Men's Tennis Heads To Florida For Three Matches
3/29/2010 3:06:00 PM | Men's Tennis
THIS WEEK
The UMKC men's tennis team will head to the “Sunshine State” for its spring break, as the squad will play a trio of matches in Jacksonville and Orlando. The 'Roos will open play at Jacksonville on Tuesday at 9 a.m. before facing Bethune-Cookman on Wednesday at 2 p.m. UMKC will then round out its trip with a neutral site match-up against Niagara on Thursday morning at 9 a.m.
THE OPPONENTS
Jacksonville enters the week with an even 8-8 record after dropping a pair of decision last weekend. The Dolphins fell to Campbell (5-2) and USC-Upstate (6-1).
Bethune-Cookman brings a 5-12 record into the week. The Wildcats have lost seven straight matches, which includes falling 5-2 to Kennesaw State on March 26.
Niagara heads to Florida having won six of its last seven matches to improve to 8-6 on the year. The Purple Eagles topped Rider (6-1) in their last match on March 27.
LAST MATCHES
The Kangaroos opened Summit League play with a perfect 3-0 record, as the squad posted 4-0 wins over IPFW, IUPUI and South Dakota State last weekend in Indianapolis. UMKC finished the weekend with a 15-2 record in matches that were played to their completion.
SERGE TAKES OVER TEAM LEAD
Junior Serge Ristivojevic went a combined 6-0 in singles and doubles last week at the opening Summit League cluster of the season to take over the team lead in victories. The Australia native has an 11-8 singles record on the year, which matches his 2008-09 win total, and a 10-8 doubles mark. The 11 singles wins are a team-best, while the 10 doubles wins are tied for the team high.
Sophomore Gustavo Guerin, meanwhile, is second on the squad with a 10-6 record on the year, which includes a 6-3 mark at the No. 4 position. The six victories are the second most at the position in school history.
SMITH/BERRYMAN NOTCH 10th VICTORY
Seniors Bret Berryman and Patrick Smith notched their 10th victory of the season this weekend after going a perfect 3-0 at the No. 1 doubles position at the Summit League cluster. The duo is 10-3 on the year will all of their matches being contested at No. 1. The 10 wins at the one line are the second most at the position in a single season in school history.
SMITH AMONG CAREER LEADERS
Senior Patrick Smith ranks among the UMKC career leaders for singles and doubles victories. The Germany native has tallied 33 singles and 33 doubles victories in his career in Blue and Gold. The singles number ranks sixth in the record books, while the doubles number is eighth all-time.
HOME COOKIN'
After the current three-match road swing to Florida, the 'Roos will return to Kansas City for four home matches to close out the regular season. That should bode well for UMKC, as the team has won its last seven home matches dating back to the 2008 season, which includes a perfect 3-0 mark this year. The squad's last home defeat came against Oral Roberts (4-1) on March 28, 2008.
HALE NAMED USPTA MISSOURI VALLEY COLLEGE COACH OF THE YEAR
Head Coach Kendell Hale was recognized as the 2009 United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Missouri Valley College Coach of the Year at the association's annual awards banquet on Feb. 20 at Homestead Country Club in Prairie Village, Kan. This marks the fifth time in Hale's coaching career that he has received the accolade.
BACK-TO-BACK POWS
Senior Bret Berryman became the second straight UMKC tennis player to earn Summit League Men's Tennis Player of the Week honors on Feb. 16 after going a combined 2-0 in singles and doubles matches in the 5-2 win at Creighton. The honor is the third of Berryman's career.
Senior Patrick Smith earned the team's first POW honor on Feb. 9 after posting a combined 3-0 singles and doubles record in UMKC's two victories over Murray State and 2009 MVC Champion and NCAA Tournament participant Southern Illinois. It was also Smith's third career accolade.
'ROOS PICKED TO REPEAT
UMKC was selected as the preseason favorite to claim the 2010 Summit League Championship in a vote of the league's head coaches. The 'Roos received five of seven first place votes for a total of 35 points, edging out defending regular season champion and tournament runner-up Oral Roberts, who received the final first place votes and totaled 32 points.
HEAD COACH KENDELL HALE
Head Coach Kendell Hale is entering his third season as the head coach of the UMKC men's and women's tennis program. During his second year with the 'Roos, he guided his men's squad to the 2009 Summit League Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament appearance. His squad finished the year with a 14-7 overall record, as the 14 victories were tied for the single season school record. In two seasons with the 'Roos, Hale has coached four men's first team selections, a pair of second team all-league honorees and one League Newcomer of the Year selection.
Players Mentioned
