Jan. 21, 2009
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara men's tennis team will begin the 2009 dual season on Saturday, January 24, versus UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis. The Broncos will take on UCSC at 9:30 a.m., followed by Davis at 12:30 p.m.; both matches will be played at the Degheri Tennis Center.
"We are excited to start the season at home," said second season head coach Derek Mills. "We have an experienced roster that is ready to play. Both Santa Cruz and Davis are strong teams that will challenge us, but if we come out strong and stay composed we will be successful."
This season the Broncos boast a veteran roster and are led by All-WCC junior Jay Wong and senior Kenzo Hirakawa-Wong. Returning to the lineup is redshirt junior Tommy Hicks, who missed last season due to injury, redshirt senior Senthil Chidambaram, and seniors Charlie Burke and John Iwanski. Joining the Santa Clara lineup is sophomore transfer Hugo Taricido Loureiro, who was an All-Southland Conference selection last season at the University of Texas at Arlington, and true freshman Kyle Dandan. Rounding out the SCU roster is redshirt senior Brian Brogan. Brogan transferred back to Santa Clara after spending the 2008 dual season at conference rival Pepperdine.
Scouting UC Santa Cruz
UC Santa Cruz will open up their 2009 campaign at Santa Clara. Under the helm of 27th season head coach Bob Hansen, the Banana Slugs have a veteran roster of 15 players, only one of which is a freshman.
The Broncos defeated the Slugs, 4-2, in their last meeting on January 19. Wong, Hirakawa-Wong, Chidambaram and Steven Benvenuto each tallied singles and doubles points to solidify the victory.
"Bob Hansen has a great team this season full of experienced players," said Mills. "They will come into Saturday's match prepared and look to bounce back against us after falling to us last season."
Scouting UC Davis
The Aggies of UC Davis will kick off their 2009 dual season versus Santa Clara. UCD enters the match with five freshmen on their 11-man roster. The Aggies are led by solo senior Michael Reiser, who was second on the team in singles wins in 2008.
In their last meeting, Davis handed the Broncos their first loss of the season, 4-1, on January 19. Wong was the only Bronco to post a win, as he decidedly defeated Reiser, 6-1, 6-4, at the No. 1 singles position.
"Davis is a talented team and will pose a tough battle for us," said Mills. "Coach Daryl Lee consistently has a strong program that will keep us on our toes throughout the match."
