Long,Thomas lead Cougs to state net title
By Brian Rood
Of The Print
Even though the Oregon
Community College Men’s
State Tennis Tournament was
forced to “move to higher
ground,” so to speak, and shift
the tournament from Mt. Hood
Community College to the
Glendover Tennis Center
when the weather refused to
cooperate this past weekend, it
affected the CCC netmen little
as the Cougs gained wins in
three positions to repeat as
state champions.
The Cougs totaled 12 points
while second place Lane had
eight, followed by Mt. Hood
and Chemeketa with seven
apiece, Umpqua with five and
Blue Mountain with two. «
David Long and Dave
Thomas started the ball rolling
i as they gained victories in the
[number one and two singles,
respectively, as well as cap­
turing the title at the number-
one doubles ‘ position where
[ they have lost only one match
all year.
Enroute to his state title,
Long defeated Matt Shike from
¡Umpqua, 6-0, 6-2, and little
trouble with Chemeketa’s Jeff
Kirk in the second round, win­
ning that match 6-2, 6-3. In the
finals against Chuck Goodin,
Long took the first set, 6-2, but
dropped the second set 4-6,
before winning the rubber set of
the match, 6-3. Long had a
total of 15 match points against
Goodin but several mistakes
allowed his Lane opponent,
breathing room before Long
cut off the oxygen.
Playing at the number-two
singles slot, Dave Thomas had
relatively little trouble as he was
like a hot knife through butter
at the state meet. Thomas’ first
match went two sets (as did all
of his matches) as he defeated
SWOCC’s
Monty
Schumacher, 6-4, 6-0. Lane’s
Dave Walloch was the next to
fall before the quick, hard­
hitting Thomas. This time the
score was 6-4,6-3. In the finals,
Thomas took care of Scott
Elliot from Mt. Hood, 7-5, 6-3,
and CCC had another state
champion.
Unfortunately, the number-
three singles player for the
Cougs, Dave Savage, was not
blessed with the success that
RELAXATION, CONCENTRATION-Apparently CCC
Soifer Dan Hixson has both of these key ingredients for
success as he is consistently the top golfer in the Cougar
matches.
Dick
Smelser
For
County Commisioner
Position No 3
Wednesday, May 14, 1980
STATE CHAMP-Dave Long shows the form that earned him a state championship al
the number one singles position. Staff photo by Duffy Coffman.
Thomas and Long enjoyed. He
lost in . the first round of com­
petition to John Hubbard from
Umpqua.
Probably the performance of
the match for the CCC hard-
courters came at* the number-
four singles slot where Jeff
Alexander lanced through the
competition, making him the
third Cougar to gain a state
title. Said men’s tennis Coach
Rich Taylor, “We knew Jeff
had the ability to win. It was
just a matter of playing up to
his potential.” And apparently
he did just that as only one of
the sets in his three matches
waff even close. Alexander
defeated Brian McGinty from
Linn-Benton, 6-1, 6-1, walked
away from Umpqua’s Dave
Rountree, 6-2, 6-2, and blitzed
Lonnie
Gregory
from
Chemeketa in the first game of
his finals match, 6-1, before
edging him in the second
game, 7-6.
And while the number-two
doubles team of John Hazlett
and Jeff Alexander lost in the
first round to the team from
Blue Mountain, the number-
one team of Long and Thomas
stifled the opposition on the
road to the title at that spot.
Long and Thomas defeated
teams from Mt. Hood, Blue
Mountain and Chemeketa and
should continue to win as a
team in the regionals this up­
coming weekend at Blue
Mountain Community College
in Pendleton.
While the CCC netmen ran
into no serious trouble at the
state, match, things may be
somewhat different at the
regionals. With the likes of
Treasure Valley in the Cougs’
path it may turn out that lady
luck will play an important part
in deciding who will be the
regional champion and cer­
tainly if the Cougs expect to
win the tournament.
In the regionals it will be im­
portant for some of the players
lower down on the ladder to
win at least one match
because, unlike the state meet,
six singles positions will be now. It is really not known
scored as well as the scores of what he will be able to do. A
win from Alexander would
three doubles matches.
The line-up the Cougs will prove very advantageous to
use in the regionals will be just the Cougs.
a touch different than that used - Behind Long and Thomas in
at state with Dave Thomas the doubles pairings, John
scheduled to play at the num­ Hazlett and Jeff Alexander will
ber-one singles position and make up the number-two team
Dave Long to move to number and cannot afford to lose as
two. This switch is the result of quickly as they did in the state
a playoff match between the match. And at the number-
two about a week ago that three doubles slot Dave Savage
Thomas won which earned and Dan Alexander will team
him the right to play as the up and hopefully produce at
number-one man. However, least one point for the Cougs.
In a general overview of the
whether or not Long or
Thomas plays at one or two will state match, Taylor said, “We
be the key to the Cougs’ suc­ could finish anywhere from first
cess, as both those players to fourth. It will just depend on
possess comparable skills. Both the help we get from other
should win at their respective schools.” Taylor emphasized
that the Cougs will definitely
positions.
The real key to the success of need some help from some of
the CCC tennis team lies in the other schools in the com­
number 3-6 and at the number petition including Lane and Mt.
two and three doubles Hood if Treasure Valley is to be
positions. Commenting on this, beaten.
Coach Taylor offered these
The key for the Cougs, along
remarks, “Jeff Alexander will
have to play as good at number with getting help from some of
four as he did at the state and the other schools, will be their
John Hazlett will have to win at ability to win matches lower
number six.” Asked about down the ladder. If they can do
the number-three slot, Taylor that, repeating as the Region
said that Dave Savage has the 18 champs is feasible. But if
ability to win there, but that the they are hot able to get some
draw has a lot to do with it. The fire power from those in­
number-five singles player will dividuals, a trip for the team to
be Dan Alexander who is an Ocala, Florida, and the
excellent athlete but is national tournament may
somewhat of an enigma right never come to be.
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