'Roos Head to Fort Wayne with Title Hopes on the Line
4/11/2013 5:00:00 PM | Men's Tennis
THIS WEEK
Kansas City (10-10, 4-0 SL) looks to clinch an outright Summit League Regular Season Championship, playing its final two regular season duals, inlcuding the season finale on Saturday at IPFW. UMKC will also face Goshen College on Friday.
THE OPPONENTS
Goshen College - Fort Wayne, Ind., April 12, 3:15 p.m. CT
The Maple Leafs are 6-7 overall on the season. An NAIA school, Goshen has never faced UMKC in men's tennis.
Fort Wayne - Fort Wayne, Ind., April 13, 1:00 p.m. CT
The Mastodons are 7-12 overall and 1-0 in league play entering the weekend. They will face IUPUI on Friday before battling UMKC on Saturday. Andres Cobos and Joao Freitas lead the team with 10 wins each. The 'Roos are 5-0 all-time against the 'Dons, including a 5-2 victory last season.
WHO IS COMPETING
Kansas City will play Tomas Patino, Grant Fleming, Nino Hasandedic, Abdul Alawadhi, Tim Akhmedov, David Heckler and Andrey Smirnov this week.
LAST TIME OUT
Kansas City comes off four straight wins, including its last two on the road at Creighton and Omaha on Tuesday and Wednesday. The 'Roos knocked off the Bluejays 6-1, before remaining undefeated in Summit League play with a 5-0 win against the Mavericks.
LOOKING FOR FOUR
Kansas City heads into the Saturday contest with IPFW looking to claim its fourth consecutive Summit League regular season title. The 'Roos are 4-0 in league play heading into the weekend, while IPFW is 1-0, and plays IUPUI on Friday.
RECORD WATCH
Grant Fleming has compiled 47 wins in singles play during his career as a 'Roo, just one win shy of matching the school record of 48 wins. Abdul Alawadhi is not far behind, posting 45 wins. Both are in the top three in school history. Tomas Patino and Fleming lead the team with 16 wins this season, two shy of the one-year record of 18.
In doubles play, Fleming has 34 wins, ranking 10th all-time, while Alawadhi has posted 33 victories to rank 11th. Patino leads the team this season with 17 doubles wins, just one shy of the single season record mark of 18.
SUMMIT LEAGUE FAVORITES
Kansas City are the favorites to claim the 2013 Summit League Tennis Championships according to a preseason poll of league head coaches.
The Kangaroo men seek their third consecutive Summit League Men's Tournament Championship. Kansas City received all four possible first-place votes for a total of 24 points. IUPUI, which received the remaining first-place vote, finished second with 21 points.
'ROOS IN THE NCAAS
Last season was UMKC's fifth appearance overall and the second straight in the NCAA Tournament, falling to USC (1999), UCLA (2000), Baylor (2009), Texas (2011) and Oklahoma (2012).
HEAD COACH KENDELL HALE
Kendell Hale is in his fifth season as the head coach of the UMKC men's tennis program. Overall, the 2012-13 season is Hale's 19th as a collegiate head coach, and compiled a 340-242 overall combined record coming into 2012-13. He has a current 73-56 mark with the men. Hale has coached 19 all-league selections and has taken the 'Roos to three regular season titles, three tournament crowns, and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
In 2012, the squad overcame numerous injuries early in the season and captured a share of its third consecutive regular season Summit League title, while hosting the conference tournament and storming through the bracket without dropping a point in wins over South Dakota State and IUPUI to claim the league tournament crown and advance to the NCAA Tournament. UMKC had four all-conference selections, as well as the Player (Grant Fleming) and Newcomer (Tomas Patino) of the Year in the league.
Players Mentioned
