(Courtesy of LomaBeat.com)
Entering Head Coach Curt Wheeler’s sixth season, the women’s team will be without its top two players from last season in Carolina Cuevas and Nikki Newell, while the men’s team will be missing four key 2018 players in Grant Alston, Jack Alston, CJ Erion and Brendon Millington. Both teams had by far their best seasons in Wheeler’s tenure last year, with the women’s team going 18–7 and the men’s team earning a regionals bid at 14–10.
Despite the drastic roster changes, the primary goal remains the same: to make regionals and set the teams up for postseason success.
“I think our expectations every year is to make regionals,” said Wheeler. “That’s always an optimistic but realistic goal. Both our teams last year had great years; both probably should have made regionals. Outside of that, we as a whole focus on process goals even more than just accomplishment goals. If we can play our best tennis match-in and match-out, I think we have a great chance of reaching those end goals.”
Wheeler admitted that graduating players from last season will be missed, but felt that the current groups are in a position to succeed.
“It definitely will have an impact,” said Wheeler. “On the women’s side, it was our top two players. On the guys’ side, it was four of the guys that played in our doubles lineup, and three of the four were in our singles as well. But we have a great group of juniors and seniors that are hungry and ready to step into those shoes. And we have some new players that have really fit the team well and are ready to contribute… I think they all will have an impact.”
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