Numbers Give Team-Tennis Coach Reason for Optimism
Published 09.11.2006
Last season, Pennsylvania College of Technology team-tennis coach Davis Santucci struggled just to put a full lineup on the court, let alone win matches. That won't be the case this year.
"Last year, we only had one girl and four guys. We went 3-7 being down two points at the beginning of each match, but, this year, we have a full team," Santucci said. "I'm able to hold practice and have challenge matches like I want to, and the only thing that has held us back until this point has been the weather."
The lone returnees from last year's team are sophomore co-captains Craig Collier (East Stroudsburg) and Angela Charcas (Deltona, Fla.).
Other men on the team are freshmen Matthias Beck (Wuerzberg, Germany), Curt Boyer (Lebanon), brothers Joe (McKeesport) and Tony Dugan (McKeesport), Brian Ebeling (Mill Hall), Jessi Guisewhite (Turbotville), Jonathan Hurr (Franklin), Ray Plassio (Dillsburg), Andrew Shaffer (South Williamsport) and Brandon Stoner (Denver).
Other women on the team are Sarah Bastian (Mansfield), Erica Clark (Towanda), Briana Cooney (Sheppton) and Kristen Wool (Cogan Station).
"With Angela and Craig coming back, you're looking at a solid girl and a solid guy right there," Santucci said.
"(Beck) is from Germany and has been playing 14 years and we've got two guys who played four years in high school and a girl from Mansfield (Bastian) that played three through five during her four-year career and she was 40-0, so I've got some real talent," the coach continued.
"If you ask me, we're going to go 10-0 this year. As a coach, I'd like to see it. But we've got to go out and do it," Santucci continued, pointing out that lack of playing experience on the collegiate level will be a factor early on.
"Our first two matches are at home, which is great, and, if we win them, we're going to be really confident. We're looking at a tough match in that third match (at Penn State York, which went 10-0 last year)," Santucci said.
The format during matches is four men's singles, two men's doubles, two women's singles and one women's doubles.
Team challenge matches are being held throughout this week in preparation for Saturday's opener at home against Penn State Delaware.
(Complete rosters and season schedules are available on the college's Athletics Web site).