Tennis looks to cause a racket

Kiley Mackie
Staff Writer
Feb. 26, 2004, Page 5

Freshman Tim Kipper and sophomore Gavin Roehrs gave the men’s tennis team its only win during Sunday’s pre-season scrimmage against Concordia on Sunday. Kipper and Roehrs beat out Concordia’s No. 1 doubles team Ryan Burger and Ryan McKeegan 11-9.
Similarly, the women’s team mounted only two victories during the scrimmage. Both wins came from sophomore Meg Benedict in the No. 2 singles slot when she beat her first opponent 8-1 and then another 8-3.
Kipper said that the women may have picked up another win with the aid of their No. 1 singles player, but, after pulling ahead early in her match, sophomore Liz Garcia had to forfeit because of hand injuries.
Although the teams didn’t do as well as the players expected, Coach Pete Fiumefreddo said there were some good wins and that almost everyone played good, hard matches.
“Concordia’s got a solid team from top to bottom, particularly their top three guys,” Fiumefreddo said. “Tim and Gavin had a great doubles match and even though we didn’t win a lot, both the men’s and women’s teams played quite well.”
Kipper agreed, saying that all the players had some good moments playing against tough opponents.
“Everybody played well,” Kipper said. “Concordia is probably the second-best team in the conference and I think we competed strongly against them.”
Kipper, who is also the No. 1 singles player, said he expects the team to fair better against Concordia during the season and in the next few years.
“This is pretty much a rebuilding year for us,” Kipper said. “We are a young team and have a lot of time to improve. I think as the season goes on, we will get even better and give our opponents better competition.”
Fiumefreddo said he is also looking forward to watching the team grow in numbers and in experience during the upcoming seasons.
“Right now, we’ve got a lot of players who are just starting out,” Fiumefreddo said. “I know they will do better as the season progresses. I also expect our top three guys to make some big improvements this year.”
Both teams will play their first in-season match against Hastings on March 13. Though Fiumefreddo said it will be steep competition, he is ready for the season to begin.
“I think we’ll be ready to play well,” Fiumefreddo said. “They’ve got a really good team, especially on the men’s side of things, but, I’m looking forward to the dual.”