2010 PAC Men's Tennis Previews and Preseason Information
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Washington & Jefferson College*
Bethany College Bison (0-9, 0-6 PAC).JPG)
The Bethany men’s tennis program will begin the new season with a roster full of returning players and a new head coach in Andrew Sachs. The Bison’s 2010 season gets underway March 8 with a home match against Franciscan.
BC’s top returning player is junior Dustin Opalka (right), who led the team with three singles victories at #1 last season. Three other upperclassmen who won at least one singles match also return in junior Levi Naylor, senior Jason Straw and senior Jay Lyonett. Opalka and Lyonett are getting a late start to their training while they complete their season with the men’s basketball program, which is also coached by Sachs.
Rounding out the roster is junior Evan Oslund, who played in four matches as a freshman in 2007, and sophomore Ryan Rokisky, who joins the men’s tennis program for his first season after playing on the golf team last spring.
The Bison schedule includes 12 dual matches, including six at home and six on the road, with the season concluding with the PAC Championships in Erie, Pa., April 22-23.------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grove City College Wolverines
(10-6, 5-0 PAC)
The Grove City College men’s tennis team will have a decidedly different look
this season as several new names will appear in the lineup in 2010. Although
graduation claimed three starters, Grove City still returns several standouts as
the Wolverines pursue their 20th consecutive Presidents’ Athletic Conference
championship.
A trio of seniors will lead the Wolverines this spring.
Senior Peter Davis returns for his fourth year in the starting lineup for Grove
City. A three-year letterman, Davis has played second and third singles
extensively in his career. He will likely be at or near the top of the lineup
again in 2010.
Like Davis, senior Bill Derocha is a three-year letterman. Derocha has won
conference titles in both singles and doubles play in his career. He will look
to be a full-time lineup fixture again this year. Versatile senior Blake Fortier
is back for his fourth season after seeing duty as a reserve during each of his
first three seasons. Fortier, who went undefeated as a sophomore and as a
junior, will battle for a regular spot in the Wolverine lineup. Senior Shaun
Mills returns to the program after a two-year hiatus. Mills made an immediate
impact as a freshman in 2007 and will likely see action in both the singles and
doubles lineups. Ricky Garrett is the team’s lone junior and will be counted on
heavily in both singles and doubles action in 2010. He formed a formidable
doubles team with Davis while leading the Wolverines in total victories as a
sophomore. Garrett could hold down the top spot in the singles lineup this year.
A pair of sophomores also return this year.
The Wolverines will also be bolstered by several newcomers this year. Head coach
Joe Walters has again assembled a strong schedule for the Wolverines in 2010.
The campaign begins February 19 at Penn State Behrend. Matches with Allegheny,
Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Hope and Oberlin highlight the non-conference
schedule.
Grove City will begin conference play March 23 against visiting Waynesburg. The Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships will be held April 22-23 at the Pennbriar Club in Erie, Pa. Scott Yanak is a returning letterman who broke into the lineup as a rookie. Yanak will look to earn a full-time spot in both singles and doubles play this year. Steve Harrison saw limited action in 2009 and will also battle for time.
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Washington &
Jefferson College Presidents (4-2, 3-2 PAC)
The Washington & Jefferson College men’s tennis
team and first-year head coach Tim Fusina will open the 2010 season on
Saturday, March 13 when traveling to Oberlin College for a 12:30 pm match. The
Presidents will be looking to improve upon last season’s success after they
posted a 4-2 overall record (3-2 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference).
Senior Chris Faulk, who finished second in both No. 1 singles doubles at the 2009 PAC Championships, returns to the squad this season as the Presidents' most accomplished player. Faulk finished the 2009 season with a 6-1 record in singles competition, including a 4-1 mark in the PAC.
In dual matches, Faulk teamed with Pat Kennedy and posted a 6-1 record a year ago. In his three years at W&J, Faulk is 18-8 in singles play and 21-5 in doubles matches.
Seniors Cameron Sell and Eric Sillard return to the Red & Black. Sell won his only individual match of the year, while Sillard earned three combined wins in singles and doubles play.
Junior David Dubois and junior Justin Mondok round out the list of returners to the 2010 squad. Dubois carried a 4-3 record in singles play last season and earned a 5-2 mark in doubles competition.
Fusina, who also serves as the W&J assistant men's basketball coach, looks for additional depth out of freshman exchange student Brice Manin.
The Presidents open the home portion of their schedule on March 16, hosting Pitt-Greensburg at 3:30 pm at the Janet L. Swanson Tennis Courts.
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Waynesburg University Yellow Jackets
(7-4, 4-1 PAC)
The Waynesburg University men’s tennis team will begin
their season on Feb. 16 in a role they will have to learn to accept if they wish
to be successful in 2010 – the visitors.
Due to work already done to accommodate the campus’ new chapel where the team’s
current facilities are located, the team now must play all of their matches away
from home, starting with the opener at Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC)
provisional member Saint Vincent.
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With the new season looming, the Yellow Jackets look to play through all those
road games and build upon their 7-4 overall record and third-place finish in the
PAC Championships a year ago. The highlight of the 2009 campaign was a
four-match winning streak, all against conference foes, that powered them to a
4-1 PAC record and a second-place spot in the final regular season standings.
Returning starters include seniors Jeff Canning and Adam Woodruff
(pictured), junior Emile Khoury and sophomore Peter Mally.
Khoury returns after leading the Yellow Jackets in singles victories with a 7-4
record, all at the number-four slot. He was also one of the team’s top
performers in the doubles ranks, as he matched his singles mark with a 7-4
record, including a 6-3 mark while teaming up with Mally as at second doubles.
Khoury was also a PAC Player of the Week and is one of two returning
all-conference performers. He placed second at fourth singles.
Woodruff also earned All-PAC laurels in 2009 by placing second at third doubles
with the now-graduated Dustin Cozad. Woodruff also boasted a winning singles
record (6-5, all at fifth singles) and was 4-1 in conference action. Woodruff
and Cozad teamed up to lead the team in doubles wins (7-4 at third doubles). The
duo also went 4-1 in conference play.
Canning looks to finish his collegiate playing career with a strong 2010
campaign. Last year, he went 4-7 in singles action, with a 4-5 mark at the
number-two spot. Canning also went 7-4 in doubles play, including a 6-3 mark
with last year’s number-one singles and doubles player, Kevin Houseknecht.
They will, however, be forced to replace two key departed players in Houseknecht
(number-one singles and doubles) and Cozad (sixth singles, third doubles).
Looking to fill the tennis shoes of Houseknecht and Cozad are incoming freshmen
Jason Logan and Jon Anderson. Head coach Ron Christman believes the two players
have the opportunity to fit in right away and fill the vacated starting
positions.
“[Jason Logan] and Jon Anderson are good additions to our team. They’ll probably
play third doubles,” Christman said. “They may struggle a little early on due to
a lack of experience, but they’re good enough athletes and good enough players
that they’ll grow and improve rapidly.”
Even if Logan and Anderson do pan out as Christman’s number-three doubles
tandem, the rest of the lineup is still not locked in, including that first
singles spot left empty by Houseknecht’s departure. No matter what the lineup
though, Christman’s ultimate goal is still the same.
“Our goal is to go out and play every match tough and smart and be in the best
shape we can possibly be in,” the head coach said. “We always go into the season
planning on being as good as we can be come tournament time.”
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Westminster College Titans
An opportunity has presented itself for members of
the Westminster College men's tennis team as the Titans enter the 2010 season. A
small roster with just six players and some considerable room for improvement
from last year will be a challenge for the Titans.
"We are short on numbers," said 11th-year head coach Scott Renninger. "That's
going to give them a great opportunity to perform. They are going to do all the
playing."
All four players returning to the team from last year are lettermen. The Titans
posted a 2-11 record last year, including a 1-4 mark in conference dual matches,
before placing fourth out of six teams at the Presidents' Athletic Conference
(PAC) Championships.
Westminster players advanced to the final day of the tournament in eight out of
the nine brackets.
The team returns seniors Mark Drabick and Scott Lawrence. Drabick went 3-11 at No. 3 singles last year, while
Lawrence went 4-11 at No. 4 singles. The tandem posted a 2-8 mark at No. 2
doubles during the year.
The other returning lettermen are sophomores Derek Fredrickson and Drew Trifelos.
Trifelos played at No. 3 doubles, posting a 3-6 record and winning a PAC
tournament match before finishing fourth overall.
Renninger anticipates his singles lineup to go Drabick or Lawrence at No. 1,
while Trifelos and Derek Fredrickson will compete
for the No. 3 spot.
Though the Titans finished third in the PAC two years ago, the Titans have yet
to post a winning dual match record since 2004. Renninger acknowledges that a
turnaround is not going to happen in one season, but he does demand one thing
from his squad.
"I don't have any unrealistic expectations, just being competitive," Renninger
said. "That means not making unforced errors and forcing opponents to play well
to score. Last year I was pleased that (mostly) everyone played on Saturday at
the PAC Championships. To me, that would be a good tournament this year."
Westminster opens the season with at Penn State Berhend on Saturday, Feb. 27
with an indoor match schedule to start at 11 a.m.