MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois men's tennis heads to Madison, Wis. to kick off regular season competition against the No. 69 Badgers of Wisconsin on Saturday (January 28). The dual meet, set to begin at 4 p.m., will be held at Nielson Tennis Stadium.
Wisconsin is the first of two ranked opponents on this year's schedule, the second coming on Saturday (February 4) against No. 63 Drake in Des Moines, Iowa.
"The returners have played ranked opponents before, so they have some experience," second-year head coach Chris Kane said. "Our strategy will be to put a lot of balls in the court, get off to a good start and try to hang even with them. Basically, I don't want them to take unnecessary risks because they are playing against top players."
The Leathernecks return All-League selection Patrick Hammers and several others from the 2010-11 roster and look to earn their fifth Summit League postseason berth in a row.
Last year, Western Illinois dropped a 4-2 decision to IUPUI in the semifinal of the The Summit League Men's Tennis Tournament.
The Summit League Preseason Poll predicts a fourth place regular season finish for the Leathernecks, which would earn them the final postseason spot. The UMKC Kangaroos were picked to take the League title for the second year in a row receiving five votes, while IUPUI and Oral Roberts were predicted to take second and third, respectively.
According to Kane, Mandela Shepard and Patrick Hammers will be in the top two positions in the line-up after previously playing at No. 2 and No. 3 singles last year.
"They are both hard workers and both want to do well," Kane said. "They won't be phased by the competition, and I know I am going to get a great effort out of them."
The team also welcomes several newcomers that will immediately impact the Leatherneck line-up, including Justin Liss, Brandon Meeker and Andrew Yopp.
Western Illinois is set to host six home dual meets, four of which are Summit League match-ups. The first is scheduled for Friday, March 30 against Oral Roberts, followed by a non-conference dual on Sunday, April 1 against Chicago State.
2011-12 TEAM SUMMARY (According to Kane):
Jim Capalbo: Elected team captain... great competitor... very consistent player... middle of the line-up this year after playing at the bottom last year... quick guy.
Patrick Hammers: Returning All-League selection... one of those guys that everyone hates to play... gets everything back... really covers the court... frustrates opponents by returning shots and creating long volleys... great competitor... knows how to win.
Justin Liss: Not so much powerful, but will beat players by keeping rallies going.
Brandon Meeker: Fine high school career... dominant Macomb area player.
Mandela Shepard: Power player... tremendous athlete... hits the ball a ton... takes to coaching well... wants to get better... very quick.
Andrew Yopp: Played No. 1 at College of Lake County... expects him to play No. 5 or No. 6 singles... lefty... will add power to our line-up.
Ben Yue: Played only doubles last year... adding singles this year... a guy with a lot of talent... would like to see more consistency from him this season... very talented player.
SEASON GOALS:
• Take it one meet at a time and improve every day
• Find the best line-up
• Finish the regular season in the top four of the Summit League standings
• Win the Summit League Championship
RETURNERS:
• Jim Capalbo
• Patrick Hammers
• Mandela Shepard
• Ben Yue
NEWCOMERS:
• Justin Liss
• Brandon Meeker
• Andrew Yopp
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL RESULTS:
1. UMKC
2. IUPUI
3. Oral Roberts
4. Western Illinois
5. IPFW
6. South Dakota State
#WIUAthletics
