Tennis season winding down

By Jeff Landis
Collegian Staff
April 16, 2008

Many people would see a young, inexperienced team as a bad thing. That is not the case for Ed Colfer, the head coach of the men’s tennis team.

“[We] have a good nucleus,” Colfer said.

Mike Dao - Junior Lauren Perry prepares to serve the ball at Belfield Courts.

Comprised primarily of freshmen and sophomores, the team was able to finish the spring regular season with a final record of 3-7 overall. While the record doesn’t suggest much, Colfer believes this team can be one of the conference’s elite teams next season.

“We were in all the matches,” Colfer said. “We just need to practice more over the summer, and [we] can’t stop thinking about tennis.”

Many players on the team stepped up to provide La Salle with an edge against other teams. Freshman George Gennaoui was a standout among the talented freshman class this year for the Explorers. Another standout for the team was sophomore Jonathan Maula.

As the season ended, the Explorers found themselves in the 11 seed for the Atlantic 10 Championships, which took place last weekend. The Explorers did not fair well in the A-10’s, as they were shut out both days by Richmond and St. Joe’s.

On the first day, against Richmond, La Salle was unable to post a win in the entire match, as they fell with a final score of 5-0. On the second day, the Explorers were able to get on the board early with a doubles win by Gennaoui and Maula.

Maula was also able to pull out a victory in his singles match. Unfortunately for the Explorers, they would be the only two wins of the day, as they fell with a final of 4-1 in the final day of championship play.

“In the past I didn’t have the depth, but now I do,” Colfer said. “They saw the competition, and now they need to get better in the offseason.”

The women’s tennis team did not fare as well as the men’s team did in its regular season. In the spring season, the women’s team went winless.

“If you have players hurt, it’s tough,” Colfer said.

Fighting injuries the entire season, the team was forced to play with a limited amount of eligible players. Still, the lack of players did not keep the team down and out. They were able to continue to compete hard through the season.

Colfer said that the goal for the women’s team next season is to create a “more complete line-up.” He intends to bring in four to six new girls who will aid the team in becoming more competitive.

“It’s all about the pride,” Colfer said.

The women’s team will take on the Spiders of Richmond this coming Friday in the first day of their A-10 Championships.

“They battled and worked hard in a tough situation,” Colfer said.

Hopefully for the Explorers, they will be able to get on the right track Friday and end their spring season on a positive note.

landisj2@lasalle.edu