03/19/2009
2009 Men's Tennis Season Preview

Returning to the court with eight letter-winners and five seniors, the Clark University men's tennis team has every reason to believe they have turned the corner as a program. Now they are ready to prove it.

"The team has done a nice job of showing a strong commitment and a desire to improve," said head coach Mickey Cahoon. "Ultimately, our success will be based on how far we've come in terms of closing the gap on teams that beat us last year."

In addition to returning everyone from last year's 4-10 squad, the Cougars should also benefit from complementing the roster with six newcomers.

"With everyone back it has allowed us to strengthen the program and for them to get to know me and vice versa, said Cahoon, now in his second season at the helm of the men's tennis team. The new players have helped to create more competition within practice and establish stronger camaraderie. We're a much different team than we were when I took over the program, and that's a credit to the work the players have put in."

Headlining the group of returnees is senior tri-captains Adam Bisceglia, Ben Gross and Rocci Li. Bisceglia returns as the No. 1 singles player after posting a team second-best six wins last season, while Gross and Li are back to make marks at the No. 2 and 3 slots, respectively. All three players are four-year members of the team.

Senior Socheata Ly, who led the Cougars with a 7-5 singles mark last year, is expected to play a significant role again this season. After a solid freshman campaign, sophomore Aaron Chin will move up in the lineup to the fourth slot, while sophomore Nathan Maltais, the teams Most Improved Player, and junior Rob Schmidt, a newcomer to the program, will round out the singles group at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.

In doubles play, the Cougars will utilize their newfound depth to mix up the lineups depending on match situations. Bisceglia and Li are expected to pair up as the team's top doubles tandem, but Li and Ly may also see time on the court together. Tying for the lead for most doubles victories in 2008, sophomore Matt Finley and Gross will factor in doubles-play again this year. Sophomore newcomer Marcus Abramson will add size and a big serve to the lineup.

Senior Tridib Choudhury, sophomore Jason Lui and freshmen Noah Callahan, Sergio Tarraf-Filho, and Richard Segal will also be in contention for playing time.

While Cahoon concedes that it might take some time for the Cougars to join the elite of the conference, he feels they are making steady improvements along the way.

"The biggest change has been the leadership of the seniors and their desire to want to become more competitive," Cahoon said. "We have an uphill battle, but our goal is to show that we are moving in the direction of becoming stronger tennis players and hopefully, this year, making a statement with our play to show that we are striving to get into that group."