Feb. 3, 2005
Contact: Rick Nixon (210) 458-4551 UTSA Tennis teams open play this weekend Men's Season Outlook | Women's Season Outlook SAN ANTONIO - This weekend will mark the opening of the team tennis play as both UTSA squads will be in action beginning this Friday, Feb. 4 with the men's team at Texas A&M for a 3 p.m. match, while the women will play at SMU at 2 p.m. The women will also play a match on Saturday, Feb. 5 at North Texas at 10 a.m.
The men, coached by Dr. Oliver Trittenwein in his sixth season, are coming off of a successful fall season that saw the senior doubles tandem of Dennis Andrade and Ricardo Almeida ranked No. 50 nationally and No. 5 regionally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). Andrade is also ranked No. 30 regionally in singles.
The women, coached by Brenda Niemeyer, also in her sixth season, return five players who have earned all-Southland Conference honors in their careers - Ana Paula Soto Anton, Chantal Lesaar, Massiel Martinez, Barbara Mooney and Nadezda Rossikhina.
The two teams will open their respective home schedules on Saturday, Feb. 12 with both teams hosting St. Edwards (10 a.m.) and Laredo Junior College (2 p.m.) at the UTSA Tennis Center.
Here's a closer look at each of the teams as they begin spring play:
2005 Men's Tennis Outlook
With the return of a regionally ranked upper class and the addition of a solid cast of newcomers, the UTSA Roadrunners appear primed for a run at the 2005 Southland Conference (SLC) championship.
UTSA men’s tennis coach, Dr. Oliver Trittenwein, returns for his sixth season on the sidelines with 52 career team victories and one NCAA Tournament appearance to his credit.
UTSA finished 10-12 a year ago, 2-3 in SLC play and was eliminated in the SLC Tennis Championship semifinals at the hands of eventual champion Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The Roadrunners will be led by the senior tandem of Dennis Andrade and Ricardo Almeida, who come into the spring season ranked No. 5 regionally and No. 50 nationally in doubles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), while Andrade is also ranked No. 30 in regional singles. Both Andrade and Almeida have NCAA championship experience, getting a taste on UTSA’s trip in 2001 when both were freshmen.
Both would like nothing more than being able to lead UTSA to the SLC title when the conference championships are played at the UTSA Tennis Center on April 22-24, 2005.
Singles Behind Andrade, who is one of top singles players in the region, UTSA should once again be formidable in singles play.
Andrade went 8-8 in singles play last spring, including a 7-6 mark at No. 1. Coming off a solid fall that saw him win the singles championship at the UTSA/Sonterra Invitational in October, 2004, Andrade is a prime candidate to challenge for the SLC Player of the Year in 2005.
Almeida is a constant in the UTSA attack. The fourth-year senior went 6-6 in singles while playing in the No. 2 position, and 7-9 overall last spring.
The rest of the singles positions will be filled by a handful of returning lettermen and talented newcomers. Hetori Chaves will be joined by fellow juniors Nate Avila, Jonas Hoglund, Joe Michael Olfindo and Anthony Portois, and freshman Adam Becker.
Chaves received a great deal of experience last season when he moved up in the rotation and played five matches in the No. 3 spot and six at No. 4. He had his most success at No. 4 where he scored two singles victories.
Hoglund, the SLC Freshman of the Year and first team all-conference in 2003, returns as the wild card in the lineup. He missed last season due to injuries and when healthy can be one of the top players in the conference. He won eight of his final 11 matches in the spring of 2003, including a 5-0 mark in the conference.
One of UTSA’s fiercest competitors, Olfindo has two years of NCAA Division I experience at UTSA and can fill any of the last three singles positions.
Avila, Becker and Portois are the newcomers who will be proving their metal in the Roadrunners’ lineup, with Portois experiencing the most success in the fall.
Doubles The highest ranked SLC doubles team in the region, ranked No. 50 nationally and No. 5 in the region, Andrade and Almeida form the top doubles duo in the SLC. They combined to go 8-7 last spring, but look to have fully found their way this past fall with strong play at nationally recognized tournaments.
Chaves and Hoglund also have had past success, teaming up to lose just one match the entire 2003 season, posting an 8-1 ledger at the No. 2 spot.
Trittenwein also expects Olfindo, who earned second team all-conference honors with Todd Hoy last season, to team with a number of candidates at the No. 3 position this year.
2005 Women's Tennis Outlook
With the accomplishments of her program over the past five years, head coach Brenda Niemeyer is extremely optimistic heading into the upcoming 2005 spring season.
A year removed from winning the Southland Conference (SLC) title with a perfect 10-0 mark, the Roadrunners return five letter winners in hopes of a return to the winners circle. Last season UTSA went 10-11 overall and 7-3 in conference play with a fourth-place finish.
With the departure of 2004 SLC Player of Year Paula Erausquin, UTSA’s success this season will depend on experienced letter winners stepping up their respective games, while a solid cast of newcomers also will have to handle a heavy load.
Niemeyer has hopes for UTSA to be playing its best tennis when the UTSA Tennis Center plays host the SLC Tennis Championships on April 22-24.
Singles Old and new will make up the core of the UTSA singles contingent. Senior Massiel Martinez, the 2004 SLC Newcomer of the Year, juniors Barbara Mooney, Chantal Lesaar and Nadezda Rossikhina, along with sophomore Ana Paula Soto Anton will play all-important roles in the UTSA lineup.
Martinez played primarily at the No. 3 position a year ago, fashioning an 8-3 singles mark in that spot, 12-8 overall.
Mooney is most comfortable in the lower half of the order and went 5-12 last season as a sophomore.
Lesaar missed last season due to injury and her return would be an important boost to the Roadrunners. In 2003 she played in the No. 1 position and reeled off a 25-6 record, including 9-1 in SLC play.
Rossikhina has the power game to be able to move up in the lineup. Last season she went 6-9 overall, with a 5-7 record while playing No. 2.
Anton earned first team all-SLC honors at the No. 6 singles position last season, going 5-1 at the bottom of the Roadrunners order. She went 7-5 overall.
Newcomers include two freshmen, Rachael Hansen and Tanya Hasking. Each enjoyed solid fall seasons and each should give Niemeyer several solid options and quality depth at the bottom of her singles lineup.
Doubles The UTSA womens’ doubles combinations are a work in process as Niemeyer looks to retool her present group.
Mooney and Erausquin teamed up for a 13-5 record and earned second team all-SLC mention last season. With the departure of Erausquin, Mooney will be looking for a new partner at the all-important No. 1 position.
In the fall, Rossikhina and Hasking played in the No. 2 position, while Martinez and Anton played together at No. 3.
The play of Hansen will also factor in the doubles combinations that will take to the court in 2005.
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