CLU JUNIOR ACES SINGLES TOURNEY, WINS NCAA DIVISION III TITLE.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer

Mark Ellis set one goal for himself at the beginning of the 1996 tennis season - win the NCAA Division III singles championship.

Wednesday at Atlanta's Emory University, the California Lutheran University junior completed his quest with a convincing 6-4, 6-4 win over unseeded Todd Bowlby of Gustavus Adolphus College in the Division III finals.

Ellis, a 1991 Camarillo High School graduate, set his sights on the Division III finals after getting bounced in the quarterfinals a year ago. He put himself in an outstanding position to do well by grabbing the division's No.1 ranking in midseason. That earned him the tournament's No. 1 seed.

``Before the season started that was the goal that I set for myself,'' Ellis said from Atlanta.

The only player not to lose a set during the entire tournament, Ellis won all the critical points in the win over Bowlby and becomes the first CLU tennis player to win the national title.

``I played pretty well,'' Ellis said. ``I knew my opponent would be tough. He had played well all week and I knew he would be up for this match. In the championship match it was just a matter of a couple of points here and there.''

Ellis felt the added pressure of being the No.1 player.

``As the No.1 one seed everybody was gunning for me.''

Ellis' parents flew in from California for support. They were in the stands during all of his matches.

``I was scared that if I had lost it would have been a disappointing trip for my folks.''

But Ellis dominated throughout the tournament. He credits his consistency and conditioning to his excellent play.

The consistency has been a staple in his game all year - he finished the season with a 34-1 record. The conditioning was critical considering the extremely hot weather in Atlanta this week.

``It's been like 95 degrees with 80 percent humidity,'' Ellis said. ``It's really been strenuous on all the players. The sun just beats down on you and you sweat like you wouldn't believe.''

Ellis simply tried to block out the discomfort and concentrate on the task at hand.

``I believe it really comes down to a battle of conditioning,'' Ellis said.

Ellis was sick in the week leading up to the finals and also suffered a sprained ankle. He was concerned that his illness, coupled with the excruciating heat, might cause problems. Fortunately that wasn't the case.

``I wasn't sure how I would feel when I left for Atlanta,'' he said. ``But once I got out here I started to feel better. I felt I was in as good a condition as everybody else.''

Ellis admits he isn't too surprised with his success this year. After playing one year at the University of New Mexico, he transferred to CLU in time to play last year. His performance as a sophomore - he reached the Division III quarterfinals - set the stage for this year.

``My primary goal this year was to win the national title,'' Ellis said. ``It's just now starting to kick in.''

In terms of his game, Ellis says he has added some new elements since last season.

``I think the difference has been my backcourt game, which has really come along'' he said. ``And my aggressiveness has improved. I just try to get to the net as fast as I can and serve and volley. I think I'm attacking much more now.''