Temple University Athletics
Friday, January 18
Norfolk, Va.
1:00 P.M.
Temple University
at
Old Dominion
Men’s Tennis Heads to ODU for Season Opener Friday, Takes on SCSU Saturday
1.16.19 | Men's Tennis
PHILADELPHIA— Temple men's tennis looks to capitalize on the momentum from its strong fall season as the team opens up their 2019 season this weekend. The Owls begin their fall slate on the road in Norfolk, Va., taking on ODU on Friday, Jan. 18 and South Carolina State on Saturday, Jan. 19.
Temple finished the 2018 spring season with a 13-9 overall record, going 1-2 in the American and 7-0 at home. With a tough schedule, the Owls showed they could rise to the challenge. An early match-up at No. 12 Virginia saw Temple fall just short, 4-3. Temple recorded sweeps against Villanova, La Salle and Farleigh Dickinson. The squad also grabbed tight road wins at Lehigh (4-2) and Navy (4-3). The Owls advanced to the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Championship before falling to No. 25 Memphis. Temple opened the conference tournament with a thrilling 4-3 win over host, SMU, as senior Thomas Sevel won a three-set nail biter in the number one spot to seal the win.
The team had a successful fall season, posting a third place finish at Princeton's Farnsworth Invitational and winning six flight titles at the Temple Invite. The Owls wrapped up their fall slate at the ITA Atlantic Regional Championships. The pair of Alberto Caceres Casas and Mark Wallner played their way to the doubles final, ultimately falling to Penn State's tandem of Constant de la Bassetiere and Gabriel Nemeth, 6-2, 6-0. Casas and Wallner had one of the best showings at the ITA Atlantic Regional Championships in Temple history and ended the fall ranked No. 23 in the nation as a pair.
Temple is led by head coach Steve Mauro, who is in his 13th year at the helm of the men's program. The team returns seven players from last year, including five upperclassmen. Seniors Uladzimir Dorash and Casas gear up for their final year at Temple. Casas posted an impressive 17-11 singles record and 19-9 doubles record last year. Dorash's season was cut short due to injury.
"We have great leadership on the team, especially with Alberto and Uladzimir," said head coach Steve Mauro. "These two seniors in particular want to finish their careers on a high note. They really want to win and I admire that. Their leadership will really help our team perform well."
Juan Araoz, Eric Biscoveanu, Francisco Bohorquez and transfer Paolo Cucalon anchor the junior class for the Owls. Michael Haelen and Wallner return for their sophomore seasons and freshman Enzo Giusfredi de Brida is set to make his debut in Cherry and White.
"Our two new team members and the return of one of our key leaders will be great for the team," said Mauro. "We're very happy with the way Paolo has been playing. He should play at the top of the lineup and he brings a lot of energy. Last year Uladzimir Dorash didn't play part of the season due to injury, and he's one of our leaders. Between those two being in our lineup and our new addition, Enzo Guisfredi de Brida, I think we have a strong team. With that said, competing in the American is very challenging, but the guys know that they can play with any team in the country."
Mauro believes that this squad has strengths that have not been trademarks of past teams.
"Doubles is a strong point of the team this season," said Mauro. "We've never really been that strong in the area, but we had a great fall with our doubles teams. We've put more of an emphasis on doubles because we know that winning that point in the beginning of the match means a lot. We have Mark and Alberto as a strong team, but we feel our other doubles teams are great as well."
The Owls will host 10 matches this season, with two at the Legacy Tennis Center, one at Healthplex Springfield and the remainder at the TU Pavilion. Temple has a strong 2019 slate, featuring four American opponents (ECU, Memphis, Tulsa and UConn) and will compete in the American Athletic Conference Championships April 18-21.
Temple finished the 2018 spring season with a 13-9 overall record, going 1-2 in the American and 7-0 at home. With a tough schedule, the Owls showed they could rise to the challenge. An early match-up at No. 12 Virginia saw Temple fall just short, 4-3. Temple recorded sweeps against Villanova, La Salle and Farleigh Dickinson. The squad also grabbed tight road wins at Lehigh (4-2) and Navy (4-3). The Owls advanced to the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Championship before falling to No. 25 Memphis. Temple opened the conference tournament with a thrilling 4-3 win over host, SMU, as senior Thomas Sevel won a three-set nail biter in the number one spot to seal the win.
The team had a successful fall season, posting a third place finish at Princeton's Farnsworth Invitational and winning six flight titles at the Temple Invite. The Owls wrapped up their fall slate at the ITA Atlantic Regional Championships. The pair of Alberto Caceres Casas and Mark Wallner played their way to the doubles final, ultimately falling to Penn State's tandem of Constant de la Bassetiere and Gabriel Nemeth, 6-2, 6-0. Casas and Wallner had one of the best showings at the ITA Atlantic Regional Championships in Temple history and ended the fall ranked No. 23 in the nation as a pair.
Temple is led by head coach Steve Mauro, who is in his 13th year at the helm of the men's program. The team returns seven players from last year, including five upperclassmen. Seniors Uladzimir Dorash and Casas gear up for their final year at Temple. Casas posted an impressive 17-11 singles record and 19-9 doubles record last year. Dorash's season was cut short due to injury.
"We have great leadership on the team, especially with Alberto and Uladzimir," said head coach Steve Mauro. "These two seniors in particular want to finish their careers on a high note. They really want to win and I admire that. Their leadership will really help our team perform well."
Juan Araoz, Eric Biscoveanu, Francisco Bohorquez and transfer Paolo Cucalon anchor the junior class for the Owls. Michael Haelen and Wallner return for their sophomore seasons and freshman Enzo Giusfredi de Brida is set to make his debut in Cherry and White.
"Our two new team members and the return of one of our key leaders will be great for the team," said Mauro. "We're very happy with the way Paolo has been playing. He should play at the top of the lineup and he brings a lot of energy. Last year Uladzimir Dorash didn't play part of the season due to injury, and he's one of our leaders. Between those two being in our lineup and our new addition, Enzo Guisfredi de Brida, I think we have a strong team. With that said, competing in the American is very challenging, but the guys know that they can play with any team in the country."
Mauro believes that this squad has strengths that have not been trademarks of past teams.
"Doubles is a strong point of the team this season," said Mauro. "We've never really been that strong in the area, but we had a great fall with our doubles teams. We've put more of an emphasis on doubles because we know that winning that point in the beginning of the match means a lot. We have Mark and Alberto as a strong team, but we feel our other doubles teams are great as well."
The Owls will host 10 matches this season, with two at the Legacy Tennis Center, one at Healthplex Springfield and the remainder at the TU Pavilion. Temple has a strong 2019 slate, featuring four American opponents (ECU, Memphis, Tulsa and UConn) and will compete in the American Athletic Conference Championships April 18-21.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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