Lehigh University Athletics
Men's tennis opens spring season on Sunday
1/21/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
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The Lehigh men’s tennis team made positive strides in the 2009 spring season. The Mountain Hawks have been a young, underclassmen dominated team for the last several years, but the young players have gained valuable experience and are maturing into formidable players within the Patriot League. Last season Lehigh, with lineups almost exclusively consisting of freshmen and sophomores, increased its win total from six to eight. With added experience and maturity, head coach Dave Shook believes the Mountain Hawks can continue on the right track to becoming a winning program again.
“This season is about maturity,” explains Shook, who enters his 21st season as men’s coach. “Our young guys gained valuable experience last year. They did a good job, but also made mistakes that were common to freshmen. It’s time for our juniors to step up and for the sophomores to contribute.”
The leader, on and off the court for the Mountain Hawks is junior Troy List. Already a two-time All-Patriot League selection, List stepped into the No. 1 singles spot for Lehigh last season and led the Mountain Hawks with 14 victories. List earned first team All-Patriot League honors last year and was named the league’s player of the month of February.
“Troy has been a great leader for us,” says Shook. “He leads by example. He has done an exceptional job on the court and in the locker room, especially considering the fact that he played No. 1 singles and had to lead the team as a sophomore. He did a great job and I’m looking forward to another year of his leadership.”
List also teamed with classmate Collin Laffey as Lehigh’s top doubles team. Laffey manned the No. 2 singles spot last season, and came on late in the season after a slow start, highlighted by a come-from-behind victory to secure the clinching point in a win over rival Lafayette.
Another member of the junior class who Shook expects big things from is Chris Collins, who in two seasons has made the leap from walk-on to one of Lehigh’s most consistent performers at the lower singles flights.
“Collins is poised to make a leap,” explains Shook. “He has done a great job with our strength program and has been a leader in our team’s strength and conditioning. That should pay off for him and the rest of the team.”
Also in the mix from the junior class are Arnaldo Pacheco and Cameron Silbert. Both men saw action at the lower singles flights last season and they also teamed to form a reliable No. 2 doubles tandem for the Brown and White.
Lehigh also returns three sophomores who gained valuable experience last season. Latvian native Edgars Rauza gained the most experience, playing 23 spring singles matches and posting 11 victories in the middle flights. Leland Richardson was slowed by injuries, but was a highly regarded player in high school and the junior circuit and will be looking for a bounce-back sophomore season. Rounding out the group is Ryan Krueger, who saw action in a handful of matches, but provided several key victories at No. 5 and No. 6 singles.
From a doubles standpoint, the Mountain Hawks return their top two teams from last year in List and Laffey and Pacheco and Silbert. Richardson, Rauza and Collins all saw action at No. 3 doubles.
Shook has also brought in a strong freshman class that will push the returning group. Leading the way for that group is Matt Savran, who won a state doubles championship in the spring.
“Matt’s a Pennsylvania doubles champion who had an incredible summer on the tournament circuit,” Shook explains. “He’s a big, strong kid with a great serve and volley game.”
Freshmen Matthew Fink, Greg Holtzman and Andrew Krentz will all vie for court time as well.
Overall, the Mountain Hawks will take the court with a large roster of talented players who should also provide depth. The goal as always is to contend for a Patriot League title, and if the new faces can contribute and the returning players can take the next step, the Mountain Hawks are confident they can make a run at becoming a top program within the league.
“We’re quite talented,” contends Shook. “If we can mesh well we can do some damage. We’ll have a lot of good tests in the fall, which will serve as a preview for how the spring will go. The goal is always to play for a championship. A lot of dust has to settle but we if we come together the right way we could have a very successful season.”
The Mountain Hawks will open the spring season Sunday afternoon when they travel to University Park, Pa. to take on the Nittany Lions of Penn State. The match is slated for a 5 p.m. start. Lehigh will open its home schedule on January 31, when the Mountain Hawks host Fairleigh Dickinson at 1 p.m.
Lehigh - Penn State Preview
