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Serving notice: Fighting Scots
ready to contend in MWC tennis
Release Date: February 3, 2006
MONMOUTH, Ill. — Whether
Punxsutawney Phil can predict the start of spring is open to debate,
but what is certain is that Monmouth College will officially begin
its spring sports season Saturday when the Fighting Scots men’s
tennis team plays against Carthage and Concordia in a double dual
meet in Kenosha, Wis.
Spring couldn’t arrive fast enough for third-year tennis coach Chad
Braun, who feels he has the best MC squad since the sport returned
to varsity status in 2003.
“This is definitely the most talented group top to bottom since
we’ve been here,” said Braun, who last year guided the Scots to a
9-14 dual meet record and a fifth-place finish in the Midwest
Conference.
One simply has to look at the current six-man singles rotation to
see what Braun means. Junior Greg Bouslog (18 singles victories) and
senior Jimmy Jordan (16) – the two winningest players over the past
two years – are on the outside looking in to a group that includes
returners Jared Kunkle, Kevin Kamenjarin, Matt Moser and Alex Carter
and newcomers Brandon Stacey and Kyle Korb.
Stacey, the former Galesburg standout and son of MC women’s head
coach Greg Stacey, is creating quite a buzz with his extremely solid
all-around game, and he has taken over the No. 1 spot.
“Brandon’s an extremely talented player,” said Braun. “He’s a
complete player, and he’s got a complete game. He’s got great
groundstrokes. He gives us a chance to compete week in and week
out.”
Kunkle, who posted a 15-11 record at the No. 1 spot last year, will
slide back a spot to No. 2, but he will team with Stacey to play No.
1 doubles.
“Jared’s a very good leader, and he’s a competitor,” said Braun of
the junior. “He hates to lose.”
The “great volleyer” posted a 12-8 record with Kamenjarin in doubles
last year, but Kamenjarin will now play No. 2 doubles and No. 4
singles. To start the season, Kamenjarin will be teamed with Korb,
the No. 3 singles player, in a pairing that could be called “The
Four Ks.”
“Kyle’s a very solid player,” said Braun of the 6-foot-2 freshman
from Quincy. “He’s a tall kid with good strokes, and I think he’s
going to have a good career for us here.”
Kamenjarin is a serve and volleyer who Braun said “is a little bit
streaky.” In his rookie season last spring, he posted an 11-14
record.
A similar mark of 11-13 was compiled by his classmate, Moser.
Playing at No. 3 singles, Moser reached the conference semifinals in
singles and was a doubles finalist. He now slips down to the No. 5
singles slot and, said Braun, “is our most improved player from a
year ago. He’s got a big serve and a big forehand.”
Playing at No. 6 will be Carter, a junior, who is just in his third
year of competitive tennis.
“Alex is a self-made player,” said Braun. “He’s a tremendous
athlete, and the progress he’s made has been unbelievable. He’s
probably our best athlete. He’s the ideal No. 6 player, because he
gets to everything and keeps the ball in play.”
Carter and Moser will team at No. 3 doubles, and junior Brian Jordan
also hopes to work his way into the doubles rotation. Bouslog and
Jimmy Jordan will continue to compete for singles spots, and they
have nearly three months to break through. The season doesn’t come
to a close until the final day of April at the MWC Championships.
Along the way, Braun said the Scots will be playing an “extremely
tough” schedule. An early highlight comes Feb. 17-18 when Monmouth
hosts Central, Illinois Wesleyan and Wheaton at the Huff Athletic
Center. The weekend before, the Scots travel to Cedar Rapids to play
regional powers Coe and UW-Whitewater.
“We’re pretty optimistic with where the program is at,” said Braun.
“We moved up last year from eighth in the conference to fifth, and
the goal is to get into the top four this year.”
Tennis in the Midwest Conference is split into divisions, so
Monmouth has to finish first or second in the MWC South to reach the
conference semifinals. Two-time defending champion Grinnell and Knox
were the South’s top two teams in 2005. The Scots finished third,
beating out Lake Forest and Illinois College. Monmouth hosts Knox on
April 12 and doesn’t meet Grinnell until the weekend before the MWC
meet. The Scots’ South Division opener will be played March 25 at
Illinois College.
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