April 11, 2008

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Welcome to a new spring edition of the Coach's Corner, a monthly newsletter to keep you informed and up-to-date on everything Stony Brook Tennis!

The spring dual match season is now heading into the final home stretch as both the men's and women's squads look to continue their strong play.

After a tough 0-6 start to the season, the women's team has really turned things around by winning four straight against some very solid competition. The streak started with a big win over 2007 Big South Conference Champion, Coastal Carolina. The women's team also picked up wins against Fordham, Sacred Heart and conference foe Albany. Also impressive is that the women's team has not dropped a doubles point since March 2nd when they fell to Boston University, 6-1.

During the streak two players have stepped up in their respective roles. Senior co-captain Sandy Wijeratne `08 (Dubai, UAE) and fellow senior co-captain Victoria Vovsha `08 (Brooklyn, N.Y.) have gone undefeated in singles play at the number three and six positions, respectively.

The men's team continues to improve with each match and that is as much as a coach can ask for at this point in the season. With the extremely tough schedule we have set this year, we are looking to have the guys peaking right when the conference tournament rolls around at the end of the month. The Seawolves brought home a 1-2 record from the spring trip in Florida earning a win over New Jersey Tech, 7-0.

The men were also able to pick up a win over Fairleigh Dickinson on April 3 by a 6-1 score. Freshmen Artem Baradach `11 (Minsk, Belarus) and Ivan Rummel '11 (Budapest, Hungary) picked up big straight set wins in singles for the Seawolves as well as taking their doubles matches.

Both the men's and women's squads have positioned themselves to make some noise this weekend as they travel to Binghamton for two crucial conference matches against UMBC and Binghamton. Each squad is playing their best tennis of the year and looks to gain some steam heading into the final few weeks of the spring season.

The Stony Brook tennis staff would also like to ask you to remember to get your tax deductible PAWS donations in before the tax deadlines!

Thanks for the continued support, and we'll look forward to keeping everyone updated throughout the spring season.

Take care and we'll see you on the other side of the net.

Gary Glassman
Head Men's & Women's Tennis Coach