Tennis team loses seniors, stays optimistic for 2006

The GCSU men’s tennis team, with a restructured squad, is ready to start practice for upcoming fall tournaments.
After losing four seniors, Brandon Lee (All-Peach Belt Conference), Marcelo Ferreira, Mariano Cebrian and Renato Oliveira, who were regularly in the line up, the Bobcats are forming a strong force for the fall tournaments and the fast approaching spring season.
“We lost some important players that graduated last year, but I think we will still be a competitive team,” said senior Rodrigo Yamauti. “We have been reaching impressive results, doing really well for the past three or four years and I don’t think that this year will be different.”
Two new recruits, Matt Belenchia, a junior transfer student from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and Maxsim Beliankou, a freshman, are already set to start hitting the ball for GCSU this fall.
“We are also working on some recruiting for next semester, which is when our season starts,” said GCSU Head Coach Steve Barsby. “The team is going to be solid and ready to go.”
The remaining players from last year are sophomore Erick Siqueira, who was injured for most of last season, juniors Melvin Smith and Tony Bertucci and seniors Yamauti and Jonathan Lupo.
“Most of our guys have been competing in summer tournaments, so, we will be in good shape when practices begin,” said Barsby.
The Bobcats, currently ranked 21st on the NCAA poll, will play three individual tournaments this fall. Their first challenge is the GCSU Men’s Fall Championships from Sept. 15 to 17 at the Centennial Center tennis courts. Also in September, the Bobcats will play the ITA Regional Tournament, an event reuniting all teams of the region, including Lander University and Armstrong Atlantic State University, which were two of the strongest teams of the Peach Belt Conference last season.
The ITA Regional Tournament will be held in Wilson, S.C., from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. The last and most difficult dispute is the ITA National Championships, where only the winners of the Regional are allowed to play. Fort Meyers, Fla., will be hosting this tournament from Oct. 12 to 15.
Practices at the Centennial tennis courts will start on Sept. 5 and, except for the scorching weather, the players are motivated.
“I cannot wait for the practices and tournaments to start. We have been playing tournaments over the summer, so we are used to playing under hot conditions,” said junior Tony Bertucci. “I am excited about this year’s team. We will be as strong if not stronger than last year.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 1 2006. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry