Wheaton Wire

Issue date: 4/1/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jordan Graham ’12 Coming off a solid 2008 season, men's tennis will be hoping to improve even more this season. Showing off his best Pete Sampras impression, junior James Little serves to his opponent during singles play.

After leading her team to a respectable 9-7 record in 2008 and advancing to the semifinal round of the NEWMAC Tournament, Head Coach Lynn Miller will now be looked upon to solidify Wheaton as one of the dominant teams in their conference. The 12-man squad, consisting of seven sophomores, three juniors, one senior, and one freshman, has a nearly identical roster from last season which gives Miller a younger, but experienced team. With that balance, the Lyons are poised to be a force this season and beyond.

"I expect them to improve in their understanding of the game tactically and to add a few more skills to their game that are reliable in match play," says Miller. "We have a sophomore-heavy team and a freshman playing at number one so we still have some time to develop."

This season the Lyons have started off with a record of 4-4, with their most recent victory coming against UMass-Boston in which the Lyons dominated 9-0. The team's Hilton Head spring break trip was rather successful given the competitive tennis the team played. They split their four game trip, with one of those losses coming against Division II opponent Brevard. "We went 2-2, but played better each match as we adjusted to playing outdoors again, and what I think was really important was how we showed a lot of heart, especially in the match against College of Charleston." says Trent Faltin '11. "I think as a team we showed how much we wanted to win that day, and that's something that we're going to continue throughout the rest of the season."

Though it will not be easy, Miller believes her team can outdo last year's accomplishments. "We have an upgraded schedule this spring when compared to last year, plus [we] played a dual match in the fall versus an credible Division II opponent (Bentley). We came back from Hilton Head 2-2 [versus] stronger competition when compared to last year, but... [f]or us to do better than last year, we will have to beat two opponents to whom we lost last year."

Continued...

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