2007-2008 Yellowjacket Tennis Preview

Injuries tend to take their toll on a team over the course of the season. Tech's Men's tennis team knows the feeling very well. Three of their top players missed significant portions of last season, derailing what was supposed to be a team that could contend for an ACC and national championship. After winning the first two conference games, Tech lost seven straight conference matches before finishing the regular season with wins over Maryland and Boston College.

Tech finished the year with a first round loss to top seeded Miami in the ACC tournament and to Florida in the NCAA tournament.

With the start of a new season, the Jackets' title hopes have been renewed. A new group of freshman gives Tech better depth than they had last season. Guillermo Gomez, Doug Kenny, Miguel Muguruza, Eliot Potvin and Ryan Smith join five returning starters from last years' team.

"We've got five freshman that are probably some of the hardest working guys to come through [Tech] since I've been here," said Head Coach Kenny Thorne.

Coach Thorne is entering his 10th season as head coach and has successfully rebuilt the program, making Tech a perennial contender in the conference. All-American David North returns at the top spot with Scott Blackmon, George Gvelesiani, Jose Muguruza, and Austin Roebuck also coming back.

"[Practice is] going well, everybody's working hard so far. Everyone's looking forward to the fall tournaments. If everybody stays healthy, we all feel like we can beat anybody out there. It's just a matter of everybody staying healthy," Blackmon said.

Blackmon, along with the rest of the team, will travel up to Athens this weekend to take on some of the top teams from the SEC, including Georgia.

It gives the team an opportunity to see how well they stack up against other players in a tournament-style bracket.

"We've got guys that can play at the highest level and represent [Tech] very well, we just have to have them healthy. We have freshmen that can come in and I'm looking for them to do very well. They're very talented and have a good opportunity to step into position this year and do very well," Thorne said.

The tournament will also give coach Thorne an opportunity to see how Doug Kenny and the rest of the freshmen react to the college game.

"I'm really excited about the fall tournaments. Just getting underway and...into the flow of things. Spring season will be a lot of fun, stacking ourselves up against the rest of the country," Kenny said.

There are considerable differences between the college game and the respective leagues they played in prior to Tech.

"The expectations are a lot higher. It's not just to be good, but to be great and to be able to beat anybody at anytime, no matter if you're playing well or not. When you're thinking about that instead of, 'if I'm playing well I can win,' then no matter what, you can find a way to win. It's a lot of fun, I really like it," Kenny said.

Also, Thorne will be looking at how the older players react to their new teammates.

"We have some of the best players out there. We have a phenomenal group of young guys, but we need the upperclassmen to show some leadership roles and use the experience that they've had over the years to play in some positions," Thorne said.

Despite how the players do this weekend, the key to this season will be avoiding injuries.

"If everybody stays healthy, we all feel like we can beat anybody out there. It's just a matter of everybody staying healthy," Blackmon said.

"The key to our success right now is we've got to be healthy. This past year was a tough year, two to three of our top six were out just about every match last season," Throne said.