Men's Tennis Season Preview
1/18/2008 5:09:00 AM | Men's Tennis
STATESBORO,
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 (
“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 (
“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 (
Freshman Mark Paetz (
GSU has three other newcomers that will add an abundance of depth to this year's squad. Junior Philip Prins (
“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
