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SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA men's tennis team will open its 2012 spring campaign on Saturday against 11th-ranked Texas A&M at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station. The two teams will take the court at 4:30 p.m.
Below is an outlook for the upcoming season.
UTSA has appeared in the Southland Conference Tournament Championship Match six of the last seven years, including the 2010 title run that propelled the Roadrunners to their second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
Two years later, UTSA is seeking another run at the NCAA Tournament and to finish strong in its final season in the Southland.
"The guys all compete very hard," second-year head coach Jeff Kader said. "We are capable of doing very well this season. We have another tough schedule to get us ready for another run at a conference championship."
The Roadrunners, who finished 11-10 overall and 4-1 in league play last season, will be led by an experienced core of players.
"The majority of our team is made up of upperclassmen," Kader said. "These are all guys that have been in that situation of playing championship-caliber matches. They've been to the conference finals and it's still something they strive for."
UTSA fell short of becoming the program's first back-to-back Southland Tournament Champions after Texas A&M-Corpus Christi topped the Roadrunners in the title match last season.
This year, the Roadrunners will rely upon a seasoned roster that features two seniors and three juniors.
Three of those players earned Southland postseason awards in 2010 — Martin Ayala, Tyler Brown and Daniel Moser.
Brown, last year's Southland Student-Athlete of the Year, led the team with 14 singles victories and was named first-team All-Southland at No. 3 singles. He also added second-team all-league honors at No. 2 doubles with Yannick Junger. Meanwhile, Moser went 13-6 at No. 6 singles to collect first-team All-Southland laurels and Ayala earned 13 singles wins but was honored for his doubles play with former teammate Daniel Moreiras at the No. 1 spot on the conference's second team.
"Martin, Tyler and Yannick are going to be the top three guys in our lineup this year," Kader said of the trio that combined to win more than half of the squad's singles victories a year ago. "They all have another year under their belt and we expect them to be great leaders for us this season."
While the Roadrunners have solid leaders at the top of the lineup, it is the program's depth that Kader praises.
"Our strength this season is that we are a team," Kader said. "It's not just individuals out there playing. They all push each other and we great depth that can really be a factor for us this year."
Along with Moser, Kader said the leadership of another senior, Pedro Zanotelli would be a key component to this year's squad. The Fortaleza, Brazil, native netted three singles victories and seven doubles wins in 2010.
The team's depth will be further bolstered by junior Hugo Guanais and sophomores Oliver Breininger and Kolby Kilgo, who earned second-team All-Southland honors at No. 3 doubles last season.
"Oliver worked hard over the summer and showed improvement last fall," Kader said. "Hugo and Kolby are both capable players that will compete hard for us again this year."
Freshmen David Kelleher and Joel Rubio joined the squad last fall and will compete for immediate court time.
A native of Cooper City, Fla., Kelleher is described by Kader as a solid, smart player who understands his own game.
Meanwhile, Rubio, who hails from Arneda, Spain, is another hard worker with the ability to play forward at the net well.
"Both David and Joel give us two more players that fit our team chemistry," Kader said.
UTSA will face another tough slate in 2012 with seven opponents holding preseason rankings.
The Birds will square off with five of the nation's top 50 teams in the first two months and wrap up the year playing two more inside the top 75.
"This schedule is tougher than last year's and we should be able to find out a lot about our team early on," Kader said. "No matter who is on the other side of the net, our ultimate goal is to win the Southland Tournament."