Spartan Tennis Begins Fall Slate At Fallon Invitational
9/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Sept. 27, 2007
Interview with head coach Gene
Interview with senior Nick
Interview with senior Adam
The Michigan State men's tennis team kicks off its 2007 fall season this weekend at the Tom Fallon Invitational at Notre Dame's Courtney Tennis Center. The three-day tournament, one of MSU's two fall team tournaments, begins on Sept. 28.
Head coach Gene Orlando and the Spartans return six of their top eight players from last season's 11-16 squad. Seniors Nick Rinks and Adam Monich headline the group of returners. The duo, MSU's only set of seniors, is ranked 14th in the nation in doubles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Rinks and Monich went 15-6 last season as a doubles combo, including three wins over nationally-ranked opponents.
Rinks, an NCAA Tournament qualifier a year ago, appears at No. 32 in the country and will be MSU's top player for the second straight year. He sported a 29-8 singles record a year ago and will be a player to watch throughout the fall.
The Spartans also have a trio of juniors, Alex Forger, Scott Rasmussen and John Allare, which has extensive experience and enter the fall after playing in the starting lineup last spring.
Forger returns after playing last season at the No. 2 singles position. He went 16-13 last year, including a 5-2 mark during the fall of 2006.
Rasmussen, who will battle for a spot in the middle of the singles lineup, split time between the Nos. 3 through 6 spots, collecting a 5-13 singles record. The lefty won 10 matches as a freshman.
Allare spent most of last season at No. 4 singles, but played well in limited time in the second spot. He won two of his three matches against No. 2 singles competition and finished with a 15-14 record.
Sophomores Jason Norville and Tyler Sauerbrey return this fall after playing the majority of last spring in the starting singles lineup. Another pair of sophomores, Brendan Kinkopf and Alex Allon will also compete this fall.
Three freshmen will make their collegiate debuts this fall. Billy Gardner, Clark Richardson and John Stratton are all tall and athletic players and will each get a taste of the game at the collegiate level during the fall season.
Following the Fallon Invitational, qualifying players will compete at the ITA All-American Invite in Tulsa, Okla., next weekend. The prestigious ITA Midwest Regional Championships in Minneapolis, Minn., two weeks later.
The entire Spartan team will go to the Western Michigan Invitational from Oct. 26-28. The fall season concludes Nov. 8-11 at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Players Mentioned
