Wildcats re-loading for 2010
1/29/2010 4:52:45 PM
ABILENE -- Consistency to some might seem boring and uneventful, but the ACU men’s tennis team has posted some very consistent numbers. After a run to the round of 16 at the NCAA Division II national championship tournament last season, head coach Hutton Jones has his men eager to return.
The Wildcats set a team record for wins in a season last year (26) as they posted their sixth straight 20-win season. This year’s team will be led by senior Luke Hawk, who will try to lead the Wildcats to another berth in the national tournament.
The other two Wildcats who return with national tournament experience are junior Bryan Joiner and sophomore Eldad Campbell. Both helped ACU through the NCAA Division II South Central Region tournament and picked up wins in the loss to Georgia College at the national tournament. Campbell, who played in the top three spots for ACU, picked up a win at No. 2 as he finished the season 17-12 in singles and 16-8 in doubles.
Joiner enjoyed an outstanding second season at ACU posting a 26-8 record, including his win at the national tournament.
Other returning players who will battle for the remaining three spots are senior Brett Proctor and sophomores Corey Hale, Cody McCarty, and John Strahl. Proctor hopes to return to the lineup after earning a medical redshirt last season after he was 13-5 in doubles and 17-8 in singles as a junior. Strahl will be the sophomore with the most experience as he played mostly at No. 6 singles where he was 13-5. McCarty and Hale saw limited action and could help add depth to the Nos. 5 and No. 6 spots.
Jones brought in a deep class of underclassmen who could all battle for spots in both singles and doubles. Alfredo Desiati, Ian Lucio, Dennis Roy, and Jon Kelley will all battle to help the Wildcats in 2010.
As for the 2010 schedule the Wildcats have six NCAA Division I opponents on their schedule as they look to return to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Included are trips to Texas Tech, New Mexico, UT-San Antonio in February before they return home. The Wildcats will finish March against Division I Baylor, and Prairie View A&M before a trip to Birmingham where they will participate in the prestigious Blue-Gray Classic. Also the Wildcats will host matches with nationally ranked opponents from the Heartland Conference in St. Edward’s and Incarnate Word.
This year the Lone Star Conference Championships move to a neutral site in Oklahoma City where the Wildcats will try and defend their title. LSC teams standing in the way are nationally ranked Cameron and Midwestern State. Cameron will again push the Wildcats after falling 5-3 in last year’s LSC Championships while Midwestern State will be looking for regional bid after being left out last season.