BETHLEHEM, Pa – The Moravian College men's tennis team will rely on a youthful exuberance to gain experience and learn the ropes during the fall portion of the 2013-14 season.
Head Coach Art Smith enters his third year at the helm of the program, which is made up entirely of underclassmen during the fall season. Junior Lewis Cooper will join the team in the spring after the fall soccer campaign.
"I look at the fall as a time to learn and gain experience," Smith said. "It's a time to get used to college tennis and make corrections. I expect that we will start getting better every time we hit the court during the fall season. We do have the potential to have a very solid team. Based on what these guys did last year and the addition of our incoming freshman, if we do improve and play up to our capabilities, we'll be just fine."
Smith's 2012 squad finished 7-10 overall in team competition, including a 4-3 mark in Landmark Conference play. The Greyhounds missed out on the playoffs, but it was the first time in conference history that a 4-3 team was excluded from the postseason.
Smith will depend on early-season tournaments and dual matches to cement a starting lineup. Early favorites for the top singles spots are sophomores Libario Obeid, John Wylie and Matt Tuorto. Freshman Mike Antonis will also be in the mix for a singles spot.
Obeid finished the season with a 9-6 record at third singles and a 10-6 mark in doubles, earning him Landmark Conference Second Team honors.
Wylie was the Greyhounds first singles players last fall and finished 2012-13 with a 7-10 record in dual matches. His doubles partner and roommate, Tuorto, also went 7-10 in dual match singles. He posted a 5-2 conference mark in doubles with Wylie, earning the pair a Second Team All-Conference nod in doubles.
"The doubles pairings were a real strength for our team last year," Smith said. "Our team strength is our chemistry. It's a very tight-knit group. They are all good guys, good students and good members of the community. One thing that will help us is their ability to stick together and work hard."
Smith said sophomore C.J. Widdifield will also see court time in singles and doubles play, while sophomore Dylan Morrow will contribute as a player/manager.
The Greyhounds open the fall season with a tough test at the Muhlenberg College Invitational, where they will meet Kings College, Wilkes University and the Mules on Sunday, September 8. It will be the first chance for the Moravian sophomore contingent to make strides, as well as the newcomers to take that first step.
Freshmen Paul Garrison, Alec Gerhart, Giovanni Lombardi and Dan Schmucker make their college debuts wearing the Blue and Grey on Sunday.
"You can't practice experience," Smith said. "That's the one thing we're trying to gain this fall. Learning match situations is very important. Jumping from high school to college tennis is a big task."
Smith is also looking forward to hosting the program's annual Alumni Match on Sunday, September 22 at 11 a.m. on the Hoffman Courts. The Moravian headman expects a nice turnout of past and present Greyhounds to share the courts, as well as some valuable insight on the game and life.
"It's great to create a bond between past and present players," Smith said. "Everyone who came out last year had a good time. It's also nice for our student-athletes to see how the graduates are doing in the professional world."
Moravian's dual match schedule kicks off at home on Tuesday, September 17, when the Greyhounds welcome Kings College to the Hoffman Courts at 4 p.m.
