Teams: UC Davis, Santa Clara
Where: Degheri Tennis Center — Santa Clara, Calif.
When: Saturday, Jan. 18 at 11:00 a.m.
Preview:
The UC Davis men’s tennis team will open their spring season with a trip to Santa Clara on Jan. 18. The Broncos are the No. 73 ranked team in the nation and will provide stiff competition for the Aggies, who will need to hit the ground running after returning from the brief winter break.
“The guys came back ready, hitting the ball sharply,” said head coach Eric Steidlmayer. “Our singles play is very sharp.”
That is good news for the team as they embark on a schedule that has them playing nearly every single week for the next few months, which will hopefully culminate with a strong showing at the Big West championships at the end of April.
“We have a good schedule,” coach Steidlmayer said. “We play a lot of WCC, Big Sky, WAC and Mountain West teams. It’s a good opportunity to play good players.”
The Aggies will look to maintain their strong play started at the end of the fall season by continuing to rely on fundamentals and each player’s respective strengths. If the team fully commits to playing strong tennis every point, then the goal set at the beginning of the season of being ranked in the top 75 teams nationwide is possible.
“Each player played within themselves and that was a big deal,” coach Steidlmayer said. “Top 75 is realistic. We have the skill set to get the wins.”
The importance of not trying to do too much and overplaying is vital in any sport, none more so than the individual efforts in singles play in tennis. The team will still look to improve, building on the foundations already laid.
“We need to serve better and be more aggressive,” coach Steidlmayer said. “We’re a good team and we’re playing good teams. We want to be a team to reckon with.”
Senior Kyle Miller will lead the team and play at one of the top three spots in singles. Fellow senior Parker Kelley and sophomore Brett Bacharach will make up the other two slots, and freshmen Alec Adamson and James Wade will likely also be included in the lineup. The number six position will be probably be given to senior Adam Luba or sophomore Adam Levie.
