Men's Tennin Aiming High in 2000
December 21, 1999 | Men's Tennis
Dec. 21, 1999
The 2000 tennis season will open with plenty of excitement for a men?s team that may possess the most talent to this date in the Tim Siegel era. The team returns three of its top players from last year?s squad, which qualified for the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive year and finished ranked No. 35 in the nation. The Red Raiders were ranked as high as 28th at one point and had victories over nationally ranked opponents including Clemson, Boise State, Minnesota and Kansas as well as narrow 4-3 losses to Baylor and Texas A&M, both ranked in the top 15 at the time.
?I think this year?s team may have the potential to be in the top 25,? Tim Siegel said. ?They definitely are top 25 caliber but you don?t win on paper.
?I?ve never been so excited for so many reasons. Last year we were ranked as high as 28th and this year we have more talent and depth and better team chemistry. The guys all see this too.?
The men return top players Borut Martincevic and Ryan Shupe. Martincevic is a junior from Maribor, Slovenia and was ranked No. 51 in the nation in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association?s pre-season poll. In 1999 he finished with a dual record of 13-9 and was No. 86 in the final ITA rankings. During the fall season he showed his potential at the ITA Rolex Region VI Championships when he made the cut to the round of 16.
?For us to succeed this year we need to have consistency at that No. 1 spot,? Siegel said. ?Last season Borut had a great year for us and we need him to do that again this year.?
Shupe will provide senior leadership for the team. Last season was a breakout year for Shupe as he finished with a dual record of 12-9, 4-5 in the Big 12. He was ranked No. 88 in the nation for two weeks during the season and recorded a win over Pawl Gajdzik of Baylor who was ranked No. 47. During the 1999 fall season Shupe also advanced to the round of 16 at the regional championships.
?Again, for us to be successful and accomplish what we want to accomplish this year we will need Ryan to play consistently well at the top of the lineup. He had a great first half of the year last year. If he plays like that again it would be key for us.?
Also returning from last year?s squad will be Jevgenij Cariov, a sophomore from Lithuania. In 1999 as a freshman, Cariov was one of the team?s most consistent players. He finished with a 14-9 record in dual competition. He played mostly at the No. 3 position, which is likely where he will spend a lot of his time this season.
The newcomers to the team will make an impact immediately. Siegel managed to bring in five players, one freshman and four transfers, who will all compete to see time in the singles lineup.
?I feel that this is a quality recruiting class, one of the best we?ve had here,? Siegel said. ?We expect all of them to be able to contribute in some way this season.?
First among these will be Marino Baghdati. Baghdati was the No. 1 singles player last season at Tyler Junior College. Baghdati showed his potential during the fall season when he advanced to the final round of pre-qualifying at the ITA All-American tournament. He was a perfect 3-0 at the UT-Arlington tournament in October.
One of Baghdati?s teammates from Tyler will be joining him at Tech. Jeremy Earl, a sophomore, was a key component of the Tyler team last season and will compete for playing time in the singles lineup this year. In the fall, Earl teamed up with Jevgenij Cariov to become the team?s most consistent doubles pair. Siegel believes he has great potential to go along with a great serve.
Ryan Davies and Patricio Espinosa round out the transfers. Espinosa transferred from West Texas A&M. Siegel feels Espinosa has a great baseline game and speed. He envisions him competing somewhere in the middle of the lineup. Davies transferred from Minnesota where he had been 8-2 in Big 10 doubles play for the Gophers.
Rounding out the crew of newcomers is freshman Clay Estes. Estes was the top player in the state of Texas his senior year at Amarillo?s Wylie High School. After an outstanding junior career he will attend Texas Tech and should compete for a spot in the middle of the order.
Last season the men faced one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Seventeen of their 24 matches in the regular season were against foes ranked in the top 75. Of the team?s nine losses last season, seven of them came to teams ranked in the top 25.
This year the schedule may not be quite as brutal, but it is still plenty tough. Along with play against teams in the Big 12 conference, there are tournaments in Corpus Christi and San Diego as well as a trip to Arizona at Arizona State. However, Siegel doesn?t seem to mind the tough schedule.
?Playing better competition helps you get better,? he said. ?It teaches you to come ready to play every match. In the Big 12, if you don?t come to play, you will lose because the competiton is tough.?