Men's Tennis Season Preview

STATESBORO, Ga. – Optimism is circulating with less than 24 hours until the Georgia Southern men’s tennis team hits the hard-court for the first time in 2008. The Eagles competed extremely well during the fall, which is what sparks enthusiasm, while new challenges bring excitement to Eagle Land.

The Eagles return six players from last year’s squad and add four newcomers to this season’s roster. Additionally, the leadership of lone senior Emmanuel Nkoueleue (Douala, Cameroon) will help the Eagles as they look to make a run in the Southern Conference. Nkoueleue notched several victories at the ITA Southeast Indoor Regional and garnered the singles title at the North Florida Invitational this past fall.

“The biggest thing of all being the only senior is his leadership,” said GSU men’s tennis head coach Justin Miles. “Emmanuel is sitting as a role model for some of the younger guys. His attitude on the court and the fire in his belly that makes him compete are all things that he possesses. I want the younger guys to see and use him as a role model to help them throughout the year.”

Last season under Miles, the Eagles recorded a 6-16 overall record to go along with a 2-6 record in SoCon play. Miles expects a lot in his seventh season at the helm of the men’s tennis program due to his talented and more experienced tennis team.

A year ago GSU had two freshmen gain valuable playing experience and were very successful from the beginning. Gregory Bekkers (Antwerp, Belgium) and Borja Malet will be looked upon this season to have an even better sophomore campaign. Bekkers posted an 8-13 record in singles play and teamed with Joris De Weerdt (Mortsel, Belgium) for a 6-5 doubles mark. Equally as strong was Malet’s performance. The Barcelona, Spain native won nine matches in singles action and five in doubles. De Weerdt compiled a 5-14 record in singles play a year ago.

“Borja and Greg Bekkers gained a lot of experience last year as the season progressed,” said Miles. “This year I expect them to step up and be leaders on the team and help the freshman out by pushing them to the top of the playing list.”

The doubles tandem of Matthew Sands (Nassau, Bahamas) and Neil Shine (Augusta, Ga.) dominated the competition in 2007, compiling a 15-8 record and a 5-3 mark in conference play. They should provide an edge for GSU as match play gets underway this weekend.

Freshman Mark Paetz (Munich, Germany) rolled the competition, before falling in the finals 7-5, 6-4 to Chris Slabbert at the Crimson Tide Fall Invitational in October.

GSU has three other newcomers that will add an abundance of depth to this year’s squad. Junior Philip Prins (Cape Town, South Africa) will help guide Thomas Bekkers (Antwerp, Belgium), Wesley Powell (Bainbridge, Ga.) and Rasim Magafurov (Ufa, Russia) as the freshmen will all compete for playing time and increase the competitive level during practices. Prins' knowledge of the game will be instrumental to the success of the newcomers. He recorded a 7-11 mark in singles matches and teamed with Malet earning five victories in doubles.

“I have expectations. I expect them (the freshman) to compete and learn,” said Miles. “You just don’t know where they’re going to fit in yet. It’s still really early, but with the guys returning from last year and the way they’ve competed so far with them I see it as a very deep team. We have 11 guys now where anybody can beat anybody on a given day.”

The men’s tennis season opens this Saturday, January 19, as the Eagles head to Daytona Beach, Fla.  Match play is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

Category: Men's Tennis

Published on Friday, 18 January 2008 00:09