February 27, 2003
By Josh Griffin
Sports Editor, The Santa Clara
After sophomore Taylor Bedelion spent last season predominantly in the No. 6 singles spot, the San Anselmo, Calif., native moved up to No. 4 singles for the 2003 season. He leads the team in victories with 15 overall. He took a few minutes of his time to talk with Sports Editor Josh Griffin about the transition from No. 6 to No. 4, his teammates and his off-season hobby.
JG: What did you do differently this season to help your transition from No. 6 singles to No. 4 singles?
TB: Basically, I just played a lot of tournaments this summer to prepare for the season. The summer before my freshman year I pretty much relaxed, so I put in more time this summer.
JG: What differences have you noticed between the two positions?
TB: Most No. 6 guys are steady with no huge weaponry. Now I'm facing guys who have bigger serves but have a tendency to break down and struggle to stay in points. At No. 6 I saw people who play a deeper game who hit less winners and more big serves.
JG: Have you countered that by playing with less power and waiting for them to make mistakes?
TB: I've been mixing it up mostly, more serves and volleys. I have gone to the net more often as well, which is another variable.
JG: Have you taken on more of a leadership role with so many departures?
TB: No, all of our main leaders are still around.
JG: We ran a story on Rick Ruso last week. What is it about him that makes him such a great leader?
TB: It's hard to say, because he just has a presence. He's very vocal. You can definitely hear him at practice and he plays next to me in our matches so it is easier for me to see him than most.
JG: What do you do to get fired up for matches?
TB: I like to watch "Gladiator" a lot for home matches. We have a warm-up CD now that started this year and I like that.
JG: What are your goals for the season?
TB: I wanted to challenge Francisco's [Zepponi] win record, but I've lost some matches that will make that difficult to accomplish. My goal now is to make it to 20 wins on the season.
JG: What has been the difference between George Husack and former coach Sean Burns?
TB: We do a lot of the same stuff because George has been an assistant for so long. We have made few changes in practice, but they have different coaching styles during matches.
JG: What do you like to do in your time off?
TB: I really like to go fishing, but I'm always here and have no car. I do most fishing in the summer, and one weekend I've been able to go home thus far.
JG: When is your next home match?
TB: This Saturday at the Santa Clara Tennis Center at 2 p.m. There's a barbecue and it's the girls' Bronco Battle, so come see them for sure.