Tough Road Test Awaits Broncos

Jan. 31, 2006

Santa Clara, Calif. - Playing on the road is a difficult task for any team. Hitting on foreign courts, sleeping in stiff hotel beds, and being away from the comforts of home are all things that make traveling so difficult for a student athlete to cope with during competitions. The Santa Clara men's tennis team is no exception to the rule, but they experienced a huge breakthrough this past weekend, earning a well-deserved 6-1 victory over fellow West Cost Conference foe Portland.

"I believe our best match of the year was on the road this past Sunday at Portland," said Husack about the Broncos' road win over the Pilots. "The guys really took it upon themselves to convert the Pilots' tennis center to a Bronco friendly facility. They responded very well in a tough situation and it was a great match."

On Sunday, Santa Clara (4-3) will hit the road once again and will face a stiff challenge in No. 67 Fresno State. Game time is set for 2 p.m. Led by recently crowned Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week Sergui Modoc, the Bulldogs are a deep and talented squad that is currently 3-0 on the year. Along with Modoc, Fresno State looks to juniors Jakub Cech and Charles Irie in both the singles and doubles line-up. Second-year head coach Jay Udwadia has a career record of 10-11 at Fresno State and guided the Bulldogs to the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament in 2005.

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"I think we match up very well against their squad and it promises to be an exciting contest," stated Husack. "We know their program well and playing at their facility is no easy task. We have worked a lot on staying in points with solid defense and also being patient with our offensive attacks - something that must be done on their slow courts."

Prior to its showdown with Fresno State, Santa Clara will host Princeton University on Saturday at the Degheri Tennis Center. First serve will go off at 2:30 p.m. Currently, the Broncos are 3-0 at home and the Tigers will be hard pressed to earn a win on the Mission Campus, despite the best efforts of seniors Andrew Lieu and Hans Plukas. In addition, junior Sratha Saengsuwarn and freshman Alex Krueger-Wyman add depth in both singles and doubles. Glenn Michibata begins his sixth season as the head coach at Princeton and has compiled an overall record of 68-48 since joining the Tigers.

"They compete in the Ivy League, which is known to be very tough, and have a reputation of being fierce competitors. I anticipate a tight match and look for our team to continue its ability to perform at home," declared Husack.