'Roos Head To Tulsa On Friday To Face Baylor In First Round Of NCAA Tournament
5/6/2009 10:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
THIS WEEK
The UMKC men's tennis team will return to action on Friday afternoon against No. 6 seed Baylor in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. The Kangaroos and Bears will square off at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Tulsa beginning at 1 p.m. With a victory, UMKC would meet the winner of the Tulsa/TCU match, which follows the ?Roos match at 4 p.m.
SCOUTING BAYLOR
The Bears enter the NCAA Tournament on a 12-match winning streak that has improved their overall record to 23-5 this season. Baylor, which won both the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles, beat both Oklahoma State (4-1) and Texas (4-3) en route to winning the tournament crown on April 26 in Norman, Okla.
BU, which is the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, has been one of the most successful men's team over the past six years. The squad has been ranked no lower than No. 8 in the final poll during that span, and it won the 2004 NCAA Championship, while also being the runner-up in 2005.
Three Bear players - Denes Lukacs, Jordan Rux and David Galic - were selected to compete in the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships. Lukacs, ranked No. 4 in the nation, and Rux, ranked 45th, were both selected in singles, while Rux and Galic will compete in doubles. The duo is ranked 18th in the country in 2009.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Kangaroos will be making their third ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its first appearance since the 2000 season. This year's tournament, however, will be UMKC's first appearance outside of the state of California. The ?Roos traveled to Fresno in 1999, where they fell to Southern California (4-0). A year later, the squad dropped a 4-0 decision to UCLA in Los Angeles.
?ROOS TIE SCHOOL RECORD FOR MOST VICTORIES
With its victory in The Summit League Championship match over Oral Roberts, UMKC tied the school record for most wins in a single season with 14. The Kangaroos also finished with 14 wins in 1999 and 2000, which, coincidentally, were the program's first two NCAA Tournament teams.
MR. NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Junior Bret Berryman was selected as The Summit League Newcomer of the Year in 2009 after finishing with a 4-1 league singles record at the top position for the ?Roos. The honor was the second career Newcomer of the Year accolade for Berryman, as he also earned the same honor in the Mid-American Conference in 2006, while competing at Ball State University.
ALL-LEAGUE HONOREES
The Kangaroos had three student-athletes garner all-league honors in 2009. Juniors Patrick Smith and Bret Berryman were first team selections, while freshman Gustavo Guerin was a second team all-league honoree. Smith's honor was his second straight first team accolade, as he also was recognized following his sophomore season.
11 & COUNTIN'
Junior Patrick Smith brings an 11-match winning streak into the NCAA Tournament, as he has won his last six singles and his previous five doubles matches. On the year, the Germany native finished with a 14-6 singles record and a 10-5 doubles mark. The 14 wins are tied for the second most in a single season in school history and his 13 wins at the two line are the most in the school record books.
SERGE IS 21-4
Sophomore Serge Ristivojevic has a combined record of 21-4 in singles and doubles this season. The Australia native is 11-3 in singles, including a perfect 8-0 at the three line. In doubles, Ristivojevic has posted a 10-1 record, which includes a perfect 8-0 record with Gustavo Guerin at the three line.
GUSTAVO SHINES AS A FRESHMAN
Gustavo Guerin has been a steady player in UMKC line-up during his freshman campaign. The Brazil native has the second most singles wins (12), which are the seventh most in a single season in school history, and a team-high 11 doubles wins. The 11 doubles victories are tied for the fifth most in a single season, while his eight wins at the three line are tied for the third most in the record books.
?ROOS EARN FOUR SUMMIT LEAGUE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS
UMKC earned four Summit League Athlete of the Week honors this season. Serge Ristivojevic received the first honor for the squad on Jan. 28 after posting a 2-1 overall record in both singles and doubles in a pair of matches to open the season. Patrick Smith then became the second straight ?Roo to earn the honor on Feb. 3 after posting a perfect 6-0 combined record in singles in doubles in UMKC's three straight wins over Gonzaga, Air Force and Northern Colorado.
Junior Bret Berryman received the accolade on March 3 after winning both of his matches at the one line in the 7-0 sweep over Creighton. The Blue Springs, Mo., native then earned his second nod of the season on March 31 after posting a perfect 3-0 singles record in the first Summit League Cluster of the season.
HEAD COACH KENDELL HALE
Head Coach Kendell Hale is in his second season as the head coach of the UMKC men's and women's tennis program. In his first season with the Kangaroos, Hale guided the men's program to a third place Summit League finish with a 4-2 mark. Three student-athletes earned all-league honors under Hale's watch.
Before joining the UMKC staff, Hale spent 11 years as the head coach at Rockhurst University, where he led the Hawks to nine NCAA Tournament appearances.
The UMKC men's tennis team will return to action on Friday afternoon against No. 6 seed Baylor in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. The Kangaroos and Bears will square off at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Tulsa beginning at 1 p.m. With a victory, UMKC would meet the winner of the Tulsa/TCU match, which follows the ?Roos match at 4 p.m.
SCOUTING BAYLOR
The Bears enter the NCAA Tournament on a 12-match winning streak that has improved their overall record to 23-5 this season. Baylor, which won both the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles, beat both Oklahoma State (4-1) and Texas (4-3) en route to winning the tournament crown on April 26 in Norman, Okla.
BU, which is the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, has been one of the most successful men's team over the past six years. The squad has been ranked no lower than No. 8 in the final poll during that span, and it won the 2004 NCAA Championship, while also being the runner-up in 2005.
Three Bear players - Denes Lukacs, Jordan Rux and David Galic - were selected to compete in the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships. Lukacs, ranked No. 4 in the nation, and Rux, ranked 45th, were both selected in singles, while Rux and Galic will compete in doubles. The duo is ranked 18th in the country in 2009.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Kangaroos will be making their third ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its first appearance since the 2000 season. This year's tournament, however, will be UMKC's first appearance outside of the state of California. The ?Roos traveled to Fresno in 1999, where they fell to Southern California (4-0). A year later, the squad dropped a 4-0 decision to UCLA in Los Angeles.
?ROOS TIE SCHOOL RECORD FOR MOST VICTORIES
With its victory in The Summit League Championship match over Oral Roberts, UMKC tied the school record for most wins in a single season with 14. The Kangaroos also finished with 14 wins in 1999 and 2000, which, coincidentally, were the program's first two NCAA Tournament teams.
MR. NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Junior Bret Berryman was selected as The Summit League Newcomer of the Year in 2009 after finishing with a 4-1 league singles record at the top position for the ?Roos. The honor was the second career Newcomer of the Year accolade for Berryman, as he also earned the same honor in the Mid-American Conference in 2006, while competing at Ball State University.
ALL-LEAGUE HONOREES
The Kangaroos had three student-athletes garner all-league honors in 2009. Juniors Patrick Smith and Bret Berryman were first team selections, while freshman Gustavo Guerin was a second team all-league honoree. Smith's honor was his second straight first team accolade, as he also was recognized following his sophomore season.
11 & COUNTIN'
Junior Patrick Smith brings an 11-match winning streak into the NCAA Tournament, as he has won his last six singles and his previous five doubles matches. On the year, the Germany native finished with a 14-6 singles record and a 10-5 doubles mark. The 14 wins are tied for the second most in a single season in school history and his 13 wins at the two line are the most in the school record books.
SERGE IS 21-4
Sophomore Serge Ristivojevic has a combined record of 21-4 in singles and doubles this season. The Australia native is 11-3 in singles, including a perfect 8-0 at the three line. In doubles, Ristivojevic has posted a 10-1 record, which includes a perfect 8-0 record with Gustavo Guerin at the three line.
GUSTAVO SHINES AS A FRESHMAN
Gustavo Guerin has been a steady player in UMKC line-up during his freshman campaign. The Brazil native has the second most singles wins (12), which are the seventh most in a single season in school history, and a team-high 11 doubles wins. The 11 doubles victories are tied for the fifth most in a single season, while his eight wins at the three line are tied for the third most in the record books.
?ROOS EARN FOUR SUMMIT LEAGUE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS
UMKC earned four Summit League Athlete of the Week honors this season. Serge Ristivojevic received the first honor for the squad on Jan. 28 after posting a 2-1 overall record in both singles and doubles in a pair of matches to open the season. Patrick Smith then became the second straight ?Roo to earn the honor on Feb. 3 after posting a perfect 6-0 combined record in singles in doubles in UMKC's three straight wins over Gonzaga, Air Force and Northern Colorado.
Junior Bret Berryman received the accolade on March 3 after winning both of his matches at the one line in the 7-0 sweep over Creighton. The Blue Springs, Mo., native then earned his second nod of the season on March 31 after posting a perfect 3-0 singles record in the first Summit League Cluster of the season.
HEAD COACH KENDELL HALE
Head Coach Kendell Hale is in his second season as the head coach of the UMKC men's and women's tennis program. In his first season with the Kangaroos, Hale guided the men's program to a third place Summit League finish with a 4-2 mark. Three student-athletes earned all-league honors under Hale's watch.
Before joining the UMKC staff, Hale spent 11 years as the head coach at Rockhurst University, where he led the Hawks to nine NCAA Tournament appearances.
Players Mentioned
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