April 17, 2007

Grinnell tops Dutch 8-1

GRINNELL—Regionally ranked Grinnell College raced past the Central College men’s tennis team Tuesday 8-1.

Central’s lone win came at No. 2 doubles where Chris Bliss (junior, Ottumwa) and Justin Scherff (junior, Denison) pulled out a 9-8 decision. Grinnell, ranked 15th in the region, is 15-6.

“Our No. 2 doubles team played really well,” coach Greg Gilmore said. “Luke Boyd (freshman, Fort Dodge) played a good match at No. 2 singles (a 3-6, 6-4, 10-6 loss). That would have been a big win for him.”

Central (12-7) closes its dual meet season Wednesday with a pair of meets in Kirksville, Mo. The Dutch face Division II Truman State ( Mo.) at 4 p.m. Truman State scored a 5-2 decision at Central last season. A scheduled match with Westminster ( Mo.) earlier in the day was cancelled at Westminster’s request.

The regular season concludes with the Iowa Conference tournament at Cedar Rapids April 26-28.

Doug Stursma Day--Saturday Central will scrimmage a team of alumni players as the team stages a recognition of Doug Stursma, who resigned as the school’s men’s and women’s tennis coach after the fall season. Play begins at 1 p.m. at the Kuyper Athletics Complex courts with a barbeque to follow. Stursma and his wife Sandy are moving to Bella Vista, Ark.

A Pella native and a top amateur player, in 13 seasons as men’s tennis coach Stursma piloted the Dutch to Iowa Conference championships in 1996, 1999 and 2000 and to the program’s first NCAA Division III team tournament berth in 2001. He was named the Iowa Conference men’s tennis coach of the year three times (1996, 1999, 2000) and won the women’s coach of the year twice (1994, 2003).

In 14 seasons as women’s tennis coach, Stursma’s teams compiled a 106-74 dual meet record while he posted a 177-97 13-year men’s dual mark for a combined 283-171 (.623) record. During Stursma’s tenure, the Dutch never finished below third in the men’s conference tournament and were in the top four in 11 of 14 women’s tourneys.

Stursma’s players received CoSIDA Academic All-America honors four times (Ryan Murphy 1996, 1997, Jason Ford 2005, Nick Cochrane 2006).

Gilmore has ably filled in as interim coach for the Dutch this spring. Pella High School coach Bryan Mours will take over as Central’s new women’s and men’s coach in the fall.