2008 Men's Tennis Outlook

Guilford's men's tennis team finished with a 9-7 season in 2007, the team’s most victories since 1998, and reached the eight-team Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Tournament with a 5-4 league record. The Quakers have a change at the top as newly hired Eddie Luck takes over the program and becomes the eighth head coach in Guilford history. Luck looks to use his coaching experience to mold a veteran Guilford squad that returns its entire starting rotation in 2008.  The addition of freshman Jack Friedman only strengthens the competition in the Quakers’ singles and doubles flights and should help to push Guilford back into contention in the competitive ODAC.

Guilford began 2007 slow, losing four of its first six matches, with its only two victories coming against cross-town rival Greensboro College and nonconference rival Chowan University.  The Quakers found their footing in mid-March and ripped off eight straight victories, including five straight over ODAC opponents.  Along the way, Guilford upended Hampden-Sydney College for the first time since 1998. With the entire team returning, Guilford looks to build on last year’s foundation.

Here is a preview of the Quakers by flight:

SINGLES: Seniors Jose Ortiz and Caleb Kimbrough are once again positioned at first and second singles, respectively. Ortiz starts his third season atop Guilford’s singles flight and has accumulated a 15-14 record against ODAC competition.  Kimbrough, also the starting point guard on Guilford’s men’s basketball team, owns an impressive 21-3 singles record in his two varsity tennis seasons, and was the 2005 ODAC champion at third singles. Joining them is sophomore Alec Chase, who earned the third-singles spot last season.  Classmates Patrick Childs and Will Mason-Deese competed with seniors Ryo Kawai and Mike Muir, the Quakers’ only three-year letter winners, for the final three singles spots throughout the season.  Senior Kellan Schollaert and Friedman add to Guilford’s depth at singles and should challenge for the final spot.

DOUBLES: The Quakers’ rotation for doubles should resemble last year’s pairings.  Chase and Ortiz occupied first doubles last year and posted a 7-9 overall record, 5-4 in the ODAC. The parings for second and third doubles went through a few changes throughout the season, but after some mid-season tweaking, Kawai ended up teaming with Kimbrough at second doubles. The pair compiled a 7-4 overall mark and a team-best 5-2 in the ODAC.  Mason-Deese joined Muir at third doubles and posted a team-high 9-5 record. Childs, who teamed with Kawai early in the season, should play a role in the rotation along with Schollaert and Friedman.

The Quakers begin 2008 playing in the heart of their ODAC schedule with seven (of nine) consecutive conference matches to open the season.  Home tilts against Emory & Henry College, Randolph College and Roanoke College highlight three of the first four competitions.   Non-conference matches against Averett University and cross-town rival Greensboro College should prepare Guilford for the season-ending ODAC Tournament on April 19-20.  The tournament consists of a single-team bracket with seeds based on the regular-season conference record.