Griz men's tennis brings high expectations into spring
1/18/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 18, 2012
The Grizzly men's tennis team has high expectations as it prepares to begin the 2012 spring tennis season.
The Grizzlies have been picked to finish second behind perennial Big Sky tennis power Sacramento State and just ahead of Northern Arizona, which ousted the Griz in the 2011 conference tournament.
Coach Kris Nord knows that expectations are just the beginning and the Grizzlies can't rest on what they have accomplished in the past.
"The poll is a reflection of last year," Nord said. "We had a great season; our guys finished very strong and won every close match in conference play."
The Grizzlies finished the 2011 spring season strong, winning their last five regular-season matches before falling to NAU in the tournament.
"Everyone is aware of what we did last year, and we are not going to sneak up on anybody," Nord said. "Mentally I want the kids to forget last year and not even look at this poll. We have got to go earn a spot in the Big Sky tournament."
Seniors Carl Kuschke, Ben DeMarois and Cody Kohlmoos give Nord confidence that this team will compete in the tournament.
Kuschke, the undisputed leader of the team, struggled with injuries during the fall season but Nord believes he will return to all-conference caliber play that he showed last spring. It won't be easy though.
"Carl, if he stays healthy, is going to have a good spring," Nord said. "He had a tough fall, I think part of that is expectations. He has had a great career here, and I think he is feeling a bit of the pressure. He never gets an easy match."
Former walk-on and Missoula native DeMarois has stepped into a leadership role on the court and in the classroom. Nord believes he will have an impact on the Grizzlies' championship prospects.
"Ben is playing much better tennis, I am excited to see how he finishes out his career," Nord said.
Kohlmoos provides additional experience for the Grizzlies which Nord relies on to keep the younger student-athletes motivated.
Sophomore Mikolaj Caruk is also looking to build on a successful 2011 spring season, one in which he received a nod as a second team all-conference player. Nord believes Caruk will compete with Kuschke for the No. 1 singles spot.
"Miko has as much physical talent as I have seen in years," Nord said. "If we can help him become more patient and add some variety in his shots, he will be a very good player for us."
Junior Andrew Warren has impressed Nord with the improvement he showed during the fall season. If he continues his upward trend he could help the Griz climb to new heights.
"Andrew ended up the fall season playing some of our best singles," Nord said. "He is very talented, and we need him to keep moving in that direction because he is crucial for us to win matches."
The doubles lineup is somewhat of a question mark for Nord. With three teams to establish, only one has been determined, the team of junior Michael Facey and sophomore Ethan Vaughn.
Facey and Vaughn had a strong fall season including a tournament victory at the Montana State Bobcat Open.
"Mike Facey and Ethan Vaughn doubles-wise had the most successful fall season," Nord said. "I'm not sure where they will be in the lineup, but it is the only set doubles team I have right now."
Nord believes the two will also make an impact on the singles lineup. Freshman Andreas Luczak is also looking to crack the lineup in his first season. Luczak had a strong fall season, including a runner-up performance in the Eastern Washington Fall Classic but needs to make strides in his doubles.
"Andreas needs to step up his doubles play but he may be in the singles lineup and contributing as a freshman," Nord said.
Sophomores Eric Braun and Zach Drost as well as freshman Sam Jankovich will all compete for spots in the lineup and provide depth which Nord may need to rely on late in the season.
Nord believes this may be one of the toughest seasons he has seen in the Big Sky Conference from top to bottom.
"Eastern Washington is ahead of us right now in my opinion, Weber State has improved, Idaho State is the most improved team in the conference looking at the fall season," Nord said. "There is a lot of parity in our league."
Although battle for the conference title will be an uphill climb Nord believes his team will be better prepared after a strong non-conference schedule.
"This non-conference schedule is as tough a schedule as we have had in ten years," Nord said. "We play a lot of different, good teams, and it will be a good check for us to see where we are at for conference."
The Grizzlies have been picked to finish second in the Big Sky this season, but Nord and his team are shooting higher.
"We've got some guys that if we all stay on the same page and work hard we can challenge for the top spot," Nord said. "We are not happy with the two spot. It's a new year, and we would love to challenge for the top of the conference."
Team ... Points
1. Sacramento State ... 63 (7)
2. Montana ... 53
3. Northern Arizona ... 44 (1)
4. Eastern Washington ... 43 (1)
5. Montana State ... 39
6. Weber State ... 32
7. Idaho State ... 23
8. Portland State ... 18
9. Northern Colorado ... 9
(First-place votes in parenthesis)
