April 24, 2008

Contact: Jessica Gerich

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland State sophomore tennis player Phil Orno was selected as the Horizon League Male Tennis Athlete of the Week for the second consecutive week and third time this season. The league office made the announcement on Tuesday evening.

Orno went 4-0 in wins over Valparaiso and UIC, defeating Valparaiso's Alex Lau (6-2, 6-3) and UIC's Adriano Liccardo (6-2, 6-1) at No. 1 singles. Orno teamed with classmate Ryan Hamning to win over Valparaiso's Mike Shideler and Mike Wagner (8-4) and UIC's Liccardo and Bastian Harbo (8-6) at No. 1 doubles.

"Phil continued his strong play with 17 wins in a row," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "Conference matches at No. 1 come with extra pressure and he has handled it well. Phil appreciates the individual honors but is more concerned with winning the conference tournament."

UIC's Illinca Cristescu won the honor on the women's side.

The No. 1 seeded Vikings face the winner of the Wright State-Green Bay match on Saturday, April 26 at 1:00 p.m. at the Horizon League Championship.