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Friday, May 6, 2011

Sherwood girls get another tennis win over Wilsonville

WILSONVILLE — OK, it’s no fluke.
Just a week after getting its first-ever win over powerhouse Wilsonville, the Sherwood girls tennis team did it again.
The Lady Bowmen bested the Wildcats 4-4, with Sherwood getting the victory by winning more total games, 81-78, in a Northwest Oregon Conference dual match held Friday at Wilsonville High.
With that win, combined with a 6-2 victory at Liberty on Tuesday, Sherwood wrapped up the NWOC dual meet championship, going 14-0 in league matches. The Lady Bowmen also went 17-1 on the season with the only loss coming against Jesuit in the title match of the Bend Tournament.
In singles play in Friday’s match at Wilsonville, Sherwood senior Maddie Kirby and junior Jessica Creger each scored three-set victories. Kirby pulled out a 6-2, 0-6, 6-2 win while Creger triumphed by a 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 margin.
In doubles play, the Sherwood team of sophomores Carley Mills and Kelsey Niebergall notched a 6-1, 6-2 win in the No. 2 doubles match.
At No. 3 doubles, the Lady Bowmen duo of senior Gizelle Polanco and sophomore Lydia Ng scored a 6-0, 6-4 victory.
The Sherwood boys and girls tennis teams will next be competing at the Northwest Oregon Conference district tournament, which will be held Monday through Wednesday at the Tualatin Hills Tennis Center in Beaverton.
Action at the district tourney starts at 11 a.m. each day.

Tualatin teams still unbeaten in league tennis action

TUALATIN — The Tualatin High School boys and girls tennis teams have nearly completed the feat.
Both Timberwolf squads moved closer to wrapping up perfect Pacific Conference seasons by scoring key league wins in the past week.
The Tualatin girls moved to 13-0 in league matches by beating Glencoe 7-1 at home on Friday and then notching a 7-1 win at Forest Grove on Monday.
In the win over Glencoe, the Wolves got wins in singles play from Emily Fisher, Nina Yang, Saphire Spencer and Eloise Loen. In doubles action, the Wolves got wins from the team of Megan Freel and Mollie Freel, from Bella Koessler and Nicole Janes and from the team of Olivia Gehrs and Alisha Inkens.
The Tualatin girls were scheduled to host Century in a league regular-season finale on Wednesday. Results of that match weren’t available when the Times went to press.
The Tualatin boys won 8-0 at Glencoe on Friday and they triumphed 7-1 at home over Forest Grove on Monday. With the two wins, the Wolves moved to 13-0 in league play.
In the win over Forest Grove, the Tualatin team got singles victories from Jason Nguyen, Jason Lemieux and from Tyler Hayashi.
In doubles action, the Wolves got wins from the teams of Pierce Fettig and Preston Hiefield, from Jonathan Ng and James Stilson, from Chris Pritchard and Randall Tainer and from the team of Jue Hiefield and Kyle Rinker.

Mustangs tennis team is headed back to Florida

SILVER CITY For the second straight year, the Western New Mexico University men s tennis team is headed back to Florida to participate in the Division II National Championships. The Mustangs are the top team from the Central Region, and they are pitted up against West Virginia Westland, who was runner-up in the Atlantic Region. Action will begin May 11 and run through the 14th.
It was the guys No. 1 goal to get back to the finals, head coach Erik Burton said. In fact our captain stated that after our regional win. But, my main goal is to win a few rounds and maybe even get into the Final Four.
Burton s main concern is the elevation and weather. The Mustangs will travel from near 6,100 feet in elevation to about 100 feet. The humidity will also be a big factor.
The ball doesn t bounce and move as fast in Florida, Burton said. We are going to have to get used to that kind of play quickly. We will have a couple of practices over there and we hope we can make the necessary adjustments right away.
Western has been focusing on fundamentals in practice. Those sessions have been short because of the players trying to finish up finals. Burton added that his squad is in great shape, and they are excited to be able to get an opportunity to go back and compete again.
Yair Banuelos and Henning Thrien are the captains of the squad. Thrien was the RMAC Academic Player of the Year, and Banuelos leadership on the court has helped the team the past couple of years. It s almost unbelievable that this duo hasn t lost a set to a regional team this year, Burton said. To get Thrien as Academic Player of the Year and Banuelos as runner-up is amazing. It s a testament to their dedication and their hard work. They are truly unbelievable.
Last year, the Mustangs lost in the first round, 5-1, to Northwood in the finals. Burton said they are concentration on their doubles game this year to help boost them past the first round.
In Division II, a doubles sweep can give you three points right off the bat, Burton said. If that happens or if we win two out of three, our singles matches normally go pretty well for us.
With Emmanuel Mensah and Johan Weich ranked 34 in the nation in doubles, Burton is counting on them two to set the pace in the action.
We are wrapping up finals here, and getting ready to make the long trip to Florida, Burton said. We hope to go further than we did last year, and I think we have the talent to do that.

For first time ever, tennis will have no Americans in top 10

MADRID (APMSO) — Tennis will be without a top-10 American men's or women's player for the first time in the 38-year history of the rankings after Serena Williams was projected to drop out next week.
The 10th-ranked Williams hasn't competed since winning Wimbledon and could drop as low as No. 19 in the WTA rankings depending on outcomes at this week's Madrid Open.
Mardy Fish dropped from the No. 10 spot last week to leave no American player in the men's top 10, while former No. 1 Andy Roddick has bounced in and out but currently sits 12th — one better than Fish.
Monday will mark the first time since the lists — the men's was created in 1973 and the women's two years later — that no American has appeared.
Williams has yet to return from two foot operations and treatment for a blood clot in her lung. Sister Venus Williams, currently No. 16, will drop down after being sidelined since the Australian Open with a hip injury. The seven-time Grand Slam champion is expected to return at Eastbourne next month in preparation for Wimbledon, while 13-time Grand Slam winner Serena has said she will return sometime in the summer.
The U.S. is the most successful country when it comes to No. 1s with the Williams sisters among seven former top-ranked women, while Roddick is the last of six top-ranked players on the men's side.
American player Bethanie Mattek-Sands is the next highest ranked American after the Williams sisters, and will climb to No. 38 after reaching the quarterfinals of the Madrid tournament, where she bowed out to seventh-ranked Li Na of China 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 on Friday.
Mattek-Sands said changes are necessary in the United States Tennis Association's development program, with a variety of factors to blame from pressure to burnout to general work ethic.
"In other countries there's a little more of that grit to get out of where they're coming from. Take some of the Russians, they're trying to get out of there — make some money, and get out of there. The U.S. have it too good," Mattek-Sands told The Associated Press and one other major news agency at the Caja Magica on Friday.
"It will take some people getting out of their comfort zone."
Eight Russian players are ranked ahead of Mattek-Sands, with two in the top-10. Earlier this year the top-10 was made up of 10 players from different countries. The last time there were no American women in the top group was May 20, 2007.
So are American players getting lazy? Or has the talent pool just grown deeper?
Mattek-Sands believes it's a bit of both.
"Some people stop because they don't like sport any more, a lot of kids were pushed when they were young and they hate tennis now," said Mattek-Sands, a regular on the U.S. Fed Cup team who has yet to win a top-level event.
"I've seen a ton of juniors not make it — nobody's playing anymore, nobody's playing. Where are they now? They don't even touch tennis rackets."
The news is worse on the male side coming out of an era marked by No. 1's Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier, with Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe before. This is the longest drought in major singles titles during the Open era with Roddick's 2003 U.S. Open victory the last.
"A new generation has to come," said top-ranked Spanish player Rafael Nadal. "(Roddick) has enough potential to (get back into the top-10). Sam Querrey, John Isner, (Ryan) Harrison: these guys have to come and be there in the future — that's the new generation."
But while Americans aren't racking up Grand Slams, they did combine to win nine singles titles in 2010 to trail only Spanish players as a collective. Four American men finished the year in the top 20 for the first time since 1999.
Mattek-Sands, known for her knee-high socks and unusual tennis clothes, said she would never consider herself the top American unless she cracks the top 10.
"There's a lot of talent out there, but it's just tough right now. A lot of juniors get injured and their flame gets put out before they get a chance to go out on tour," she said. "There is a lot of pressure in the U.S. to be No. 1."

GAME WORLD:Virtua Tennis PS3, Xbox 360 pre-order under $33 in new sale

Retailer Amazon.com Inc. this week discounted pre-order sales for Sega Corp.’s Virtua Tennis 4 for Sony Corp.’s Playstation 3 and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 to under $33 in a new sale.
This week, the Virtua Tennis 4 PS3 SKU and the Virtua Tennis 4 Xbox 360 SKU hold a sale price of $32.49, down from a $49.99 MSRP.
The Virtua Tennis 4 PS3 SKU will include exclusive content like tennis legends Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, and Pat Rafter.
In addition, two exclusive mini-games – Pin Crusher and Net Blitz – will be available.
Virtua Tennis 4, to be released May 10th, will be developed in Japan by the original Virtua Tennis team.
It will include 3D support and Playstation Move compatibility said to allow pinpoint accurate shots for players to improve their racquet skills.
The Playstation Move Console Bundle includes a new PS3 320 GB SKU with the Playstation Move Controller, Playstation Eye, and Sports Champions at $399.99.
The Playstation Move controller sells at $49.99 each.
The Move Navigation Controller holds an MSRP of $29.99 each.
In addition, the Playstation Move Starter Bundle, which includes the Playstation Move Controller, Playstation Eye, and Sports Champions title, sells at $99.99.
All Playstation Move product is now available at U.S. retail.
The Playstation Move utilizes two motion sensors, a three axes gyroscope, and a three axes accelerometer to detect controller angle and movement, Bluetooth 2.0 and a Lithium-Ion rechargeable internal battery.
Move titles include Sports Champions, The Fight: Lights Out, and The Shoot.
Move compatible titles include Resident Evil 5 and SOCOM 4.
Sony in Feb. began sale of the Playstation 3 160GB Killzone 3 Bundle, which includes the PS3 160GB hardware SKU and a copy of Killzone 3 $299.99.
The PS3 is sold in a 160GB SKU at $299.99, 320GB SKU at $349.99.
Microsoft in Nov. began sale of the Xbox 360 250GB Kinect Special Edition Bundle at $399.99.
The Xbox 360 4GB with Kinect bundle sells at $299.99.

Pakistan beat S. Korea in field hockey - Paki Sports

IPOH — Asian Games champions Pakistan came alive in the last 10 minutes of a Sultan Azlan Shah Cup match Friday, defeating South Korea 4-2 to go top of the standings.
However, world champions Australia were lucky to salvage a 2-1 win over hosts Malaysia after rallying in the second half to remain in the running for a shot at the title.
Despite trailing the Koreans - joint reigning champions alongside India - twice in the match, three goals in the last few minutes turned the tide for the Pakistanis.
Jubilant team manager K. M. Junaid said it was a great day for Pakistani hockey as the team played as a family and more importantly, was able to withstand 70 minutes of impressive hockey from their opponents.
"We are never a 70-minute team and many times we have faltered at the later stages of a match. This is a turning point and it shows the mental strength of the players here," said Junaid.
"To come back after trailing twice is also great and there is the fact that we managed to score three goals in the last seven minutes. I am pleased and this augurs well for the team," he added.
The Koreans were the stronger team in the first half, scoring an early goal in the 13th minute from a penalty corner taken by Hyun Hya-sung. Rehan Butt pulled his team level in the 21st minute and it remained 1-1 through to half-time.
The Koreans again took the lead in the second half with Hya-sung scoring in the 48th minute with another set piece move but the Pakistanis slowly clawed back into the game and soon were attacking in greater numbers.
The turning point came in the 63rd minute from their fifth penalty corner when Sohail Abbas scored with a high flick against goalkeeper Lee Myung-ho.
A minute later, youngster Abdul Haseem Khan scored a field goal and Waqas Akbar ended a great day for the Pakistanis with a 70th minute field goal.
The Pakistanis will face Britain on Sunday while the Koreans have New Zealand in their sights.
Meanwhile, the top-ranked Australians' first match of the tournament saw them just secure a 2-1 win despite a 23rd minute goal by Malaysia's Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin.
A late Aussie comeback brought goals in the 59th minute from Simon Orchard and Jason Wilson in the 69th.
In the second match of the day, 23-year-old Rupinderpal Singh turned hero for India as he scored the first hat-trick of the tournament in a 3-1 defeat of Britain.
A much improved Indian team got off to a flier as Rupinderpal scored the first goal in the 10th minute for a 1-0 first half lead and he was again on target in the 55th and 57th minutes.
James Tindell pulled a consolation goal back for Britain in the 62nd minute.
Indian coach Harinder Singh was pleased with what he saw as an improved effort after an opening loss to South Korea - who were declared joint champions alongside the Indians last year after heavy rain caused play to be abandoned.
"The young players had more confidence in their abilities and it showed in the game. It was a good result for us and put us back in the fold for a podium finish," he said.
India, Britain and South Korea now have three points after two matches in the seven-nation event while Australia have three points from one match.
Saturday is a rest day.