Michael Kogan Named C-USA Men's Tennis Player of the Year

Michael Kogan Named C-USA Men's Tennis Player of the Year

Klein Earns Coach of the Year Honors While Romero and Koch Are Named All-League

May 1, 2003

NEW ORLEANS, La. - Tulane junior Michael Kogan has been named the Conference USA Men's Tennis Player of the Year for an unprecedented third time, the league announced on Thursday. In addition, Robert Klein was named the C-USA Coach of the Year after guiding the Green Wave to the league championship and its highest all-time ranking.

Tulane will be in action on Saturday, May 10th, hosting an NCAA Tournament Regional at Goldring Tennis Stadium. The Green Wave will play Southern on Saturday at 11 a.m., followed by No. 19 LSU against No. 56 South Alabama at 3 p.m. The winners play for the regional championship on Sunday at noon.

Kogan, who also earned top league honors as a freshman and sophomore, has had his most dominating year for the Green Wave, climbing to his current national rankings of No. 11 in singles play and No. 5 in doubles action. The Kfar-Saba, Israel, native has posted 14 wins against players currently in the national rankings. Currently working on an 11-match winning streak, Kogan also owns the only victory this season over Vanderbilt's Bobby Reynolds, the top-ranked player in the nation.

Klein has guided the Green Wave to an all-time high spot in the ITA/Omni Hotels Rankings at No. 15. His team was awarded the No. 12 seed in the upcoming NCAA Championship following its triumph at the Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship, the third title for Klein. Now in his 10th year at the helm of the Wave, Klein has a 155-86 all-time record. This is the third-time he has been named C-USA Coach of the Year and the seventh time he has guided the Wave to the NCAA Tournament.

Joining Kogan on the All-Conference USA First Team is senior Victor Romero, a repeat selection to the squad. Romero teams with Kogan for the No. 5 doubles ranking in the country, while forging his own way to the No. 92 singles rating. Romero, who has now won seven straight singles matches, was also named the Outstanding Singles Player of the C-USA Tournament. His victory at No. 2 singles against TCU clinched the Conference USA title for the Green Wave, while he also had the clinching win over Louisville in the semifinals.

Sophomore newcomer Dmitriy Koch, a key addition to the Wave lineup, was named All-League Second Team. He has recorded a 13-4 record at No. 3 singles and 15-5 overall. He has won nine straight matches for the Green Wave and also owns an impressive 15-6 record in doubles action.

Kogan and Romero also were honored as the Oustanding Doubles Team of the C-USA Championship.

Tulane, which has won 22 consecutive matches at home, will be looking for its first-ever trip to the Final 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The final rounds of the tourney will be contested in Athens, Ga., on the campus of the University of Georgia.

Ticket information for the regional is available by calling 504-861-WAVE. Adult tickets will be $5 while children and students may gain admission for $3.