Sports and Entertainment Final

The UW-Oshkosh men's tennis team was defeated 4-3 Saturday by UW-Eau Claire in one of the closest matches the Titans have had this season.

The meet was held at 9 a.m. in Whitewater on the Ron Wangerin Court in front of a crowd of around 15 people. Most were dressed in sweatshirts and coats because of the cloud-filled sky and sharp wind.

The meet began with Oshkosh's No. 1 doubles duo Todd Miller and Jeff Hagman teaming up against Eau Claire's Aaron Nordenskjold and Tim Eisele. The Titans started the match strong, dominating rallies and making few mistakes while the Blugolds muttered obscenities and showed other signs of frustration.

Oshkosh remained in control for the rest of the doubles set, and a swift forehand from Miller ended the match with a score of 8-0.

The other Oshkosh doubles players were not as successful as Miller and Hagman.

"The top players played well, but two and three doubles were overmatched," said junior women's tennis captain Michelle Baur. "Eau Claire was just too good."

Co-captain and No. 3 doubles player Josh Hardel said bad communication was to blame for his loss.

"We just didn't talk," Hardel said. "My partner always pisses me off."

While the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams were finishing up with their matches, Oshkosh's No. 1 singles player and co-captain Todd Miller began warming up. Miller stands out among the rest of the Titan team, holding a 10-6 singles record and 11-5 doubles record this season. Miller's distinctive style of playing is what many people say sets him apart from the rest of the team and allows him to win.

"It's so fun to watch Todd," Baur said. "He plays so unorthodox, but he is so good at it. He has a two-handed forehand and he can get into people's heads. He walks onto the court like he is nothing special but blows his opponents away every time."

"His game is so unique," Hardel said. "There aren't too many players like him."

Although Miller's exhaustion became obvious as the match went on, his quick feet and vicious backhand were no match for Eau Claire's Chris Slagle as Miller won the match with set scores of 6-0 and 6-2.

"I think I did OK today," Miller said. "There is always room for improvement though. I need to work on consistency in the way I play."

Head coach Steve Francour said that in order for Oshkosh to improve this season every member of the team must contribute.

"Our strength of our team is our top two guys," Francour said referring to Hagman and Miller. "We just need the others to step up."

Oshkosh men's tennis record is 4-15 this year. The season will end this weekend with the Northern Collegiate Tennis Association Tournament in La Crosse.