2007-08 Men's Tennis Season Preview

01/03/08 4:30PM

Williamsburg - The William and Mary men’s tennis program enjoyed record-setting season in 2006-07, setting the stage for even greater success. The Tribe reached its highest ranking ever in the Fila/ITA National Rankings and earned an at-large bid to the 2007 NCAA Tournament. The College will look to push beyond those milestones in 2007-08 and continue the momentum with the team’s mantra of “Finish Strong.”

“Our goal as a program is to be a great team year after year,” head coach Peter Daub said. “We have a solid foundation, and we feel we can build on that with five freshmen that can challenge the players we have coming back. Hopefully, this can be a break-through year mentally and emotionally with our ability to believe in ourselves and develop the confidence needed to enhance last season’s performance.”

The College returns all but one player from its 2007 roster and adds a diverse and talented quintet of rookies. Seniors Alex Cojanu and Kavi Sud will lead the Tribe both on and off the court in 2007-08.

“We have strong leadership at the top with Alex (Cojanu) and Kavi (Sud), and we have five freshman who are going to battle for a position in the top six,” Daub said. “Our 2007-08 team will have the most depth of any team that I have coached in my 14 years at William and Mary.”

Cojanu is the College’s top returning player having seen action at both the No. 1 and No. 2 positions in singles and heading up the Tribe’s No. 1 doubles effort. The Hallandale, Fla., native was one of a handful of players who were ranked in the top 35 on two different doubles teams at the conclusion of the 2007 campaign. Cojanu and Colin O’Brien finished the year at No. 21 after becoming the first Tribe duo in over 50 years to earn a spot in the NCAA Doubles Championship. Cojanu also finished the year ranked No. 34 nationally with sophomore Keziel Juneau.

In 2007, Cojanu earned both First-Team All-CAA and VaSID All-State honors in both singles and doubles. He enters his senior campaign ranked sixth on the Tribe’s career doubles wins list with 79 and is only 12 singles wins shy of moving into the top 10. Cojanu carried over his collegiate success to the pro circuit during the summer, garnering ATP points in both singles and doubles to earn World Rankings in both.

Sud’s impact on the Tribe will be felt in all phases of the Tribe program. He equaled a career high in singles victories with 15 during last season, while notching a personal best with 17 doubles victories.

Juneau enjoyed a stellar freshman campaign with the Tribe and in the eyes of Daub was the best freshman he has had in his 14 years at the helm of the Tribe program. Those sentiments were echoed by others outside the program as the Repentigny, Quebec native reeled in numerous honors in 2007. He was named the VaSID State Rookie of the Year along with earning Second-Team All-State honors from the organization in both singles and doubles. Juneau was a First-Team All-CAA choice in doubles and a third-team honoree in singles. He led the Tribe in singles victories during the 2006-07 season with 23.

The junior trio of Dominic Pagon, Marwan Ramadan and Alex Zuck look to provide the Tribe with more experience and depth during the 2007-08 season. Pagon has battled injuries during his two years at W&M, but has shown the ability, when healthy, to compete at a high level. Over the summer, he gained valuable experience competing for Jamaica in the Pan-American Games in both singles and doubles.

Perhaps no player showed more improvement on the Tribe’s roster than Ramadan. He displayed his grit by helping the Tribe to late season victories that ensured its at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. In the Tribe’s 4-3 upset of then-No. 23 Old Dominion, the 6-2 left-hander came through in the clutch, clinching the win with a come-from-behind effort. He displayed the same determination again in the CAA semifinals against ODU tallying a come-from-behind win at the No. 4 singles slot. After playing in only six matches as a freshman, Ramadan tied for second on the team in singles victories with 19.

Like Ramadan, Zuck also ranked second on the team in singles wins with 19. The Toms River, N.J., native provided important victories throughout his sophomore campaign. He clinched the College’s win over Brown, before notching singles victories in tight Tribe wins over the-No. 49 Louisville, then-No. 34 Middle Tennessee State at the Blue Gray Classic and then-No. 39 Middle Tennessee State at the Rice Invitational. In his first two seasons with the Tribe, Zuck has tallied 40 singles victories.

Sophomore Richard Wardell was solid during his rookie campaign for the Tribe. The Fort Myers, Fla., native tallied 19 singles victories and 18 doubles wins during the 2006-07 season. He clinched a trio of matches with singles victories during his first season in the Green and Gold.

The College adds a group of five talented freshmen in the form of
Sebastien Vidal, Ben Gullickson, Kunal Pawa, Varun Pandit and Ben Wirth. The quintet has experience both internationally and on the junior circuit.

Vidal has represented Guatemala both at the Pan-American Games and in Davis Cup action. He was also ranked as high as No. 153 in the ITF Combined Junior Rankings. Pawa was ranked as high as No. 886 in ITF Combined Junior Rankings and was one of the top 20 players in Singapore.

Gullickson was ranked No. 11 in the Northwest region and No. 8 in Washington by the Recruiting Tennis Network. Pandit won a district championship in singles in high school and was ranked in the top 20 in the Texas Junior 18U Boys Rankings. Pandit participated in the USTA Junior National Championship and played six years in the USTA Super Championship level.

Wirth adds a local flavor to the mix as he is from Virginia Beach. He advanced to Virginia AAA semifinals in singles three times during his high school career, amassing a career mark of 94-4 in singles play. He became the first player in 17 years to win three district and regional championships and was 72-1 against regional opponents.

The 2007 season saw the Tribe advance to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last three years as well as put together a five-week run in the national top 40. The Tribe also sent a doubles team to the NCAA Championships in 2007. With the experienced core returning and a stellar five-member rookie class, even more could be on the not too distant horizon for the Tribe.

“Coaches coach and players play, however, my goal is to prepare them well enough so that we can send the team, a singles player and a doubles team to the NCAA Championships in Tulsa in 2008,” Daub said.