Serving from a season of disappointment
Flames tennis are preparing for a promising 2012 season after a dismal 2011 season
The men’s tennis team has begun preparation for the 2012 spring season with one goal in mind — improvement. The Flames are coming off a disappointing 2011 spring campaign in which they finished sixth in the Big South Conference. Coach Chris Johnson believes, however, that this year’s squad is poised to surprise the rest of the conference and make a run for the conference title.
Dueces wild — Coach Johnson leads a primed and ready Flames tennis teams. Photo credit: Les Schofer, Promotional Publication
“We certainly have the ingredients for great results this spring,” Johnson said. “We are prepared to achieve our goals.”
Two of those “ingredients” come in the form of junior Siim Tuus and senior Giancarlo Lemmi. The Flames will rely upon these two players heavily this season to carry them to new heights. Lemmi is the team captain and a Big South all-academic 1st team honoree and will be asked to step up and be a leader on and off the court to the rest of the team. Tuus holds down the top spot in the Flames rotation and despite earning 1st team all-conference honors last year, Tuus is not satisfied.
“One of my personal goals is to win the Big South Player of the Year award, which takes hard work and commitment, as well as smart choices, to stay injury free,” Tuus said.
Senior Mandeep Yadav and junior Tristan Stayt formed a formidable tandem last year on the doubles circuit with a record of 10-3. Lemmi and sophomore Shea Thomas also had great performances as doubles partners last season, as they racked up 11 wins compared to 6 losses. These two teams’ successes this year will have a huge impact in determining this year’s overall team success.
One of the main reasons for the success of Yadav and Strayt is the relationship they share off the court as it helps them communicate better on the court and also have an understanding of how one another plays.
Last season, Tuus and Ben Wirth went 11-6 as doubles partners. Despite losing Wirth, Johnson believes that one thing this year’s team has that past teams did not is depth.
“One of the things that we have this year is great depth. In years past we had good talent but one or two injuries could certainly hurt us,” Johnson said. “This year our line-up is deeper and very talented all the way through. We should be able to weather the storms better because of this.”
Depth will be vital if the Flames want to challenge teams like the Radford University Highlanders and Winthrop University Eagles for the Big South Conference title. With Lemmi, Tuus, Yadav, Stayt and Shea Thomas, it would appear that the Flames have the necessary depth to do just that.
The Flames began their season in West Virginia to square off against Bluefield State on Jan. 26. The home opener is scheduled for Feb. 3 against the Richmond Spiders. One of the toughest stretches for the Flames this year will be from Feb. 8 to March 25 when they play 10 consecutive road matches.