Men's Tennis wins OAC semifinal versus Cardinals; seeks third-straight OAC Tournament title

By: Monique Bowman

CINCINNATI - A change of venue did not hamper the Ohio Northern men's tennis team's quest for another tournament title, as the Polar Bears swept Otterbein, 5-0, in the 2012 OAC Tournament semifinals on Friday evening.

The match was moved from the Lindner Family Tennis Center to the Queen City Racquet Club due to rapidly moving thunderstorms just before the match began.

Second-seeded Northern moves to 12-5 overall while the No. 3 Cardinals' 2012 campaign ends at 10-11.

Senior Nick Kowalczyk and junior Joey Frank started the match off with a quick 8-0 win at No. 1 doubles, followed by seniors Andrew Korba and Michael Kathary's 8-2 win at No. 2 doubles.

Sophomore Josh Saunders and freshman Sam Prewitt completed the doubles sweep with an 8-2 win at No. 3 doubles.

Saunders quickly got his win recorded at No. 4 singles, 6-2, 6-2 over Otterbein's Dustin Goldman. Frank then sealed the deal with a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 1 singles over Ryan Roberts.

Entering the tournament finals tomorrow, Ohio Northern seeks its third consecutive OAC Men's Tennis Tournament title, which would also be the program's fifth in six years.

The Polar Bears turn their attention to No. 1 seed Baldwin-Wallace, which won its semifinal match against No. 5 seed John Carroll, 5-1.

The tournament final match is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.