2007 Match Recaps
May 9, Oklahoma Wesleyan (NCCAA National Tournament)
Oklahoma Wesleyan brought the Cedarville tennis season to a close with a 5-2 victory over the Yellow Jackets during pool play at the NCCAA National Tournament. CU finishes the campaign at 11-9 overall. Dan Ballard played a part in both points for the Jackets. He teamed up with Jake Bezeck for an 8-1 victory at #1 doubles. Ballard later posted a 6-2, 6-3 decision at #2 singles. [RESULTS]
May 8, Spring Arbor (NCCAA National Tournament)
Spring Arbor blanked Cedarville, 5-0, in the NCCAA National Tournament at North Greenville University . CU, 11-8 overall, has dropped three straight and four of their last five matches. The competition was much closer with Spring Arbor, but the Jackets still came up empty handed. The Cougars swept the doubles before winning at #2 and #6 singles to close out the match. [RESULTS]
May 8, Palm Beach Atlantic (NCCAA National Tournament)
The Yellow Jackets lost a 5-0 decision to Palm Beach Atlantic to open pool play at the NCCAA National Tournament. Cedarville was overwhelmed by the NCAA Division II Sailfish. The closest contest was at #1 doubles were Jake Bezeck and Dan Ballard fell short by an 8-6 count. [RESULTS]
May 3, TIFFIN (NAIA Region IX Tournament)
No. 2 seed Tiffin bumped No. 3 and defending NAIA Region IX champion Cedarville, 6-3, in the tournament semifinals. It's the second time within a week that the much-improved Dragons defeated CU. They also won 6-3 in Tiffin on April 26. The two teams played singles first with Tiffin, 13-8 overall, winning four of the six matches. Scoring points for the Yellow Jackets were #3 Kevin Furst, who rallied for a 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory, and #5 Derek Hostetter, 6-4, 6-1. That required Cedarville, 11-6, to have to win all three doubles matches. The only tandem to post a victory was #1 Jake Bezeck and Dan Ballard, 8-4. [RESULTS]
April 28, ROBERTS WESLEYAN
The Yellow Jackets finished in a tie for second place in the American Mideast Conference after holding on to beat Roberts Wesleyan, 5-4, to wrap up the regular season. Cedarville, 11-5 overall and 4-2 AMC, is the host and #3 seed in the upcoming NAIA Region IX Tournament. CU and the Raiders opened with singles play first and the Jackets won four of the six matches. Jake Bezeck was a 6-0, 6-4 winner at the #1 spot. Other Cedarville players to win were #4 Brent Martin, 6-4, 6-4; #5 Derek Hostetter, 6-1, 6-0; and #6 Caleb Speicher, 7-6, 6-1. The Yellow Jackets only needed one doubles point to clinch the outcome. The #1 duo of Bezeck and Dan Ballard posted an 8-2 victory. [RESULTS]
April 26, at Tiffin
Tiffin beat the Yellow Jackets for the first time ever in a 6-3 American Mideast Conference decision. The Dragons, 11-8 overall and 3-2 AMC, had lost all 22 previous matches played against Cedarville, 10-5 and 3-2 AMC, in a series that began in 1990. The Jackets won two of the three doubles contests. The #1 team of Jake Bezeck and Dan Ballard cruised to an 8-1 victory while #3 Brent Martin and Caleb Speicher hung on for an 8-6 win. The only singles player to come out on top was #5 Derek Hostetter, 7-5, 6-2. All five singles setbacks were decided in straight sets. [RESULTS]
April 24, Seton Hill (at Lexington, OH)
Cedarville met up with Seton Hill and disposed of the Griffins, 8-1, to record their fourth straight victory and seventh in the last eight matches. The contest took place on a neutral site at the Lakewood Tennis Club. Singles was played first and the Yellow Jackets, 10-4 overall, won all six matches in straight sets. The closest scores were at #4 singles where Brent Martin was a 6-4, 6-3 victor. Other winners were Jake Bezeck, Dan Ballard, Kevin Furst, Derek Hostetter, and Caleb Speicher. Bezeck and Ballard notched an 8-4 win at #1 doubles. The #3 tandem of Martin and Speicher posted an 8-2 decision. [RESULTS]
April 21, MALONE
The Yellow Jackets maintained second place in the American Mideast Conference with a 6-3 win against Malone. Cedarville is 9-4 overall and 3-1 in the AMC. The Jackets grabbed two doubles points led by the #1 duo of Jake Bezeck and Dan Ballard, who were 8-2 winners. Brent Martin and Caleb Speicher took an 8-2 decision at #3 doubles. One of the four singles victories came by #1 Bezeck, 6-0, 6-4. Other wins were registered by #3 Kevin Furst (6-3, 7-6), #4 Martin (6-3, 6-2), and #5 Derek Hostetter (6-0, 6-1). [RESULTS]
April 19, ASBURY
Cedarville rolled to a 9-0 victory over Asbury in a non-conference match on the campus courts. The Yellow Jackets upped their overall record to 8-4 while the Eagles dropped to 2-13. CU took a 3-0 lead after doubles and then won all six singles matches in straight sets. Jake Bezeck notched his 40th career singles victory with a 6-1, 6-1 decision at the #1 slot. The rest of the line-up included Dan Ballard, Kevin Furst, Brent Martin, Derek Hostetter, and Caleb Speicher. [RESULTS]
April 17, at Notre Dame (Ohio)
Cedarville had little problem in disposing of American Mideast Conference foe Notre Dame, 9-0. The match was played indoors with the Jackets moving their record to 7-4 overall and 2-1 AMC. The teams opened with singles play and CU won everything in straight sets and lost just three games total in positions #3 through #6. The winners were Jake Bezeck, Dan Ballard, Kevin Furst, Derek Hostetter, Brent Martin, and Zach Rost. The Jackets dropped a total of just five games in doubles. [RESULTS]
April 14, WALSH (Springfield Racquet Club)
Two-time defending American Mideast Conference champion Walsh cruised by Cedarville, 8-1. The match was played indoors at the Springfield Racquet Club. The two teams played singles first and the Cavaliers, 12-3 and 5-0 AMC, won all six matches. The lone win for the Yellow Jackets came at #1 doubles when Jake Bezeck and Dan Ballard posted a 9-7 decision. CU drops to 6-4 overall and 1-1 AMC. [RESULTS]
April 13, BETHEL (Ind.)
The Yellow Jackets netted their third consecutive victory with a 7-2 non-conference decision over Bethel (Ind.). Cedarville improved to 6-3 overall as the visiting Pilots, whose primary season is in the fall, were playing their first match of the spring. The two teams squared off in singles first and the Jackets clinched the match by winning five out of the six pairings. The winners were #1 Jake Bezeck, #2 Dan Ballard, #4 Brent Martin, #5 Derek Hostetter, and #6 Caleb Speicher. CU claimed two of the three doubles matches. Bezeck and Ballard were 8-1 winners in the top spot while #3 Martin and Speicher pulled out a 9-7 victory. [RESULTS]
April 4, OHIO DOMINICAN
It took two days to complete, but Cedarville came away with a 5-4 victory against Ohio Dominican to begin the American Mideast Conference schedule. The contest started the previous day on the Yellow Jackets' home courts and was suspended due to rain and lightning with CU leading, 4-3. Once play resumed indoors at the Springfield Racquet Club, the Panthers quickly knotted the match. That left it up to #5 singles player Brent Martin, who began the day with a 3-2 advantage in the third set. He won three games in a row for a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 decision to clinch the team victory. The Yellow Jackets, 5-3 overall, took a 2-1 lead after doubles. The #1 duo of Jake Bezeck and Dan Ballard posted an impressive 8-1 win and #2 Kevin Furst and Derek Hostetter were 8-4 winners. In singles, #3 Ballard (6-3, 6-1) and #6 Caleb Speicher (6-3, 6-1) locked down points. [RESULTS]
March 29, WITTENBERG
The Yellow Jackets buried shorthanded Wittenberg, 9-0, under the lights in a non-conference match. It was the first-ever night contest that CU has hosted on the campus courts. Cedarville received points via forfeit at #6 singles and #3 doubles due to the Tigers bringing just five players. Jake Bezeck rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 victory at #1 singles. The Jackets lost just six games total in the other four matches. The winners were #2 Kevin Furst (6-0, 6-2), #3 Dan Ballard (6-3, 6-0), #4 Brent Martin (6-1, 6-0), and #5 Derek Hostetter (6-0, 6-0). The two teams finished up with doubles. Bezeck and Furst grabbed an 8-4 decision at #1 while #2 Caleb Speicher and Zach Rost won by an 8-1 count. [RESULTS]
March 27, at Georgetown
Georgetown cruised to an 8-1 non-conference victory over Cedarville. The host Tigers, 5-7 overall, ended a four-match losing streak in convincing fashion. The Yellow Jackets, 3-3 on the season, received their only point at #6 singles when Caleb Speicher posted a 6-1, 6-4 win. The other five singles matches were decided in straight sets. Georgetown took a 3-0 after doubles with two of the matches decided by 8-6 and 9-7 scores. [RESULTS]
March 17, at Bellarmine
NCAA Division II Bellarmine swept the doubles and split the singles to post a 6-3 victory over the Yellow Jackets. Cedarville is 3-2 on the season. The Knights, 4-3 overall, won all three doubles matches, but each one was tight. The respective scores from top-to-bottom were 8-6, 9-7, and 8-5. Dan Ballard was a 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 winner at #3 singles. Derek Hostetter picked up a point at the #4 slot by a 6-4, 7-6 count. Brent Martin rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 win at #5 singles. [RESULTS]
March 16, WILMINGTON (at Springfield Racquet Club)
Cedarville rolled to a 9-0 non-conference victory over NCAA Division III Wilmington. The non-conference match was played indoors at the Springfield Racquet Club. Jake Bezeck and Dan Ballard were 8-0 victors at #1 doubles. Kevin Furst and Derek Hostetter pulled out a 9-8 win with Brent Martin and Caleb Speicher posting an 8-5 decision in the #3 slot. In singles, Bezeck, Furst, Ballard, Hostetter, Martin, and Speicher secured points. [RESULTS]
March 10, at Carson-Newman
NCAA Division II Carson-Newman beat the Yellow Jackets, 7-2, to wrap up the spring break trip. Cedarville's first point came from the #3 doubles squad of Brent Martin and Caleb Speicher, 8-3. Speicher also notched the lone singles point with a 6-1, 6-1 victory at the #6 spot. [RESULTS]
March 9, at Maryville
Cedarville handled Maryville, 7-2, in a non-conference match. The Jackets took a 2-1 lead after singles with wins posted by #1 Jake Bezeck and Dan Ballard (8-2) and #4 Brent Martin and Caleb Speicher (9-7). Bezeck won is straight sets at #1 singles and then CU clinched the match by securing points in positions 3-thru-6. The winners were Ballard, Martin, Derek Hostetter, and Speicher. [RESULTS]
March 8, at Emmanuel
The Yellow Jackets coasted to an 8-1 victory at Emmanuel in their 2007 season opener. CU took a 2-1 lead after doubles with wins coming from #1 Jake Bezeck and Dan Ballard as well as Kevin Furst and Derek Hostetter at the #2 spot. The Jackets swept the six singles matches. The list of winners includes Bezeck, Furst, Ballard, Brent Martin, Hostetter, and Caleb Speicher. [RESULTS]
