Transy’s Brown Takes 37-Match Win Streak in Stride
April 15, 2008 (Transylvania Release)
LEXINGTON, KY– With their win over Hanover on Saturday, the Transylvania men 's tennis team extended its streak of consecutive wins over Heartland Conference opponents to 37 matches.
While many tennis followers may view the streak as evidence of Transy 's conference superiority, veteran head coach Chuck Brown sees it as merely a road mark on a lengthy journey to national recognition.
Transy, winners of the past five HCAC championships, haven 't lost to a conference foe since Anderson took a 4-3 decision on April 13, 2002. The 37-match streak covers six years of play.
"To be honest I don 't really think about the streak at all," said Brown, who has accumulated an 81-23 record in seven years heading the Pioneers. "We 're trying to do it on a national stage by being in the top 25, year in and year out."
Brown 's goal seems to be coming into reach. Going into the HCAC Tournament on April 26, the Pioneers could bring a 40-match league win streak into the event. The Pioneers have accumulated a 10-5 record in 2008, with a perfect 5-0 against conference opponents with three makeup matches to come.
Since their last HCAC loss six years ago, Brown 's squads have racked up the following numbers: 12-2, 6-0 (HCAC) in 2002-03; 13-0 (7-0 HCAC) in 2003-04; 12-0 (6-0 HCAC) in 2004-05; 12-2 (6-0 HCAC) in 2005-06; 16-5 (7-0 HCAC) in 2006-07.
And all five of these teams claimed HCAC Tournament Championships as well. Last year 's team fell to DePauw in the regionals of the NCAA Division III Championships in the Pioneers ' second appearance in the national tournament.
"We still have a long, long way to go if we 're trying to get to that level," said Brown, who has been voted HCAC Coach of the Year for the past five years.
While Brown, who has also coached at Thomas More and Kentucky, may play down the streak, he can’t deny the amount of attention it 's garnered, especially among his former players. He said that if the team lost a conference match, he would probably have 100 missed phone calls from all of his former Pioneers expressing their disappointment.
The current roster of Pioneers certainly doesn 't seem affected by the pressure of the streak, even despite their relative youth. Transylvania 's roster boasts 12 sophomores and freshman out of their 17 roster spots. Senior Parker Gregory has been exceptional as the team 's No. 1 man, with a slew of very talented freshman and sophomore playing beyond their years.
Transy has gotten important contributions this season from freshman Collin St. Clair and sophomores Kyle Clayton, Dalton Main, Clinton Colliver, and Lee Gammon.
Contributions from younger players are not new to the program. White the last six HCAC Players of the Year have come from Transy, so have four of the past six Freshmen of the Year, including Gammon last year.
Brown said that this year 's team is the most tight-knit group he has ever coached. He said that when his No. 1 team finished playing a regular season match at DePauw, they immediately packed their bags and hurried to the bus so they could try to catch the conclusion of the match between Transy 's No. 2 team and Bluffton.
Although the Pioneers have lost five matches out of conference this year, Brown said he feels that the experience against tough opponents like Kenyon, Hope, and DePauw will benefit his team when the regional and national tournaments roll around. Brown said that with the type of talent he has, and the anticipated recruits; it’s possible his team can extend the streak for the next several years. But first, he said he 's concentrated on winning at the national level.
"I think that with the type of talent and character we have, we can continue this streak for quite a while," Brown said. "These kids are certainly the reason why I 've stuck around here, and been able to maintain this level of success."