Spring Break
Playing with the big boys in the NCAA
Derek Simons
Issue date: 6/1/09 Section: Sports
UMKC's Tennis Head Coach Kendell Hale knew it wouldn't be easy when the men's team drew nationally-ranked Baylor College (6) as its opponent in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Roos lost, 4-0, but with dignity, on May 8 at the University of Tulsa. Baylor went on to the Final Four before succumbing to the eventual champion, Ohio State.
"[Baylor] went a long way," Hale said. "You've got to give them credit."
In the number one singles spot, Brett Berryman was defeated by Baylor's star player, Denes Lukacs, ranked fourth in the nation, by a score of 6-2, 6-3.
Hale said Berryman, as did the other team members, played well.
"I joked with some of the guys that the way some of the first sets were going, we needed pen and paper to get the [Baylor players'] autographs," Hale said. "I think we were giving them a little too much credit and we were just a little too scared of the situation."
But the Roos posted much better scores in the second sets.
"They came back down to earth and said, 'Hey - we can deal with these guys,'" Hale said. "We had some chances in a couple of different places. At that level it's all about winning the bigger points."
In doubles, Maros Horny and Lukacs, the number 64 ranked pair in the country, secured an 8-2 win over juniors Dennis Schwarz and Erwin Quintanilla at the two line. UMKC then dropped the doubles point when David Galic and Jordan Rux (ranked number 18) defeated Berryman and junior Patrick Smith, 8-3, at the one position, while sophomore Serge Ristivojevic and freshman Gustavo Guerin were down by only a break (6-4) at the third spot.
The coach said he thinks the team gained a lot of good experience and hoped the players would carry it into the next season. He expressed confidence in next year's results, but warned against predictions, as much could happen in the interim.
UMKC, which was playing in its third ever NCAA Tournament, finished the year with a 14-7 overall record. The 14 wins are tied for the most victories in a single season in school history. The team finished second in the Summit League (6-1), and won the Summit League Championship.
Singles Results
No. 1 - #4 Denes Lukacs (BU) def. Bret Berryman (UMKC), 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 - #45 Jordan Rux (BU) led Patrick Smith (UMKC), 6-0, 5-2 (DNF)
No. 3 - Julian Bley (BU) def. Serge Ristivojevic (UMKC), 6-2, 6-0
No. 4 - #124 Dominik Mueller (BU) led Gustavo Guerin (UMKC), 6-2, 3-1 (DNF)
No. 5 - #121 Attila Bucko (BU) def. Dennis Schwarz (UMKC), 6-0, 6-1
No. 6 - Maros Horny (BU) led Erwin Quintanilla (UMKC), 6-3, 4-1 (DNF)
Doubles Results
No. 1 - #18 Galic/Rux (BU) def. Berryman/Smith (UMKC), 8-3
No. 2 - #64 Horny/Lukacs (BU) def. Schwarz/Quintanilla (UMKC), 8-2
No. 3 - Bley/Mueller (BU) led Ristivojevic/Guerin (UMKC), 6-4
dsimons@unews.com
The Roos lost, 4-0, but with dignity, on May 8 at the University of Tulsa. Baylor went on to the Final Four before succumbing to the eventual champion, Ohio State.
"[Baylor] went a long way," Hale said. "You've got to give them credit."
In the number one singles spot, Brett Berryman was defeated by Baylor's star player, Denes Lukacs, ranked fourth in the nation, by a score of 6-2, 6-3.
Hale said Berryman, as did the other team members, played well.
"I joked with some of the guys that the way some of the first sets were going, we needed pen and paper to get the [Baylor players'] autographs," Hale said. "I think we were giving them a little too much credit and we were just a little too scared of the situation."
But the Roos posted much better scores in the second sets.
"They came back down to earth and said, 'Hey - we can deal with these guys,'" Hale said. "We had some chances in a couple of different places. At that level it's all about winning the bigger points."
In doubles, Maros Horny and Lukacs, the number 64 ranked pair in the country, secured an 8-2 win over juniors Dennis Schwarz and Erwin Quintanilla at the two line. UMKC then dropped the doubles point when David Galic and Jordan Rux (ranked number 18) defeated Berryman and junior Patrick Smith, 8-3, at the one position, while sophomore Serge Ristivojevic and freshman Gustavo Guerin were down by only a break (6-4) at the third spot.
The coach said he thinks the team gained a lot of good experience and hoped the players would carry it into the next season. He expressed confidence in next year's results, but warned against predictions, as much could happen in the interim.
UMKC, which was playing in its third ever NCAA Tournament, finished the year with a 14-7 overall record. The 14 wins are tied for the most victories in a single season in school history. The team finished second in the Summit League (6-1), and won the Summit League Championship.
Singles Results
No. 1 - #4 Denes Lukacs (BU) def. Bret Berryman (UMKC), 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 - #45 Jordan Rux (BU) led Patrick Smith (UMKC), 6-0, 5-2 (DNF)
No. 3 - Julian Bley (BU) def. Serge Ristivojevic (UMKC), 6-2, 6-0
No. 4 - #124 Dominik Mueller (BU) led Gustavo Guerin (UMKC), 6-2, 3-1 (DNF)
No. 5 - #121 Attila Bucko (BU) def. Dennis Schwarz (UMKC), 6-0, 6-1
No. 6 - Maros Horny (BU) led Erwin Quintanilla (UMKC), 6-3, 4-1 (DNF)
Doubles Results
No. 1 - #18 Galic/Rux (BU) def. Berryman/Smith (UMKC), 8-3
No. 2 - #64 Horny/Lukacs (BU) def. Schwarz/Quintanilla (UMKC), 8-2
No. 3 - Bley/Mueller (BU) led Ristivojevic/Guerin (UMKC), 6-4
dsimons@unews.com
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