 1-4..............OVC .................5th2003.......Brian Holzgrafe .............. 11-6 / 5-1..............OVC .................3rd2004.......Brian Holzgrafe ............. 11-10 / 4-3.............OVC .................3rd2005.......Brian Holzgrafe .............. 3-14 / 1-6 .............OVC ...............10th2006 .....John Blackburn ......10-10 / 3-6 .......... OVC ...............7th2007 .....John Blackburn ....... 13-8 / 5-4 ........... OVC ...............5th2008 .....John Blackburn ....... 13-9 / 6-3 ........... OVC ...........T-3rd2009 .....John Blackburn ......10-13 / 3-5 .......... OVC ...........T-6th2010 .....John Blackburn ....... 4-15 / 1-6 ........... OVC ...............7th

TOTAL ...........................464-552-3 (.457) / 39-64 (.379) DIVISION I TOTAL ...........262-325 (.446) / 39-64 (.379)

IIAC ... Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference* ... College Division FinishAMCU ... Association of Mid-Continent UniversitiesMid-Con ... Mid-Continent Conference (formerly AMCU, now The Summit League)OVC ... Ohio Valley Conference

men’s tennis history

COACH YEARS TENURE RECORDGeorge Ivins ......................1 .................. 1931 .......................1-1 (.500)Charles Spooner ...............3 ................1932-34 ...............0-11-1 (.042)Glenn Seymour .................5 ................1935-39 ................13-14 (.481)Henry Sugden ...................1 .................. 1941 ................... 1-4-1 (.250)Gilbert Carson ...................1 .................. 1942 ................... 1-2-1 (.375)Bill Healey .........................1 .................. 1947 .......................0-4 (.000)Rex Darling .......................27 ......... 1946, 1948-67, .......156-137 (.532) & 1969-74Fritz Teller ..........................1 .................. 1968 .....................2-10 (.167)

COACH YEARS TENURE RECORDDutch Gossett ....................4 .............1975, 77-79 .............17-34 (.333)Carl Sexton ........................5 ................1980-84 ................64-36 (.640)John Bennett ....................10 ...............1985-94 ..............67-120 (.358)Rosie Kramarski ................3 ................1995-97 ................28-24 (.538)Marla Reid .........................2 ................1998-99 ................11-30 (.268)Michael Hunt .....................2 ................2000-01 ................19-28 (.404)Brian Holzgrafe ..................4 ................2002-05 ................34-41 (.453)John Blackburn ........... 5 ......... 2006-Present ........47-55 (.461)

year-by-year history

panther coaching history

EIUpanthers.com


1997 1 .......Middle Tennessee 2 .......Tennessee Tech 3 .......UT Martin 4 .......Austin Peay 5.......EASTERN ILLINOIS 6 .......Morehead State 7 .......Eastern Kentucky 8 .......Murray State

1998 1 .......Middle Tennessee 2 .......Austin Peay 3 .......UT Martin 4 .......Eastern Kentucky 5 .......Tennessee Tech 6 .......Murray State 7.......EASTERN ILLINOIS 8 .......Morehead State

1999 1 .......Tennessee Tech 2 .......Middle Tennessee 3 .......Murray State 4 .......UT Martin 5 .......Morehead State 6 .......Eastern Kentucky 7 .......Austin Peay 8.......EASTERN ILLINOIS

2000 1 .......Middle Tennessee 2 .......Tennessee Tech 3 .......Morehead State 4 .......UT Martin 5 .......Austin Peay 6 .......Murray State 7.......EASTERN ILLINOIS 8 .......Eastern Kentucky

2001 1 .......Murray State 2 .......UT Martin 3 .......Tennessee Tech 4 .......Morehead State 5.......EASTERN ILLINOIS 6 .......Austin Peay 7 .......Eastern Kentucky 8 .......Tennessee State

2002 1 .......Murray State 2 .......Tennessee Tech 3 .......UT Martin 4 .......Eastern Kentucky 5.......EASTERN ILLINOIS 6 .......Morehead State 7 .......Tennessee State 8 .......Austin Peay

2003 1 .......Tennessee Tech 2 .......Murray State 3.......EASTERN ILLINOIS 4 .......Eastern Kentucky 5 .......Morehead State 6 .......UT Martin 7 .......Austin Peay 8 .......Tennessee State

2004 1 .......Tennessee Tech 2 .......Jacksonville State 3.......EASTERN ILLINOIS 4 .......Morehead State 5 .......Samford 6 .......Murray State 7 .......Eastern Kentucky 8 .......Austin Peay

2005 1 .......Jacksonville State 2 .......Samford 3 .......Morehead State 4 .......Tennessee Tech 5 .......Eastern Kentucky 6 .......UT Martin 7 .......Austin Peay 8 .......Murray State 9.......EASTERN ILLINOIS

2006 REGULAR-SEASON * 1 .......Tennessee Tech .......................9-0 2 .......Jacksonville State .....................8-1 3 .......Samford ....................................7-2 4 .......UT Martin ..................................6-3 5 .......Eastern Kentucky .....................4-5 .........Murray State .............................4-5 7.......EASTERN ILLINOIS ..........3-6 .........Morehead State ........................3-6 8 .......Austin Peay...............................1-8 9 .......Tennessee State .......................0-9

2006 TOURNAMENT * 1 .......Tennessee Tech 2 .......Samford 3 .......UT Martin 4 .......Jacksonville State 5 .......Murray State 6 .......Eastern Kentucky

2007 REGULAR-SEASON 1 .......Jacksonville State .....................8-1 .........Tennessee Tech .......................8-1 3.......EASTERN ILLINOIS ..........7-2 .........Eastern Kentucky .....................7-2 .........Samford ....................................7-2 6 .......Murray State .............................4-5 7 .......UT Martin ..................................3-6 8 .......Morehead State ........................2-7 9 .......Austin Peay...............................1-7 10 .....Tennessee State .......................0-9

2007 TOURNAMENT 1 .......Jacksonville State 2 .......Samford 3 .......Tennessee Tech 4 .......Eastern Kentucky 5 .......Murray State 6.......EASTERN ILLINOIS

2008 REGULAR-SEASON 1 .......Tennessee Tech .......................9-0 2 .......Samford ....................................8-1 3.......EASTERN ILLINOIS ..........6-3 .........Eastern Kentucky .....................6-3 .........Jacksonville State .....................6-3 6 .......UT Martin ..................................4-5 7 .......Morehead State ........................3-6 8 .......Austin Peay...............................2-7 9 .......Murray State .............................1-8

2008 TOURNAMENT 1 .......Samford 2 .......Jacksonville State 3 .......Tennessee Tech 4 .......UT Martin 5 .......Eastern Kentucky 6.......EASTERN ILLINOIS

2009 REGULAR-SEASON 1 .......Eastern Kentucky .....................8-0 2 .......Jacksonville State .....................7-1 3 .......Tennessee Tech .......................6-2 4 .......Morehead State ........................4-4 .........Murray State .............................4-4 6.......EASTERN ILLINOIS ..........3-5 .........UT Martin ..................................3-5 8 .......Austin Peay...............................1-7 9 .......Tennessee State .......................0-8

2009 TOURNAMENT 1 .......Jacksonville State 2 .......Eastern Kentucky 3 .......Tennessee Tech 4 .......Murray State 5.......EASTERN ILLINOIS 6 .......Morehead State

2010 REGULAR-SEASON 1 .......Eastern Kentucky .....................7-0 2 .......Tennessee Tech .......................6-1 3 .......Jacksonville State .....................5-2 4 .......Morehead State ........................4-3 5 .......Austin Peay...............................3-4 6 .......Murray State .............................2-5 7.......EASTERN ILLINOIS ..........1-6 8 .......Tennessee State .......................0-7

2010 TOURNAMENT 1 .......Eastern Kentucky 2 .......Tennessee Tech 3 .......Austin Peay 4 .......Murray State 5 .......Morehead State 6 .......Jacksonville State

* Prior to 2006, the top eight teams advanced to the OVC Tournament which determines who represents the league in NCAA play. Also starting in 2006, the conference began to award a regular-season champion in addition to the tourney champ.

men’s tennis historypanther men’s history in the ovc

EIUpanthers.com


6-12 Overall ... 3-6 OVC (7th place)

DATE OPPONENT W/L SCOREJ 24 ......at IPFW ....................................L ........ 2-5J 30 ......at SIU-Edwardsville .................W ....... 5-1

F 5 ........at Saint Louis............................L ........ 3-4F 13 ......at Chicago State ......................W ....... 4-2F 14 ......at Illinois-Chicago .....................L ........ 1-6F 21 ......at Northern Illinois ....................L ........ 3-4F 26 ......at Illinois State ..........................L ........ 0-7

M 6 .......at Ball State ..............................L ........ 0-7M 10 ....IUPUI .....................................W .......5-2M 21 ....• TENNESSEE TECH ..........W .......4-3M 24 ....• UT MARTIN ....................... L .......3-4M 27 .....• at Eastern Kentucky ...............L ........ 2-5M 28 .....• at Morehead State .................L ........ 0-7

A 2 .......• JACKSONVILLE STATE ... L .......0-7A 4 .......• TENNESSEE STATE ........W .......7-0A 6 ........• at Southeast Missouri ...........W ....... 5-2A 10 ......• at Murray State ......................L ........ 0-7A 11 ....• AUSTIN PEAY ................... L .......0-7

HOME MATCHES held at Darling Courts• Ohio Valley Conference Matches

PANTHER WOMEN YEAR HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL/PREVIOUS SCHOOLShannon Brooks ................Junior .................... Aurora, Illinois ................................................................West AuroraAmanda Dibbs ...................Junior .................... Allentown, Pennsylvania ..................................................... EmmausAnnie Egan ........................Junior .................... Rochester, Illinois ..............................................................RochesterCara Huck ......................... Senior ................... Anderson, Indiana ......................................... Excel Tennis AcademyJennifer Kim ....................Freshman ................ Granite City, Illinois ........................................................ Granite CityKristen Laird .................. Sophomore ............... Bloomington, Illinois ............................................Normal CommunityJanelle Prisner ................Freshman ................ St. Johns, Michigan............................................................ St. JohnsMerritt Whitley ............... Sophomore ............... Kansas City, Kansas ............................................................Park Hill

HEAD COACH: John Blackburn (6th year)GRADUATE ASSISTANT COACH: Dias Doskarayev (2nd year)

women’s roster & 2010 results

2010 women’s dual results2010 women’s dual match records ... overall

2010 women’s dual match records ... ohio valley

PANTHER SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTALSAmanda Dibbs ....................... 1-10 ...... 2-5 .................................................................. 3-15Cara Huck ................................ 0-7 ....... 1-6 ....... 2-1 ..................................................... 3-14Shannon Brooks ................................. 1-3 ....... 3-7 .......2-1 .........................................6-11Juliana Frey ...........................................................2-2 .......2-4 .......2-3 ............................ 6-9Merritt Whitley ..............................................................5-4 .......4-3 ............................ 9-7Annie Egan ..................................................................................0-2 .......5-7 ............... 5-9Kristen Laird ...............................................................................2-2 .......0-3 ............... 2-5Carolyn Rutili ................................................................................................1-0 ............... 1-0TEAM TOTALS ....................... 1-17 ..... 4-14 ..... 7-10 ......9-9 ......8-10 .....8-10 ............ 37-70

PANTHER DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTALSShannon Brooks / Cara Huck .......................0-3 ...................................................... 0-3Annie Egan / Cara Huck .................................1-0 ................5-6 ................................ 6-6Amanda Dibbs / Merritt Whitley ................. 2-11 ...............1-0 ................................3-11Amanda Dibbs / Kristen Laird ...........................................1-0 ................................ 1-0Juliana Frey / Merritt Whitley ................................................1-1 ................................ 1-1Juliana Frey / Cara Huck .........................................................0-2 ................................ 0-2Shannon Brooks / Kristen Laird .........................................................4-5 ............... 4-5Shannon Brooks / Juliana Frey ...............................................................2-2 ............... 2-2Amanda Dibbs / Annie Egan ................................................................1-0 ............... 1-0TEAM TOTALS .................................................3-14 ...............8-9 ..........10-7 ............ 21-30... singles/doubles matches won or lost by forfeit or default not included in records

PANTHER SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTALSAmanda Dibbs ............................ 1-5 ........0-3 .........................................................................1-8Cara Huck .................................... 0-3 ........1-4 ........1-0 ...........................................................2-7Shannon Brooks ......................................0-1 ........2-5 ........0-1 .............................................2-7Juliana Frey .................................................................0-1 ........1-1 ........2-3 ...............................3-5Merritt Whitley .....................................................................3-3 ........0-1 ...............................3-4Annie Egan ..........................................................................................0-2 ........4-2 .................4-4Kristen Laird .......................................................................................1-0 ........0-2 .................1-2Carolyn Rutili .........................................................................................................0-1 .................0-1TEAM TOTALS ............................ 1-8 ........1-8 ........3-6 ........4-5 ........3-6 ........5-4 ...............17-37

PANTHER DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTALSAmanda Dibbs / Merritt Whitley ........................1-7 ...........................................................1-7Annie Egan / Cara Huck .......................................1-0 ................. 4-4 ....................................5-4Amanda Dibbs / Kristen Laird ...................................................1-0 ....................................1-0Shannon Brooks / Juliana Frey ........................................................................2-2 .................2-2Shannon Brooks / Kristen Laird ..................................................................1-3 .................1-3TEAM TOTALS ........................................................2-7 ................. 5-4 .............4-5 ...............11-16... singles/doubles matches won or lost by forfeit or default not included in records

Returning Panthers in bold

EIUpanthers.com


women’s senior profile

EIU (2009-10): Finished her junior season with a 3-14 overall mark in singles... playing 14 matches equally at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the lineup... also went 2-1 at No. 3 singles... in doubles, finished with an even 6-6 mark when playing alongside Annie Egan, including a 5-6 record at the No. 2 spot.... EIU (2008-09): Cara posted a 7-12 record while playing No. 1 and No. 2 singles all season... finished 2-2 at No. 2 singles in OVC play... went 9-12 in doubles play, yet posted a 7-4 mark when teamed with Juliana Frey.... EIU (2007-08): Finished with a 7-12 record while playing at No. 3 thru No. 5 singles... had an OVC record of 2-7, winning at the No. 5 spot... teamed with Sandra Sasidharan in doubles to notch a 10-5 overall and 6-1 OVC mark, as the duo played at the top of the lineup... at one point in the season her and Sasidharan enjoyed a seven-match winning streak.... HIGH SCHOOL: Home-schooled while playing tennis at the

Excel Tennis Academy... coached by her father... played in several USTA sanctioned tournaments, where she ranked as high as third in Central Indiana girls U-18... finished 68th in five-state USTA Midwest... in 2005 she won an Indiana Central girls U-16 doubles championship.... PERSONAL: Majoring in exercise science... daughter of Shawn & Kristy Huck... her father, Shawn, played collegiate tennis at Cederville University, making it to the NAIA nationals four years straight... her mother, Kristy, also played tennis at Central Washington University.... FUN STUFF: ‘Chuck’ or ‘Chuckles’ chose Eastern “because I really liked the girls on the team and the size of the campus”... enjoys playing the piano and also plays volleyball and soccer... her chocolate lab is named ‘Stonewall Jackson’... her advice to a younger athlete is “aim your goals high”... since attending EIU she has learned “how to be a team player”... one of her hidden talents is that she can speak Italian... some of her personal goals she hopes to aspire to while at EIU and beyond include “maintaining a good GPA, winning the OVC at least once, and to go to graduate school”.... QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “Cara has had one of her best falls of her career... she has worked hard to get over some injuries and I’m excited about the contribution she’ll be able to make this spring... she has become one of our top player in doubles and we look for her to have a great senior spring season.”

HUCKcara

SENIORAnderson, IndianaExcel Tennis Academy

EIUpanthers.com


SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL 2007-08 .............................................................0-1 ......2-2 .......5-9 .......................7-12 2008-09 ....................................3-7 .......4-5 ............................................................7-12 2009-10 ....................................0-7 .......1-6 ......2-1 ................................................3-14 TOTALS ............................. 3-14....5-11 .... 2-2 ..... 2-2 ...... 5-9 .....................17-38

DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTAL 2007-08 ... teamed with Sandra Sasidharan ....10-5 ..........................................10-5 2008-09 ... teamed with Hayley Homburg .........2-7 ............................................2-7 .............. teamed with Annie Egan .................................0-1 .............................0-1 .............. teamed with Juliana Frey ................................5-4 .........2-0 ..............7-4 2009-10 ... teamed with Shannon Brooks ..........0-3 ............................................0-3 .............. teamed with Annie Egan ..................1-0 .........5-6 .............................6-6 .............. teamed with Juliana Frey ................................0-2 .............................0-2 TOTALS .....................................................13-15 ...10-13 ..... 2-0 ...........25-28

huck’s career records

women’s senior profile

EIUpanthers.com


women’s junior profiles

EIU (2009-10): Playing at No. 1, 2 and 3 Singles, Shannon went 6-11 on the season... played mostly at the No. 2 spot, going 3-7 overall... in doubles, saw action at the No. 3 duo lineup... teamed with Kristen Laird for a 4-5 mark, while sporting an even 2-2 tally alongside Juliana Frey.... EIU (2008-09): Shannon went 9-7 in singles and 9-9 in doubles during her freshman season... won five matches with Annie Egan and four with Hayley Homburg... went on an 8-2 midseason streak... won four consecutive conference matches during the 8-2 stretch and finished with a 5-3 conference mark... by the end of the season reached No. 4 singles position... HIGH SCHOOL: Played for her dad, Brian Brooks, at West Aurora HS, where she earned varsity tennis letters all four years... also lettered in badminton

her freshman year... picked up conference victories her junior and senior seasons and won sectional titles all four years.... PERSONAL: Majoring in family and consumer science, with a minor in business... credits her dad for influencing her career “because he has coached me all my life and coached my high school team as well”... daughter of Brian & Mary Kay Brooks.... FUN STUFF: Choose to come to Eastern “because I liked the campus and the other girls on the team, plus the campus is easy to get around”... besides tennis, also enjoys playing volleyball... currently driving a 2005 GMC Envoy... doesn’t care much for peas, but loves eating pizza... her favorite location on campus is “the clock tower”... since coming to EIU she has learned “how to manage my time”... her advice to a younger athlete is “learn how to be busy and have good time management”.... QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “Shannon got off to a great start in practice and in our first tournament of the season... she then got unlucky with an injury that took a big part of the fall from her, but I was really excited with what I saw early in the year... I think she’ll definitely be an impact player for us this spring.”

SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL 2008-09 .........................................................................2-3 .......3-1 ...... 4-3 ............9-7 2009-10 .................................................1-3 ......3-7 ......2-1 ....................................6-11 TOTALS ...........................................1-3 ..... 3-7 ..... 4-4 ...... 3-1 ......4-3 ........15-18

DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTAL 2008-09 ... teamed with Annie Egan .................................3-1 .........2-3 ..............5-4 .............. teamed with Hayley Homburg ........................0-2 .........4-1 ..............4-3 .............. teamed with Juliana Frey ...............................................0-2 ..............0-2 2009-10 ... teamed with Cara Huck ...................0-3 ............................................0-3 .............. teamed with Kristen Laird ..............................................4-5 ..............4-5 .............. teamed with Juliana Frey ...............................................2-2 ..............2-2 TOTALS ....................................................... 0-3 ........ 3-3 ......12-13.........15-19

brook’s career records

BROOKSshannon

JUNIORAurora, IllinoisWest Aurora HS

EIUpanthers.com



EIU (2009-10): Played in either the first or second spot in the singles lineup... sporting a total season mark of 3-15... in doubles, saw most of her action at the top of the lineup alongside Merritt Whitley... the twosome finished 2-11 on the year... meanwhile she won each of her matches at the second spot, first with Whitley and again with Kristen Laird... Annie Egan joined her for a win at No. 3 doubles.... EIU (2008-09): Amanda went 8-8 in doubles play while going 4-11 in singles... posted a 4-1 record with Haley Homburg while winning her other four matches with Abby Allgire... started the season in the team’s No. 1 singles position.... HIGH SCHOOL: Played basketball, soccer, lacrosse and tennis at Emmaus HS, earning three varsity letters in tennis... earned three team MVP awards and also captured a conference title.... PERSONAL: Plans to major in biology... credits her

family, especially her older sister Liz, for having the biggest influence on her sports career, “because they never gave up on me and pushed me all the way”... daughter of Brian & Dotlyn Dibbs... her mother played tennis for UConn.... FUN STUFF: ‘Dibbso’ choose to come to Eastern “because I really liked the girls on the team”... her own favorite personal idiom is “it happens”... her goal while at EIU is to “have a good GPA”... her black lab is named ‘Jupiter’... enjoys dancing, watching movies and snowboarding... her advice for a younger athlete is “tennis is just a game, so have fun”... doesn’t care much for peas or rice, but likes to eat pizza, french fries and cranberry sauce... her favorite t.v. show is ‘The Office’... Lincoln Hall is her favorite building on campus... since coming to EIU she has learned “how to study”.... QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “Like a lot of our returning players, Amanda showed considerable progress this fall and played some of the best tennis of her career over the first few months of the season... she has a powerful, aggressive game and I think that is coming out on a more consistent basis as time has gone on this fall... I’m looking forward to seeing her progress this spring.”

SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL 2008-09 ....................................0-4 .......1-1 ......1-3 ......2-3 ....................................4-11 2009-10 ...................................1-10 ......2-5 ............................................................3-15 TOTALS ............................. 1-14..... 3-6 ..... 1-3 ..... 2-3 ...................................7-26

DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTAL 2008-09 ... teamed with Hayley Homburg .........4-1 ............................................4-1 .............. teamed with Abby Allgire .................2-5 .........2-2 .............................4-7 2009-10 ... teamed with Merritt Whitley ............2-11 ........1-0 ............................3-11 .............. teamed with Kristen Laird ...............................1-0 .............................1-0 .............. teamed with Annie Egan ................................................1-0 ..............1-0 TOTALS ......................................................8-16 ....... 4-2 ........ 1-0 ...........13-19

dibb’s career records

DIBBSamanda

JUNIORAllentown, PennsylvaniaEmmaus HS

EIUpanthers.com



EIU (2009-10): Finished her sophomore season with a 5-9 overall singles mark, playing mostly at the No. 6 spot... that included a 4-4 mark in OVC matchups... in doubles, teamed with Cara Huck in nearly every match... the twosome went 6-6 on the year, including a 5-6 mark at the No. 2 duo lineup... sported a nice 5-4 record in league doubles.... EIU (2008-09): Annie posted a 9-9 record in singles and posted a 5-7 doubles mark... went 5-4 in singles conference play... played at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions all season... got all five of her doubles wins with Shannon Brooks... HIGH SCHOOL: Played for coach Bill Gaffigan at Rochester HS, earning four varsity letters in tennis and two in softball... played at the top of the singles lineup all four years... a four-time all-state qualifier... voted team captain her senior year... earned class salutatorian honors after being named to

high Honor Roll all four years... won Illinois State Scholar kudos and was a National Merit finalist.... PERSONAL: Majoring in chemistry... her No. 1 personal sports moment was “winning my very first junior tournament”... credits her family and friends for being the major influence on her sports career “because they always supported me”... daughter of Jim & Chris Egan.... FUN STUFF: ‘Bam-Bam’ or ‘A-Dawg’ chose Eastern “because of the size of the campus, and for not being too close or too far from home... plus has a great tennis program”... her advice to a younger athlete is “always try your hardest”... doesn’t care to eat green beans or olives, but loves peanut butter and Thai food... her favorite t.v. and movie are The Office and Casablanca, respectively... would love to change places with Barack Obama for one day, “because he has the potential to do so much”... since coming to EIU she has learned “to get used to walking everywhere”.... QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “Annie worked very hard this summer to make some improvements to her game and we’ve seen that pay off for her this fall in competition and practice... she has also made some strides in her doubles game based on the work she’s done this fall... I’m looking forward to seeing this continue this spring.”

SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL 2008-09 ......................................................................................4-5 ...... 5-4 ............9-9 2009-10 ......................................................................................0-2 ...... 5-7 ............5-9 TOTALS ................................................................................ 4-7 ....10-11 ......14-18

DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTAL 2008-09 ... teamed with Cara Huck ..................................0-1 .............................0-1 .............. teamed with Shannon Brooks .........................3-1 .........2-3 ..............5-4 .............. teamed with Juliana Frey ...............................................0-2 ..............0-2 2009-10 ... teamed with Cara Huck ...................1-0 .........5-6 .............................6-6 .............. teamed with Amanda Dibbs ...........................................1-0 ..............1-0 TOTALS ....................................................... 1-0 ........ 8-8 ........ 3-5 ...........12-13

egan’s career records

EGANannie

JUNIORRochester, IllinoisRochester HS

EIUpanthers.com


women’s sophomore profiles

EIU (2009-10): Saw limited action in her first season as a Panther, playing in seven matches, either at the No. 5 or No. 6 spot in the singles lineup... finished 2-5 on the year... including a 1-2 OVC mark... had a nice season in doubles, going an even 5-5, playing mostly at the No. 3 spot along side Shannon Brooks.... HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Normal Community HS where she earned four varsity letters under coach Jim Boswell... was the team’s co-captain in both her junior and senior seasons... won the Ironman Award for her team as a junior and senior as well... shined academically becoming an IHSA scholar for three seasons and won the IHSA Scholastic Achievement award in her final two years... won the Big 12 Conference Scholar Athlete award three times... she was a member of the National Honor Society... part of a sectional championship team for three seasons...

helped her team to the Big 12 Conference championship all four seasons... played on USTA Junior Team Tennis in 2008.... PERSONAL: Majoring in business... her number one sports moment has been “going to the state tennis tournament in doubles during my sophomore, junior and senior seasons”... her sister, who plays tennis at SIU-Edwardsville, has been her greatest influence, “because I have always been able to play with her and have a hitting partner”... daughter of Linda Laird.... FUN STUFF: Chose to come to EIU “because it was close to home, plus I liked the campus and facilities and wanted to play tennis”... favorite food is Chinese, but doesn’t care too much for tomatoes... since coming to EIU she has learned “how to manage my time very well”... if she could bring anything to EIU from her hometown it would be “better restaurants”... favorite building on campus is the Student Rec Center... some of her favorite hobbies include scrapbooking, being with friends and family, and traveling... names of her dog and cat are ‘Kasey’ and ‘Meeko’, respectively... she lives by the motto, “everything happens for a reason”…. QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “Kristen gave us a big boost in doubles in the spring of 2010 and she has improved her game in almost every way this summer and fall... I’m looking forward to seeing how the work she’s done this fall allows her to make an even bigger contribution to the team this spring.”

SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL 2009-10 ......................................................................................2-2 ...... 0-3 ............2-5 TOTALS ................................................................................ 2-2 ......0-3 .......... 2-5

DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTAL 2009-10 ... teamed with Amanda Dibbs ............................1-0 .............................1-0 .............. teamed with Shannon Brooks ........................................4-5 ..............4-5 TOTALS ...................................................................... 1-0 ........ 4-5 ............. 5-5

laird’s career records

LAIRDkristen

SOPHOMOREBloomington, IllinoisNormal Community HS

EIUpanthers.com


women’s sophomore profiles

EIU (2009-10): A late addition to the EIU roster, Merritt made a nice splash as a true freshman last season, leading all Panthers with a 9-7 mark in singles play during the spring... sported 5-4 and 4-3 marks at No. 4 and No. 5 spots in the lineup... finished 3-4 overall in OVC-only matchups... in doubles, ended up going 4-12 overall, as she teamed up mostly with Amanda Dibbs at the top of the duo lineup.... HIGH SCHOOL: Merritt graduated from Park Hill HS in Kansas City, Mo. where she was part of a conference championship tennis team three times under coaches Tim Kaus and Drew Osbourne… as a freshman, she placed third in the state in singles and was on the All-Metro First Team… placed fourth in singles play at state her sophomore season… won the state championship in doubles as a junior, while her team finished in third place state-wise… was named the Sun Tribune ‘Girl Athlete of the Fall’ during her sophomore and senior seasons.… PERSONAL: Majoring in journalism, with a minor in advertising... daughter of Michael & Mary Pat

Whitley… finished third with the World Tennis Team alongside her partner in 2006… her number one sports moment was winning the state doubles tournament… her cousin, Amber Lemkau, played soccer at Morning Side College…. FUN STUFF: Was nicknamed ‘Mer’ by her teammates… chose to come to EIU “because I really liked the people and campus”… besides tennis, some of her other special talents include playing guitar, singing and writing songs… her favorite foods are fettuccini alfredo and pancakes... but she doesn’t care for asparagus… favorite musical group is Green River Ordinance… since coming to EIU she has learned “that hard work goes a long way”… enjoyed recently taking professor Andrew Wheeler’s psychology class... a few of her favorite hobbies are movies, music and tennis… advice she’d give to a younger athletes is “if you really want something, then fight for it and don’t give up”… if she could bring one thing to EIU from her hometown it would be her best friend… a quote she lives by is “everything happens for a reason”.... QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “Merritt joined us in January 2010 and made a big impact on the team and produced a lot of important wins in the spring... she’s had a full fall to prepare for this year’s spring season and has made some improvements to her game... I think she will continue to play a big role in our success this spring.”

SINGLES 1 2 3 4 5 6 TOTAL 2009-10 .........................................................................5-4 .......4-3 ........................9-7 TOTALS ................................................................... 5-4 ...... 4-3 .......................9-7

DOUBLES 1 2 3 TOTAL 2009-10 ... teamed with Juliana Frey ................................1-1 .............................1-1 .............. teamed with Amanda Dibbs ............2-11 ........1-0 ............................3-11 TOTALS ......................................................2-11 ....... 2-1 ...........................4-12

whitley’s career records

WHITLEYmerritt

SOPHOMOREKansas City, MissouriPark Hill HS

EIUpanthers.com


women’s newcomer profiles

HIGH SCHOOL: Member of the tennis and soccer squads at Granite City HS, playing for coaches Julie Schrieber, Josh Parmenter and Beth Seibold... earned four tennis letters... won numerous award, including Southwestern All-Conference First Team kudos, All-Metro, All-State, KMOV ‘Athlete of the Week’, and ‘Tennis Player of the Year’ honors by both the Belleville News-Democrat and her high school league... finished near the the top of all IHSA state meet participants three times... four-year member of the Honor Roll... also an Illinois State Scholar.... PERSONAL: Planning on becoming a pre-chiropractic major... daughter of Hong & Moon Kim... credits her parents for having the biggest influence on her sports career “because they have definitely been my foundation for everything I have decided to pursue... they have encouraged me to pursue my passion and work diligently toward my goals.... FUN STUFF: ‘J-Kim’ or ‘Jenny-Kim’ chose to attend EIU “because after my first visit, no other school really seemed quite as comfortable.. plus the tennis girls were really fun”... plus she thinks that

EIU has other advantages over fellow OVC and state schools “because Eastern wants to see their students succeed... EIU takes the extra step to ensure every student is given equal opportunities and promotes hard work”... besides tennis, enjoys playing volleyball and shopping... one of her hidden talents is being able to bake a pretty good batch of homemade brownies... enjoys eating anything that her mom makes, plus is fanatic about salads with poppyseed dressing... yet doesn’t care to dine on greenbeans... her dog is named ‘Lulu’, which is who she would like to bring to EIU with her from her hometown... since coming to EIU she has learned “how to study”... her advice to a young tennis player is “keep focused and never let anything get in the way of your dreams”... her favorite quote (by Tim Notke) is “hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard”... hopes to finish her EIU career with her undergraduate degree and “to make a positive impact on the women’s tennis team”…. QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “Jennifer has been a big boost to the team this year... she has made a lot of progress since the start of the fall and finished the fall season playing a major role in the lineup and producing quality tennis and good wins... I think she will continue to progress and be an important player for us this year.”

HIGH SCHOOL: Earned three letters in tennis and four in basketball for coaches Angela Pertler and Mark Lasceski while at St. John’s HS in Michigan... named to the Lansing State Journal Dream Team three times... was a regional champion and conference champ three times as well... also a multi-year MVP... named as a team captain... a state quarterfinalist... as a team, St. Johns earned regional and conference championship honors, as well as runner-up kudos... in basketball, was voted as the team MVP twice... also earned All-Conference and Honorable Mention Dream Team honors... voted team captain as well... National Honors Society member... finished second for the Government Essay award... PERSONAL: Still undecided on a major... daughter of Jeff & Karen Prisner... No. 1 sports highlight was “getting a scholarship to play tennis at EIU”... credits her parents for having the biggest influence on her sports career, “becuase they’ve always pushed me to become better and they have helped me get to where I am today”.... FUN STUFF: Has earned several nicknames, including ‘Nelly’, ‘Nel’, Jellybean’, and ‘Lil JP’... chose EIU “because the campus is close and the team is nice”... other advantages she feels EIU has over other OVC and state schools is “our team is really close and really supportive for each other... we cheer each other on and we’ve got a lot of talent”... currently driving a 1993 Honda Accord... enjoys hanging with family and friends, watching movies, listening to music, eating, working out, and dancing...

loves eating lasagna and all other pasta dishes... not crazy about seafood or vegetable, however... since coming to EIU she has learned “how to do things on my own”... her advice to a young tennis player is “work hard and never let anyone tell you that you aren’t good enough”... her career goals while at EIU include “winning the conference and to pick a career that I will love doing” …. QUOTING COACH BLACKBURN: “Janelle comes to us with a wealth of junior tennis experience, playing and succeeding in some of the top junior tournaments in the country... we’ve seen some major strides in her game as the fall has gone on and I think she’ll be an even stronger player for us this spring as she continues to develop.”

KIMjennifer

FRESHMANGranite City, IllinoisGranite City HS

PRISNERjanelle

FRESHMANSt. Johns, MichiganSt. Johns HS

EIUpanthers.com


COACH YEARS TENURE RECORDNorma Green ..................... 1 .................. 1977 .......................3-5 (.375)

Joyce David ....................... 2 ................1978-79 ..................11-5 (.687)

Karen Early ........................ 3 ................1980-82 ................24-14 (.631)

Chris Perry ........................ 1 .................. 1983 .......................4-6 (.400)

Gail Richard ....................... 3 ................1984-86 ................14-26 (.350)

Grant Alexander ................ 5 ................1987-91 ................48-46 (.511)

John Ross ......................... 3 ................1992-94 ................46-17 (.730)

Rosie Kramarski ................ 3 ................1995-97 ................24-21 (.533)

Marla Reid ......................... 2 ................1998-99 ................20-15 (.571)

Michael Hunt ..................... 2 ................2000-01 ................17-33 (.340)

Brian Holzgrafe .................. 4 ................2002-05 ................35-41 (.461)

John Blackburn ............5 ......... 2006-Present .......46-56 (.451)

YR COACH RECORD(S) CONF FINISH1977........Norma Green........................3-51978........Joyce David ..........................5-41979........Joyce David ..........................6-1

1980........Karen Early...........................5-71981........Karen Early..........................10-41982........Karen Early...........................9-3 ..........................AIAW II - 12th

Panthers moved to NCAA Division I status starting with the 1981 season1983......Chris Perry .............................4-6 ..............Gateway .............9th1984......Gail Richard ...........................4-8 ..............Gateway .............9th1985......Gail Richard ...........................3-9 ..............Gateway ...........10th1986......Gail Richard ...........................7-9 ..............Gateway ...........10th1987......Grant Alexander ....................3-16 .............Gateway .............9th1988......Grant Alexander ....................11-7 .............Gateway .............8th1989......Grant Alexander ....................8-10 .............Gateway .............9th1990......Grant Alexander ....................16-5 .............Gateway .............6th

1991......Grant Alexander ....................10-8 .............Gateway .............9th1992......John Ross .............................10-8 .............Gateway ...........10th1993......John Ross .........................15-4 / 4-2 .........Mid-Con ..............4th1994......John Ross .........................21-5 / 9-1 .........Mid-Con .............2nd1995......Rosie Kramarski ................12-9 / 8-1 .........Mid-Con .............2nd1996......Rosie Kramarski .................9-6 / 5-2 ..........Mid-Con ..............3rd1997......Rosie Kramarski ................5-11 / 3-6 ............OVC .................5th1998......Marla Reid ..........................8-6 / 5-4 .............OVC .................5th1999......Marla Reid .........................12-9 / 4-2 ............OVC .................5th2000......Michael Hunt .....................3-21 / 0-8 ............OVC .................9th

2001......Michael Hunt ....................14-12 / 4-5 ...........OVC .................5th2002......Brian Holzgrafe .................10-9 / 4-2 ............OVC .................5th2003......Brian Holzgrafe .................13-7 / 5-2 ............OVC .................4th2004......Brian Holzgrafe .................7-11 / 3-5 ............OVC .................7th2005......Brian Holzgrafe .................5-14 / 3-5 ............OVC .................8th

year-by-year history

women’s tennis history

panther coaching history

2006 ....John Blackburn ..........6-15 / 2-8 .......... OVC ...............9th2007 ....John Blackburn ..........13-9 / 7-3 .......... OVC .............. 3rd2008 ....John Blackburn ..........13-7 / 5-5 .......... OVC ...........T-5th2009 ....John Blackburn ..........8-13 / 4-5 .......... OVC ...............6th2010 ....John Blackburn ..........6-12 / 3-6 .......... OVC ...............7th

TOTAL ........................... 294-290 (.503) / 78-72 (.520) ......................... DIVISION I TOTAL ......... 256-266 (.490) / 78-72 (.520) ............................

Gateway ... Gateway Conference (now known as the Missouri Valley Conference)Mid-Con ... Mid-Continent Conference (now known as The Summit League)OVC ... Ohio Valley Conference

NOTE: Eastern Illinois Eastern Illinois has fielded an intercollegiate women’s tennis team since 1977. The Panthers competed at the AIAW II level until moving up to NCAA Division I status in 1983. EIU placed 12th in the AIAW II National Tournament in 1982, their final season of competition at that level.

EIUpanthers.com


1997 1 ......Middle Tennessee 2 ......UT Martin 3 ......Murray State 4 ......Tennessee Tech 5......EASTERN ILLINOIS 6 ......Southeast Missouri 7 ......Eastern Kentucky 8 ......Morehead State

1998 1 ......Middle Tennessee 2 ......Murray State 3 ......Tennessee Tech 4 ......UT Martin 5......EASTERN ILLINOIS 6 ......Southeast Missouri 7 ......Eastern Kentucky 8 ......Morehead State

1999 1 ......Tennessee Tech 2 ......Middle Tennessee 3 ......Murray State 4 ......UT Martin 5......EASTERN ILLINOIS 6 ......Eastern Kentucky 7 ......Austin Peay 8 ......Morehead State

2000 1 ......Middle Tennessee 2 ......Tennessee Tech 3 ......UT Martin 4 ......Murray State 5 ......Morehead State 6 ......Eastern Kentucky 7 ......Austin Peay 8 ......Tennessee State 9......EASTERN ILLINOIS

2001 1 ......Murray State 2 ......Tennessee Tech 3 ......UT Martin 4 ......Austin Peay 5 .....EASTERN ILLINOIS 6 ......Eastern Kentucky 7 ......Morehead State 8 ......Tennessee State

2002 1 ......Murray State 2 ......Tennessee Tech 3 ......UT Martin 4 ......Morehead State 5 .....EASTERN ILLINOIS 6 ......Eastern Kentucky 7 ......Austin Peay 8 ......Southeast Missouri

2003 1 ......Murray State 2 ......Tennessee Tech 3 ......Morehead State 4 .....EASTERN ILLINOIS 5 ......UT Martin 6 ......Eastern Kentucky 7 ......Southeast Missouri 8 ......Austin Peay

2004 1 ......Samford 2 ......UT Martin 3 ......Murray State 4 ......Tennessee Tech 5 ......Jacksonville State 6 ......Morehead State 7 .....EASTERN ILLINOIS 8 ......Eastern Kentucky

2005 1 ......UT Martin 2 ......Murray State 3 ......Tennessee Tech 4 ......Samford 5 ......Eastern Kentucky 6 ......Jacksonville State 7 ......Morehead State 8 .....EASTERN ILLINOIS

2006 REGULAR-SEASON * 1 ......UT Martin............................ 10-0 2 ......Murray State ......................... 8-2 ........Samford ................................ 8-2 ........Tennessee Tech ................... 8-2 5 ......Eastern Kentucky ................. 6-4 6 ......Morehead State .................... 4-6 ........Jacksonville State ................ 4-6 ........Southeast Missouri ............... 4-6 9......EASTERN ILLINOIS .........2-8 10 ....Austin Peay .......................... 1-9 11 ....Tennessee State ................ 0-10

2006 TOURNAMENT * 1 ......Samford 2 ......Tennessee Tech 3 ......UT Martin 4 ......Murray State 5 ......Jacksonville State 6 ......Eastern Kentucky

2007 REGULAR-SEASON 1 ......Samford .............................. 10-0 2 ......Murray State ......................... 9-1 3......EASTERN ILLINOIS .........7-3 ........UT Martin.............................. 7-3 5 ......Eastern Kentucky ................. 6-4 6 ......Southeast Missouri ............... 5-5 7 ......Jacksonville State ................ 4-6 ........Tennessee Tech ................... 4-6 9 ......Austin Peay .......................... 2-8 10 ....Morehead State .................... 1-9 11 ....Tennessee State ................ 0-10

2007 TOURNAMENT 1 ......Murray State 2 ......Samford 3......EASTERN ILLINOIS 4 ......UT Martin 5 ......Southeast Missouri 6 ......Eastern Kentucky

2008 REGULAR-SEASON 1 ......Samford .............................. 10-0 2 ......Eastern Kentucky ................. 9-1 3 ......Jacksonville State ................ 8-2 4 ......Murray State ......................... 7-3 5......EASTERN ILLINOIS .........5-5 ........Tennessee Tech ................... 5-5 ........UT Martin.............................. 5-5 8 ......Morehead State .................... 3-7 9 ......Southeast Missouri ............... 2-8 10 ....Austin Peay .......................... 1-9 11 ....Tennessee State ................ 0-10

2008 TOURNAMENT 1 ......Samford 2 ......Eastern Kentucky 3 ......UT Martin 4 ......Tennessee Tech 5 ......Jacksonville State 6 ......Murray State

2009 REGULAR-SEASON 1 ......Eastern Kentucky ................. 9-0 2 ......UT Martin.............................. 8-1 3 ......Jacksonville State ................ 6-3 ........Murray State ......................... 6-3 ........Tennessee Tech ................... 6-3 6......EASTERN ILLINOIS .........4-5 7 ......Morehead State .................... 3-6 8 ......Austin Peay .......................... 2-7 9 ......Southeast Missouri ............... 1-8 10 ....Tennessee State .................. 0-9

2009 TOURNAMENT 1 ......Eastern Kentucky 2 ......Murray State 3 ......UT Martin 4 ......Jacksonville State 5......EASTERN ILLINOIS 6 ......Tennessee Tech

2010 REGULAR-SEASON 1 ......Jacksonville State ................ 9-0 2 ......Austin Peay .......................... 8-1 3 ......UT Martin.............................. 6-3 ........Morehead State .................... 6-3 5 ......Eastern Kentucky ................. 5-4 ........Murray State ......................... 5-4 7......EASTERN ILLINOIS .......3-6 8 ......Tennessee Tech ................... 2-7 9 ......Southeast Missouri ............... 1-8 10 ....Tennessee State .................. 0-9

2010 TOURNAMENT 1 ......Austin Peay 2 ......Eastern Kentucky 3 ......Murray State 4 ......Jacksonville State 5 ......Morehead State 6 ......UT Martin

* Prior to 2006, the top eight teams advanced to the OVC Tournament which determines who represents the league in NCAA play. Also starting in 2006, the conference began to award a regular-season champion in addition to the tourney champ.

panther women’s history in the ohio valley conference

women’s tennis history

EIUpanthers.com


Beth DeBauche ............................................................. Commissioner

Brad Walker ..................Associate Commissioner for Operations/COO

Jennifer Gibbs .................Assistant Commissioner for Championships

Kyle Schwartz .................Assistant Commissioner for Media Relations

Brian Pulley ..................... Assistant Commissioner for External Affairs

Matthew Banker ..... Assistant Commissioner for Institutional Services

Heather Brown ..........................................Director of Media Relations

Jenny Kulchar ................................................. Administrative Assistant

BETH DeBAUCHECommissioner

Ohio Valley Conference 215 Centerview Drive, Suite 115Brentwood, Tennessee 37027

(615) 371-1698 (phone) (615) 371-1788 (fax)

OVCsports.com

AUSTIN PEAYHead Coach ....................................................Malik Tabet 2010 Men’s Records ................................. 8-6 (3-4 / 5th) 2010 Women’s Records ........................ 16-3 (8-1 / 2nd)SID / Phone .................. Alaric Klinghard / (931) 221-7561 Email .............................................. [email protected]’s Website ..........................APSUgovernors.com

EASTERN KENTUCKYHead Coach .....................................................Rob Oertel 2010 Men’s Records ................................18-8 (7-0 / 1st) 2010 Women’s Records .................... 14-15 (5-4 / T-5th)SID / Phone ......................Michael Clark / (859) 622-6170 Email ..........................................michael.clark@eku.eduWebsite .................................................... EKUsports.com

JACKSONVILLE STATEHead Coach .................................................. Steve Bailey 2010 Men’s Records ............................... 9-11 (5-2 / 3rd) 2010 Women’s Records ..........................13-9 (9-0 / 1st)SID / Phone ......................Tony Schmidt / (256) 782-5377 Email ................................................. [email protected] .................................... JSUgamecocksports.com

MOREHEAD STATEHead Coach .................................................. Kevin Fulton 2010 Men’s Records ............................... 10-8 (4-3 / 4th) 2010 Women’s Records ......................9-14 (6-3 / T-3rd)SID / Phone ..................... Matt Schabert / (606) 783-2556 Email [email protected] ...................................................MSUeagles.com

MURRAY STATECoaches ................Mel Purcell (M) / Connie Keasling (W) 2010 Men’s Records ............................... 6-14 (2-5 / 6th) 2010 Women’s Records ...................... 9-11 (5-4 / T-5th)SID / Phone .................. Teri Lajeunesse / (270) 809-3351 Email .......................... [email protected] ......................................................goRacers.com

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI (Women Only)Head Coach .................................................... Mark Elliott 2010 Women’s Records ......................... 3-19 (1-8 / 9th)SID / Phone .......................... Jeff Honza / (573) 651-2933 Email ................................................. [email protected] ................................................. goSoutheast.com

SIU-EDWARDSVILLE *Head Coach ...............................................Jason Coomer 2010 Men’s Record .................................................2-13 2010 Women’s Record ............................................3-18SID / Phone ........................ Scott Slarks / (618) 650-3155 Email ...................................................sslarks@siue.eduWebsite ................................................ SIUEcougars.com

TENNESSEE STATEHead Coach ........................................... Gerald Robinson 2010 Men’s Records ................................. 0-8 (0-7 / 8th) 2010 Women’s Records ....................... 0-10 (0-9 / 10th)SID / Phone ...................Wallace Dooley / (615) 963-5674 Email ............................................ [email protected] ..................................................... TSUtigers.com

TENNESSEE TECH (Men Only)Head Coach ..................................................Kenny Doyle 2010 Men’s Records .............................. 10-5 (6-1 / 2nd) 2010 Women (no longer sports a women’s team) ... 3-12 (2-7 / 8th)SID / Phone .......................... Nick Burns / (931) 372-6139 Email ................................................nburns@tntech.eduWebsite .....................................................TTUsports.com

UT MARTIN (Women Only)Head Coach ................................................ Dennis Taylor 2010 Women’s Records ......................10-7 (6-3 / T-3rd)SID / Phone .................... Ryne Rickman / (731) 881-7632 Email .................................................rrickman@utm.eduWebsite ....................................................UTMsports.com

*-In the process of reclassifying to NCAA Division I level; will officially compete as a member of the OVC in Spring, 2012

BRAD WALKERAssoc. Commissionerfor Operations/COO

JENNIFER GIBBSAsst. Commissionerfor Championships

HEATHER BROWNDirector of

Media Relations(Tennis Contact)

the ohio valley conference

EIUpanthers.com


FALL Men’s Cross Country Women’s Cross Country Football Women’s Rugby Men’s Soccer ... associate member of the Missouri Valley Conference

Women’s Soccer Volleyball

WINTER Men’s Basketball Women’s Basketball Men’s Swimming ... associate member of the Summit League

Women’s Swimming ... associate member of the Summit League

Men’s Indoor Track & Field Women’s Indoor Track & Field

SPRING Baseball Men’s Golf Women’s Golf Softball Men’s Tennis Women’s Tennis Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Women’s Outdoor Track & Field

“We are loyal EIU, we’re loyal and true ‘though the odds be great or small, we’ll still be cheering you - rah, rahSo fight you Panthers for the glory of our dear name fight on for Eastern, come on you Panthers win this game!”

EIU FIGHT SONG“For us arose thy walls and towers, their beauty, strength and grace are ours Thy hills and prairies at thy feet for us in lovely landscape meetSo must our hearts remember thee, so may our lives a tribute be Strong, true and beautiful and brave and freeSo shall our hearts, our hearts, remember thee.”

EIU ALMA MATER

EIU QUICK FACTSName ................................. Eastern Illinois UniversityLocation ........................................ Charleston, IllinoisFounded / Enrollment ............................1895 / 11,630Nickname ..................................................... PanthersColors ....................................... Blue, Gray and WhiteAffiliation .................. NCAA Division I (FCS in Football)Conference ....Ohio Valley Conference (since 1996-97)Website ...........................................EIUpanthers.com

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EIUpanthers.com

30 eastern illinois panthersDR. DANIEL NADLER

Vice-President forStudent Affairs

BOB MARTINVice-President for

University Advancement

DR. BILL WEBERVice-President forBusiness Affairs

WILLIAM L. PERRY began serving Eastern Illinois University as president on July 1, 2007, following 36 years of service to higher education in Texas. Perry, who was born and raised in the Midwest, received his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. In his subsequent career at Texas A&M University, he proceeded through the tenured faculty ranks in mathematics, and then served in increasingly responsible administrative roles involving multiple areas of budget, personnel and planning for the university, academic affairs and facilities. While at Texas A&M, he received recognition for his service in teaching and in administration. As an undergrad, Perry attended Park College in Parkville, Missouri, where he majored in mathematics and history, and played basketball. In 1999, he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Park. Perry’s past activities in community service include United Way, Boys Club, Arts Council of the Brazos Valley and Brazos Valley Rehabilitation Center. Bill and his wife, Linda, reside in Charleston.

DR. GAIL RICHARDNCAA FacultyRepresentative

“EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY consistently ranks well among our peers, and for good reason. Our dedicated faculty and staff make each student’s experience here an overwhelmingly positive one. We continue to improve the Eastern experience by enhancing our academic programs and integrating the academic and personal development of our students.”... DR. WILLIAM PERRY

DR. BLAIR LORDVice-President forAcademic Affairs

EIU BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Leo Welch (Chair) ............... O’Fallon, Ill.

Roger Kratochvil .................Mt. Olive, Ill.

Julie Nimmons ................... LItchfield, Ill.

Bill O’Rourke ....................Springfield, Ill.

Dr. Robert Webb ..................Mattoon, Ill.

Aaron Wiessing (Student Member) ........

...............................................

...Sigel, Ill.

Don Yost .......................... Charleston, Ill.

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EIUpanthers.com

312010-11 online tennis guidePANTHER ATHLETICS ... EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ... 600 LINCOLN AVENUE ... CHARLESTON, IL 61920

www.EIUpanthers.com ... (217) 581-2319 (phone) ... (217) 581-7001 (fax)

BARBARA BURKE enters her third year as the athletic director at Eastern Illinois University, after she assumed her duties in June of 2008 to become the ninth full-time director in the 110 years of Panther athletic competition. Working on a five year master plan, Burke has made an immediate impact in her first two years with several facility enhancement projects. Among those projects are a new video scoreboard at O’Brien Field, updated locker rooms for several sport teams, a new floor and graphics in Lantz Arena and new fencing for the baseball, softball and soccer fields. In February, 2010, Burke unveiled the Panthers BluePrint for Success as a campaign for athletic facility enhancements. Burke spent the previous 10 years at Wyoming, serving in a variety of capacities since first joining the staff in March 1998. Since July 2006, she has served as the deputy director of athletics and senior women’s administrator. In that role, she helped to oversee strategic planning for the department, as well as the day-to-day operations of Wyoming’s 17-sport, $19 million athletic program. In addition to her years of service at Wyoming as a senior administrator, Burke has had athletic administration experience at the University of Texas at El Paso (1997-98), Marshall University (1994-97), and West Virginia State University (1992-94). During stints at Wyoming and UTEP, Burke was named interim athletic director at the institutions, serving as both schools made transitions to new athletic directors. A member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of America (NACDA) and National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA), Burke has served on numerous athletic committees, including the NCAA Division

I Women’s Basketball committee (2005-07), Mountain West Conference Championship committee (2004), and Southern Conference Softball Sports/Tournament committee (1995-96). She served as Wyoming’s representative on the Mountain West

Conference transition team as the new league was formed in 1998. Burke was recently selected to serve on the NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee with her appointment beginning in September 2010. Burke also brings years of coaching and playing experience to Eastern Illinois. She was a four-year member of both the softball and basketball teams at Western Michigan University (1976-80), leading the Broncos to the Women’s College Softball World Series in 1980. She was inducted into the WMU Hall of Fame in 1988. A native of Kalamazoo, Mich., Burke started her coaching career at Kalamazoo Central High School, with her first collegiate coaching job coming in 1980 as the head softball coach and assistant basketball coach

at Tennessee Temple University. She followed that with coaching stops at Clearwater Christian College in Florida, Cornerstone College in Michigan, Indiana University Southeast and West Virginia State College. Three times she was named the district coach of the year during her softball and basketball coaching career. Burke earned a bachelor of science degree from Western Michigan in 1980 and a master of education degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1984.

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EMAIL EXTENTION ... @eiu.eduAREA CODE ... 217

ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATION Athletic Director......................... Barbara Burke baburke2 .............................581-2319Faculty Athletic Rep ................ Dr. Gail Richard gjrichard ..............................581-7453Senior Associate AD .............Mark Bonnstetter mdbonnstetter .....................581-7614Associate AD/Major Gifts ................John Smith jbsmith .................................581-5831Assistant AD/Special Projects ....Dave Kidwell dakidwell .............................581-2824Assistant AD/SWA ........................Mary Wallace mewallace ...........................581-7144Office Support Specialist ............LeAnn Daubs lrdaubs ................................581-2319

BUSINESS & TICKET OFFICE Business Manager .........................Kim Bagwell kdbagwell ............................ 581-7611Ticket Manager ..............................Cindy Bayes cbayes .................................581-2106

COMPLIANCE & ACADEMICS Associate AD/Support Services .....Tracy Scott tvscott ..................................581-6992Director of Academic Services ......Cindy Tozer cltozer ..................................581-7059Asst. Dir. of Academic Services .....LaVeasey Carter lcarter2 ................................581-7798Graduate Assistant .................. Dominic Morais

MARKETING & PROMOTIONS Director of Marketing/Sales ........Ryan Gilmore rgilmore ...............................581-7151Graduate Assistant ............ Anthony Terranova

PANTHER CLUB / DEVELOPMENT Asst. AD/Development ................. Amanda Bos ajbos ....................................581-5726Office Administrator .................Marsha Figgins bafiggins ..............................581-2310Graduate Assistant .........Richard Kavalauskas

SPORTS INFORMATION Assoc. AD/Media & PR ....................Rich Moser rlmoser ................................581-7480Asst. Sports Info Director ........... Bart Rettberg bvrettberg ............................581-6408Asst. Sports Info Director .. Greg Lautzenheiser glautzenheiser .....................581-7020Graphic Design/Photographer ...... Sandy King slking ...................................581-7761

SPORTS MEDICINE Head Athletic Trainer .........Mary ‘Sam’ Laingen mclaingen ............................581-5939Associate Athletic Trainer .............David Jager djager ..................................581-7677Assistant Athletic Trainer .... Aaron Haselhorst ahaselhorst ..........................581-5939Assistant Athletic Trainer ...........Brett Penning btpenning ............................ 581-3811Graduate Assistant ....................... Megan DavisGraduate Assistant ......................Marcus EilersGraduate Assistant .......................Jenna Moore

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING Strength & Conditioning Coach ........Eric Cash encash .................................581-7025Graduate Assistant ............................Alex BoydGraduate Assistant ....................... Chris NevilleGraduate Assistant ....................Matt Slachetka

EQUIPMENT ROOM Coordinator of Equipment ................Clint Bays cabays .................................581-5125Equipment Room Attendant ..... Steve Calhoun srcalhoun .............................581-7613Equipment Room Attendant ............Jeff Brown jlbrown6 ............................... 581-3112

BASEBALL Head Coach .................................... Jim Schmitz jrschmitz ..............................581-2522Assistant Coach .......................... Skylar Meade stmeade ..............................581-8510Graduate Assistant .................... James Conrad

MEN’S BASKETBALL Head Coach .......................................Mike Miller lrdaubs ................................ 581-2511Assistant Coach ......................Chad Altadonna caltadonna ...........................581-7760Assistant Coach .........................Michael Lewis dmlewis ...............................581-7759Assistant Coach ..................... Barron Thelmon bbthelmon ...........................581-7771

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Head Coach ....................................Brady Sallee isallee ..................................581-6008Associate Head Coach ...............Lee Buchanan ljbuchanan ...........................581-7617Assistant Coach ..................... Quacy Timmons qmbarnes ............................581-8505Assistant Coach ...................... Rachel Galligan regalligan ............................. 581-3411

M/W CROSS COUNTRY Head Coach ...................................Erin Howarth elhowarth .............................581-6647Graduate Assistant ..........................Brad Butler

FOOTBALL Head Coach ........................................ Bob Spoo football .................................581-5031Assoc. Head Coach/Defense ....Roc Bellantoni rabellantoni ..........................581-7765Assoc. Head Coach/Offense............Roy Wittke rawittke ................................581-7764Asst. Coach/Offensive Line ......Brian Callahan becallahan ...........................581-7766Special Teams Coordinator .... Matthew Smiley msmiley ...............................581-7024Asst. Coach/Recruiting ...................Mike Lynch mjlynch ................................581-7769Asst. Coach/Secondary .............Bobby Babich rtbabich ...............................581-7767Asst. Coach/Def. Line............. Forrest Jackson fljackson ..............................581-7768Asst. Coach/Off. Line ................Brian Callahan becallahan ...........................581-7766Asst. Coach/Def. Backs .......... Chad Cleveland cecleveland .........................581-3210Asst. Coach/Tight Ends ...............Jason Fisher jjfisher ..................................581-3210Office Manager............................Richelle Heise rmheise ............................... 581-8311

M/W GOLF Head Coach ....................................Mike Moncel mlmoncel .............................581-6007Graduate Assistant .......................... Craig Toler

WOMEN’S RUGBY Head Coach ...............................Frank Graziano fjgraziano .............................581-7135

MEN’S SOCCER Head Coach ................................Adam Howarth ahowarth .............................581-6442Assistant Coach ...........................Mark Hansen mkhansen ............................581-8380

WOMEN’S SOCCER Head Coach ...............................Summer Perala sdperala ..............................581-7062Assistant Coach ........................Grant Williams gtwilliams .............................581-8321

SOFTBALL Head Coach .................................. Kim Schuette kcschuette ...........................581-2093Assistant Coach ............................Jason Dorey jjdorey ..................................581-8325

M/W SWIMMING Head Coach ..........................................Matt Bos mlbos ...................................581-2612Graduate Assistant ....................... Elliott McGill

M/W TENNIS Head Coach ..............................John Blackburn jblackburn ............................581-3326Graduate Assistant ................ Dias Doskarayev

M/W TRACK & FIELD Director of Track & Field ..................Tom Akers tlakers ..................................581-2625Assistant Head Coach..... Jessica Sommerfeld jasommerfeld .......................581-5726Distance Coach.............................Erin Howarth elhowarth .............................581-6647Assistant Coach ................... Brenton Emanuel bmemanuel .........................581-7629Graduate Assistant ..........................Brad Butler

VOLLEYBALL Head Coach ........................................Kate Price kcprice .................................581-2924Assistant Coach .........................Ryan Sweitzer rhsweitzer ............................581-7758

PANTHER CHEER TEAMS Cheer Team Coach/Advisor ............ Brian Allen blallen ........................ (309) 222-0500

PANTHER MARCHING/PEP BANDS Director of Athletic Bands .......... Barry Houser blhouser ..............................581-6087

EIU PINK PANTHERS Dance Team Coach/Advisor ........... Lisa Dallas lmdallas ...............................581-3716

32

EIUpanthers.com


Eastern Illinois is one of the few schools in the region to have both indoor and outdoor facilities located on campus. The Panthers play their home matches on Rex Darling Courts (pictured above) which were constructed in the late 1990’s to include six modern outdoor tennis courts.

In addition to the Darling Courts, EIU tennis also has use of the Lantz Indoor Fieldhouse (pictured below) which includes five courts for practice and match competition. While also the home of EIU indoor track and field, Panther tennis teams are given ample time on the indoor courts allowing them to practice and compete at any time of the year.

roger darling courts

charles lantz fieldhouse

panther tennis facilities

EIUpanthers.com


JANUARY 23 ............M .... at Ball State ..............................................3 pm 29 ....... M/W .... at SIU-Edwardsville .............................3:30 pm

FEBRUARY 4 ............. W .... vs. Northern Illinois (in Danville, Ill.) ................2 pm 5 ......... M/W .... at IPFW .....................................................6 pm 12 ............M .... at Purdue ..................................................5 pm 18 ............M .... vs. Northern Illinois (in Danville, Ill.) ............... Noon ............... W .... at Southern Illinois ....................................3 pm 20 ............M .... at Valparaiso .............................................2 pm 26 ........... W .... at Illinois State ........................................ 11 am 27 ............M .... at Marquette ............................................10 am ................M .... vs. UW-Green Bay (in Milwaukee, Wisc.) .........3 pm

MARCH 2 ..............M .... at Bradley ..................................................1 pm 4 ............. W .... at Bradley ..................................................1 pm

MARCH (continued) 6 ............. W .... at IUPUI ................................................... Noon 10 .......M/W .... CHICAGO STATE ...............................Noon 19 ....... M/W .... • at Tennessee State .............................. 11 am 20 ....... M/W .... • at Tennessee Tech ............................... 11 am 23 ....... M/W .... • at Jacksonville State ............................10 am 26 .......M/W .... • EASTERN KENTUCKY ................11 am 27 .......M/W .... • MOREHEAD STATE ......................11 am

APRIL 2 ......... M/W .... • at Austin Peay ........................................1 pm 3 ............. W .... • at UT Martin ...........................................2 pm 6 ..............M .... at Southern Illinois ....................................3 pm 9 .........M/W .... • MURRAY STATE ............................11 am 10 ........... W .... • SOUTHEAST MISSOURI ............... 2 pm

15-17 .. M/W .... at OVC Championships (in Paducah, Ky.)

• - Ohio Valley Conference contestHOME MATCHES played at EIU’s Rex Darling CourtsAll dates & times (CST/CDT) subject to change

EIUpanthers.com

2011 eiu panther tennis online guide

Documents

overall ovc

womens overall record

eiu panther women

eiu panther men

womens ovc record

athletic participation

perrydirector of athletics

successful athletics