Men’s tennis drops close matches at fall tournament
In two tight sets, senior Hannes Schenk of the men’s tennis team lost to Weber State’s Sascha Kienhe in the singles semi-finals Friday, Oct. 6, at the U of U Intercollegiate Tournament in Salt Lake City.
Schenk easily defeated University of Utah’s Wes Hancock (6-4, 6-2) before being knocked off in the semi-finals.
Chris Wright, head coach of the USU tennis teams, said of Schenk, “He showed a lot of poise out there. I thought he would do well at the tournament. He was very close to getting that first set, then it was just a momentum thing. We didn’t get it and we lost. I thought he did a great job and played real well.”
Not only did Schenk place high in the singles event, he also advanced to the doubles semi-finals with partner Fernando Gallegos, a junior. The duo downed Othman Ouariti and Ryan Schlachter of the University of Utah 8-4 in the quarterfinals before advancing to the semi-finals, where they lost 8-1 to the Utes’ Zach Ganger and Jason Smits.
The Aggies also contended in the consolation finals as Michael Banks battled Ute freshman Timmy Allin in three sets. Banks won the first set 7-5, but lost the next two sets 6-2, 10-4 to give Allin the win.
This was the second tournament for the men’s team this fall. The Aggies will travel to Las Vegas on Oct. 17 for the ITA Regional Tournament, which will be the final fall tournament of the season. This team will
“It’s good to see what our competition looks like this year and get some additional matches,” Wright said of the upcoming tournament. “I’m looking forward to a good showing.”
Different from the spring tennis season, which is a team effort, the fall season for both the men’s and women’s tennis team is scored and ranked on individual performances. Fall action is designed to prepare players for team play in the spring, when the WAC rankings start to count.
Wright, who is head coach for both the men’s and women’s teams at USU, said there is a diversity in experience in both teams. The women’s team picked up five newcomers this season, but lost three seniors at the end of last season, which will provide new challenges for the team.
“Definitely we’re going to miss those that left,” Wright said. “They could really make a great contribution to the team. But I like the new people we brought to the team so we should be all right.”
The men’s side lost some key players at the conclusion of last season as well, including a player from Austria who returned home for school. Even with the loss of many players, Wright said he is optimistic with what he sees in practice.
“What I’m liking that I’m seeing right now is a really strong work ethic from both the men and women,” Wright said. “There’s definitely talent there. I’m just happy with the effort that’s being put in out there. By the time January rolls around we should be ready to go.
“Each match I hope to see someone new step up. I hope to see the seniors lead out. Even the newcomers can step up and have an impact.”
-sethhawkins@cc.usu.edu