Lehigh University Athletics
Mountain Hawks look to make strides in 2005
1/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
“Our freshmen last season had excellent years all around, they really stepped up to the challenge. It will be interesting to see how they perform after one year of experience at the collegiate level.” Shook continues, “Our upperclassmen need to step up now and play some good tennis so we can rise up as a team and take it to that next level.”
Esler, an all-league selection in each of the past two seasons, is one of the all-time winningest players under Shook with 27 career wins in singles matches, and he will look to add to that total in 2004-05. Esler has a very good shot of moving into the top-ten all-time if he performs at the level he is capable of. In 2003-04, Esler won seven matches at first singles and another nine in doubles competition a year ago.
Joining Esler at the forefront will be Smalley, a Second-Team All-League pick a year ago after compiling a record of 12-4 in singles matches and a 9-7 mark in doubles play. Smalley was the most consistent of any Mountain Hawk last season and will be counted on more heavily now with two full years of experience under his belt.
Junior Jon Swanson and sophomore Ryan Lloyd split time a year ago at the third flight singles position, with Lloyd putting together the better season, as he finished up at 7-4 at third flight, 10-6 overall in singles play. Lloyd also won six matches in doubles competition, which was very promising for a first-year player. While Swanson’s record may not have indicated much success, he was in every match he played in, and did have several big wins in doubles play. Swanson was injured for a better part of the season however, so with him back healthy, coach Shook expects a “major difference” in the lineup. With Swanson and Lloyd returning one year older, the middle of the Mountain Hawk attack is very solid.
Also returning are a pair of sophomores, Alfredo Fernandez-Concha and Evan Volkman, that had solid freshman seasons a year ago. Fernandez-Concha compiled a record of 9-5 in his first season as a Mountain Hawk in singles play, while in doubles competition, he won nine matches splitting time between first and second flights. Volkman won three matches in singles play at sixth flight and he also picked up a victory in third flight doubles.
Other Mountain Hawks returning to provide solid depth are senior co-captain Andrew Shapiro, and sophomore Brad Nelson. Shapiro and Nelson have the most experience of the bunch, with both players seeing time in 2003-04. Shapiro did his work out of the doubles position, where he posted a 6-4 record, while Nelson won eight singles matches and three more in doubles competition.
Lehigh welcomes just one newcomer to the program this season and that is John Nespoli. Nespoli comes to Lehigh from Scranton Prep after a high school career that saw him accomplish a great deal of things on the hard courts. Among his many accomplishments, Nespolil was a nine-time district medalist and he also earned a national ranking in the USTA Boys 18’s Middle-States section. Nespoli is a very consistent ground stroker and has a very solid all-court game. He should be able to step in right from the beginning and help the Mountain Hawks.
The Mountain Hawks open the 2005 season on Saturday, January 29 when they travel to
