Valpo Men's Tennis Hoards HL Postseason Awards

Thursday, April 28, 2016

(Fred Villarruel)

The Valpo men's tennis team is going to need a new trophy case after Thursday evening.

Five Crusader tennis players earned Horizon League postseason accolades at the league's awards banquet Thursday evening in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Junior Jeffrey Schorsch (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) repeated as Player of the Year while newcomer Chad Kissell (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) was recognized as Freshman of the Year. Furthermore, Jim Daugherty received his first Horizon League Coach of the Year nod, Charlie Emhardt (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) was named a Second Team All-League selection, and Garrett Gardner (Poland, Ohio/Poland) was graced with the Herb Foster Sportsmanship Award.

For the second time in as many years, the Player of the Year Award was distributed to Schorsch. The junior went undefeated in singles play (6-0) again in 2016 and teamed up with Emhardt to go 4-0 at No. 1 doubles in HL action. The duo has registered a 25-7 mark atop doubles play this season. Schorsch has not dropped a singles match in league play since April 19th, 2014 versus Cleveland State. He owns the school record for career singles victories (82) and is second in career doubles wins (80) behind Emhardt and his 84 triumphs. Schorsch went 18-2 during the spring with all 18 wins coming in straight-set fashion.

Kissell took the Horizon League by storm in his first season in the Brown and Gold en route to Freshman of the Year honors. The Pennsylvania native was also recognized as a First Team All-League recipient. Like Schorsch, Kissell went a perfect 6-0 in singles play during the HL portion of the schedule and enters the Horizon League Championship victorious in 14 of his last 15 matchups between No. 2 and No. 3 singles. Furthermore, Kissell and junior Kyle Dunn (Fond du Lac, Wis./Fond du Lac) ran roughshod through HL doubles action, rattling off a 5-0 record at No. 3. Kissell and Dunn are 9-1 in their previous ten affairs in doubles. Kissell is the second Crusader in three years to receive the honor, joining Schorsch in 2014.

After acquiring three Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year Awards, Daugherty was coronated with his first such accolade in the Horizon League Thursday. Daugherty, who is in his 31st year as head coach of the Valpo men's tennis program, has been tabbed Coach of the Year in four different decades (1988, 1999, 2002, 2016). Valparaiso arrives to this weekend's Horizon League Championship in Ann Arbor in need of two victories to amend the school record for wins in a season (21), set by the 2015 edition.

While Emhardt elicits plenty of notoriety for his doubles play, the junior was a beast in singles as well. He won all four of his matches at No. 4 singles during HL play as part of a 19-win campaign. Emhardt has lost just once in singles in his last 13 contests. Emhardt and Schorsch spent the majority of the 2015-16 season nationally ranked, peaking at No. 33 as late as February 6th. His aforementioned win total in doubles (84) is a Valparaiso record. He's 26-7 overall, 25-7 alongside Schorsch. The tandem has collected a 16-3 mark at No. 1 singles this spring.

Gardner took home the Herb Foster Sportsmanship Award in recognition of his fairness and integrity displayed throughout the season. The coaching staff nominated the sophomore citing his support of others, and the class with which he conducts himself on and off the court. Gardner was also lauded for respecting his opponents at all times and participating in fair play.

Valpo (20-5, 6-0 Horizon) awaits its opponent for Saturday's semifinal match. The Crusaders will face the winner of Youngstown State/Cleveland State at 3:00 pm ET/2:00 pm CT at the Preston Robert Tisch Building in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The winner of the Horizon League Championship receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. ESPN3 will carry live coverage of the entire tournament. The links to Valpo's matches are posted at ValpoAthletics.com.

Men’s Tennis Awards

1^st Team:

Jeffrey Schorsch, Valparaiso

Leopold Gomez Islinger, Green Bay

Mate Virag, Northern Kentucky

Howard Scott, Green Bay

Chad Kissell, Valparaiso

Carl Hedstrom, UIC

2^nd Team:

Jody Maginley, Northern Kentucky

Charlie Emhardt, Valparaiso

Hugo Morth, Youngstown State