Q. Are you doing anything exciting this summer? Traveling? Working?
Taylor: I'm not doing anything exciting. I'm teaching the Nike tennis camp here. I'm doing summer school and playing tournaments, and unfortunately that is pretty much it. I am working in the athletic marketing department, too.
Francisco: I have been working the Nike camp. I have been playing, but not as much as I should be, but I'm actually playing more now. Also, I just got back from Cancun. I went with two friends for a week and almost died of too much fun.
Q. Francisco, what made you decide to work the Bronco Kidz All Sports Camp?
Francisco: I saw it last year and all the kids looked like they were having fun so I decided I wanted to do it. I worked the first week, but I can't the second week because Brett needs me out on the courts.
Q. Taylor, what made you decide to work the Nike Camp?
Taylor: It was within walking distance and it was teaching tennis. And there are hour lunches; that is definitely what sold me.
Q. For the past two years in the dorms you guys did not live together, and now you are moving into an apartment together. What made you decide to live with each other this year?
Taylor: Lack of friends. No.
Francisco: We've know each other for so long and we get along.
Taylor: We're always together anyways so we might as well live together.
Francisco: We are not going to share a room. I was going to have my own room, then George (Husak) signed Eric Kochanski and Taylor already had a roommate and a giant room, so I decided to split the rent with Eric and now I have a single person room with two people.
Q. Dorm life vs. off-campus life, tell me about it.
Taylor: Sleep. I can actually go to bed now without people bugging me, I just close the door. I don't like making my own food, but at the same time I like eating food that I make. It is a battle everyday, so hungry, yet don't want to make food.
Francisco: My dorm life wasn't very exciting because I lived in the quiet parts of campus both years; McLaughlin and San Filippo.
Q. What are you doing this summer to work on you tennis game?
Taylor: I'm just playing tournaments. I'm signed up for four or five.
Francisco: I'm working on more fundamental stuff. I think last year playing at two I saw what I needed to improve on in order to be successful there. So, I've been working a lot on my serve and a lot on my first volley, coming in on the forehand. I'd hit a first volley last year and the guy would get to it and past me because they are that good at two, so I need to make my first volley a little bit stronger.
Q. Francisco, I know both your parents were very supportive of you, how have the past couple of months gone for you?
Francisco: The past couple of months sucked. As you guys know, my dad passed away last May and this past June, my mom got sick and she passed away, so it's not very fun. It's a lot different now playing tennis. Last year was different after my dad because he was my support, so I would look to him after a point or after the match. After he passed away I kind of learned to just play on my own and not look for somebody else, but my mom was my biggest cheerleader. She was the whole teams' cheerleader pretty much. I played a tournament this past weekend and no one is there watching me, no one is there cheering me on. I hit a winner and I didn't hear a clap or anything. It's different, but I'll get used to it.
 Men's tennis teammates Francisco Zepponi and Taylor Bedilion look forward to capturing the WCC title this spring.  |
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Q. What are you looking forward to this coming season on and off the court?
Taylor: I'm looking forward to being good this year. We have strong recruits and transfers coming in, so we should be good. Obviously that will be fun. And everyone on the team besides the freshmen will be 21.
Francisco: I had lunch with our old coach Sean Burns a few days ago and when he saw our lineup and statistics he said if we don't win conference this year then he is going to come and kick our butts. So, I think we have a really strong chance at doing very well this season. Plus, not tennis related, we are living off-campus this year, on Bellomy, and we're all going to be 21 by January, so it is going to be pretty fun.
Q. What quirky team activities have you done as a whole?
Francisco: We do a lot of weird things. During the season we are always together.
Taylor: We went vintage shopping as a team on the road once.
Francisco: Yeah, we went vintage shopping.
Taylor: We really did. George bought five shirts. I didn't buy anything because I don't like wasting money on clothes that I can get from my grandpa for free.
Francisco: There are a lot of things we do as a team.
Taylor: It seems like after every road trip we go over to Benny's (Hidalgo) house and just hang out.
Q. What's the craziest adventure the two of you have been on together that you can tell me about?
Francisco: We've had classes together and those are usually adventures.
Taylor: Yeah, we usually make our classes together adventuresome, like Spanish.
Francisco: Spanish was awesome. We made a skit. I was Shakira and he was Carson Daily.
Taylor: That was the best for sure.
Francisco: George has a copy of the tape.
Taylor: Francisco even put on some booty pants. We got an A. Francisco was actually called a native speaker after that.
Q. Taylor, has having your own trading card added to your celebrity status on campus?
Taylor: Yeah, I probably have to sign five autographs a day at least. No. I give them to my family and I have all the trading cards up in my room and people see them and ask if they can have one. So that is about the extent.
Francisco: Yeah, when am I going to get my trading card?
Taylor: I have definitely signed a few autographs though.
Q. What's your favorite sporting event to attend on campus?
Francisco: Volleyball, easily.
Taylor: Volleyball by far.
Francisco: Because we can get crazy. We sit first row.
Taylor: The girls love us. They always say thank you.
Francisco: They actually acknowledge us for going to the games.
Taylor: And they come back out to our matches.
Q. What is your favorite ice cream or candy?
Taylor: Gold medal ribbon.
Francisco: I like Dulce de Leche ice cream and Toblerone chocolate. I don't like any of that cheap Hershey's chocolate. It's got to be good if I'm gonna eat it.
Q. Taylor, is your favorite movie still "Something About Mary"?
Taylor: No, it's Zoolander.
Q. Francisco, is your favorite movie still "All Dogs Go To Heaven!"?
Francisco: Zoolander!
Taylor: We just love that movie. There are about 60 one-liners and we know them all.
Francisco: We have the same personality for humor, so we find the same things funny.
Taylor: We can't go more than five minutes without a quote from the moving coming up in the conversation.
Q. Have you seen any fun movies this summer? Or is there anything out or coming out that you want to see?
Francisco: I want to see Pirates of the Caribbean.
Taylor: Are you kidding me. Honestly that looks like the worst movie in the world. I want to see American Wedding.
Francisco: I saw it last night. It is so funny. I was laughing the whole time.
Q. Is there anything else you would like to add?
Francisco: It would be nice if everyone could come out to our matches. Come out and watch us practice, they are pretty fun to watch.
Click here to read the original interview during the 2002 season with Bedilion and Zepponi.