2004-05 Men's Tennis Outlook

09/28/04 9:35AM

- The 2003-04 season was a positive one in many ways for the William and Mary men’s tennis program in terms of both individual and team accomplishments. Ending the season ranked 44th in the nation, the highest final national ranking for the Tribe since the current system began in 1977, W&M posted a 12-12 record on the year against a schedule loaded with some of the top teams in the nation. The Green and Gold made a strong statement early in the season, recording the first win over a Southeastern Conference team in more than 30 years, with a 4-3 win at Tennessee. The best was yet to come, however, as the College produced one of the biggest upsets in the nation to close out the regular season. Again on the road, W&M defeated seventh-ranked Virginia Commonwealth, 4-3, the first time the Rams had lost to a Colonial Athletic Association opponent since joining the league in 1996—a stretch of 60 straight matches. The win also gave the Tribe its first win over a top 10 opponent under the current ITA ranking structure. In March, the Tribe was picked as the recipient of the ITA National Team Sportsmanship Award, which is awarded to just one of the more than 1,200 college tennis teams in the nation each month.

W&M also had impressive individual accomplishments, led by the efforts of current senior Jeff Kader, who reached the finals of the ITA Mideast Region Championship, earning him a spot in the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships. There, he produced what was likely the biggest singles upset in the nation in 2004, as Kader, ranked 96th in the nation at the time, defeated the country’s fourth-ranked player, Alex Vlaski of Washington, in straight sets in the first round. Kader also upset No. 6 Bo Hodge (Georgia) in a dual match on the road and became the first W&M player to earn a berth in the NCAA Singles Tournament in more than 50 years. In all, the College had five players earn All-CAA honors at the end of the season, while pulling in two league singles player of the week and an incredible four of the seven CAA Doubles Team of the Week honors that were handed out.

By most standards, the Tribe’s 2004 season would have been labeled a terrific success. However, neither W&M head coach Peter Daub, nor any of the team’s five returning players, are satisfied with last season’s achievements.

“I want us to go from good to great,” said Daub, entering his 12th season at the College. “I want us to have a vision of climbing tough mountains and overcoming challenges. I want us to have the passion to get to the top and to be focused on improving in each and every practice.”

Leading the way for the Tribe will be its tremendous three-member senior class of Kader, Alex Fish and Sean Kelleher. The trio have already combined for 185 singles wins, 184 doubles victories and 10 All-CAA awards, cementing a legacy as the most successful class of players in Daub’s W&M career. The three will undoubtedly be instrumental in leading the Tribe to greatness this season.

“Our seniors need to empower themselves to rely on the experience they have gained in their three years and to use that to help lead this team towards new heights in our program,” said Daub.

Kader will be expected to improve on his breakout junior year, which saw him end the season ranked 60th in the nation and ninth in the Mideast Region in singles. He won a total of seven matches against ranked opponents, including his two victories over top-10 opponents, Vlaski and Hodge, earning berths in two of the three national singles events, the ITA National Indoor Championship and the NCAA Tournament. Third on the club with 21 singles wins, Kader was no slouch in doubles either, leading the Tribe with 21 doubles wins.

The Tribe’s emotional leader is Fish, a steady presence throughout his career. He currently leads all active players and is ninth in school history with 62 career doubles wins, earning second team all-league honors in 2003. Fish won three singles matches and teamed with Kader for three doubles victories in the qualifying round of the ITA Regionals. The pair opened the fall by winning their first seven doubles contests, as they won their flight of the Virginia Invitational.

A first or second team All-CAA selection in both singles and doubles every season of his career, Kelleher led W&M with 24 singles victories, while also adding 18 doubles victories. He ended the 2004 season on an incredible hot streak, winning 14 of his last 17 singles matches, all at the No. 2 position. The 2002 CAA Co-Rookie of the Year, Kelleher had a 15-8 singles record and a 15-9 doubles mark in dual matches last year.

Stephen Ward, the only junior on the team, has also been a valuable asset during his time at the College and currently is fourth in school history with a .662 career singles winning percentage. Winning at least 20 singles matches in each of his first two seasons, he was second on the team with 22 in 2004, as he ended the year by winning his last five singles contests. Also a good doubles player, Ward earned second team all-conference doubles honors with Kelleher, as the two were 9-3 in dual matches.

Rounding out the list of returning players is sophomore Colin O’Brien, a left-handed player with a big serve who is also an outstanding student, earning ITA Scholar-Athlete recognition as a rookie. O’Brien won his first four, and seven of his first eight singles matches in the fall. He saw limited action in spring matches, but performed well when the call came, as he filled in for an injured Ward in the middle of the spring to record a 4-3 doubles record with Kelleher at the No. 2 position.

The five returning players will be immediately pressured for spots in the starting lineup by an outstanding four-player freshman class, one of the best groups of rookies in Daub’s tenure. A four-year No. 1 player from Hallandale, Florida, Alexandru Cojanu was a state champion and was named his high school’s all-sports MVP, while compiling a 45-3 record. Matt Rubenstein comes to Williamsburg from East Hampton, New York, where he was ranked 212th in the nation in boys’ 18s and earned all-state honors while going undefeated in dual matches as a junior. Kavi Sud is from Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he was ranked 131st in the nation and earned Boys’ Tennis Player and Athlete of the Year accolades from the Morning Call. Completing the list of impressive rookies is local player Peter Szewczyk, from Yorktown, Virginia, who was undefeated in district play throughout his career.

As is always the case, Daub has set up a formidable lineup of opponents for the Tribe to face in 2005. Never one to shy away from tough competition, he has created a schedule in which 19 of the 21 scheduled opponents, including all 17 of W&M’s non-conference foes, either ended the year nationally-ranked or competed in the NCAA Tournament, not counting the teams that the College will face in the prestigious Blue-Gray Classic.

“We probably have one of the toughest schedules in the country,” commented Daub. “We’re playing perennially good teams, including Stanford and Georgia. My goal each year is to put together the toughest teams in the country, yet still keep our academic integrity with a small number of missed classes. The nice thing about our schedule this year is that we’ll be loaded with 15 home matches.”

Although Daub believes that his team can compete and flourish against the challenging lineup, he knows that it will require every member of the program to constantly focus on achieving their goals.

“I want the challenge of climbing mountains to be paramount in our minds,” said Daub. “Nothing will be easy—we’re going to have to earn our success. I believe that with this attitude, we will improve on our 2004 season, which we ended with the highest national ranking since I came to W&M. Last year we were good, but this year, we can be great.”