2009 Men's Tennis Outlook

A new era of Guilford College tennis dawns this spring as the Quakers’ men’s and women’s teams begin play on the new Dorothy Ragsdale McMichael ’37 Centennial Class Courts on the northwest corner of the Quakers’ campus. In addition to the new courts, second-year head coach Eddie Luck assumed coaching responsibilities of Guilford’s women’s tennis team, unifying the coaching post for the first time. Luck welcomes back four letter winners from last season’s club that recorded a 10-9 overall record and reached the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Tournament semifinals.

While the veterans bring the team valuable experience, Luck and the Quakers may miss the services of graduated seniors Jose Ortiz ‘08, Caleb Kimbrough ‘08, Ryo Kawai ’08 and Mike Muir ‘08. The quartet combined to appear in 196 singles matches and 195 doubles contests over the past four seasons. Ortiz, who played first singles and doubles in three of the last four years, was a 2008 Second Team All-ODAC selection in both disciplines. Kimbrough and Kawai played in the middle of the singles lineup, while Muir scored a team-high 11 singles wins in the fifth and sixth flights.

Despite the graduation of significant experience, the Quakers’ cupboard is not completely bare. Junior Alec Chase, who held down second singles for most of 2008, and classmate Will Mason-Deese return with extensive singles and doubles experience. In addition, junior Patrick Childs has two college tennis seasons under his belt and contributed with sophomore Jack Friedman in the lower singles flights last year. Chase, who played four 2008 matches at first singles, was a second team all-conference honoree a year ago for his play at second singles and first doubles. Mason-Deese garnered Second Team All-ODAC recognition at fourth singles and second doubles. The pair teamed up to win the B2 Doubles Flight title at last fall’s Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southeast Regional Championships.

The Quakers’ four newcomers will be asked to make immediate contributions in their first campaigns. Freshman Brandon Johnson out of Rancocas Valley High School in Lumberton, N.J., experienced the college game by playing in two of Guilford’s three fall events. Classmates Ben Lewis, of Montville, N.J., and Garrett Tanner, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., make their college tennis debuts this spring. Another newcomer is junior Billy Dennis, who missed the fall season while serving as a reserve quarterback for Guilford’s football team.

Guilford opens the spring season Feb. 15 against crosstown-rival Greensboro College in the McMichael Centennial Class Courts debut. Washington and Lee University, the 13-time defending ODAC champions, visits Guilford Feb. 18 to open the Quakers’ conference schedule.