“I expect nothing less than a victory this weekend,” said Joseph Roediger, assistant head coach of the men’s tennis team.
The Bulldogs host the Yale Invitational this weekend, and will face Cornell, Dartmouth, and Columbia. The Invitational will be the Bulldogs’ second tournament of the year, after competing last weekend in both the Princeton and Cornell invitationals.
Dustin West ’04, who is this year’s captain, anad Ryan Murphy ’05 will both be crucial to the team’s success. Other returning starters from last year include Andrew Rosenfeld ’04, David Goldman ’04, and Johnny Lu ’05.
All-American Steve Berke ’03, who was the first unranked male tennis player in history to reach the NCAA quarterfinals back in 2001, is recovering from an injury that kept him out of action for most of the 2001-2002 season. He will remain on the injured list this fall, but he is looking to make a strong comeback in the spring.
Murphy did extremely well as a freshman, making first team All-Ivy singles and second team All-Ivy doubles.
“Ryan is a great player, and he will be crucial to the success of the team this year,” Roediger said.
West is very optimistic about his team heading into the tournament.
“I have very high expectations for this weekend. We should do very well,” West said. “It will be a great starting point for an unbelievable year.”
According to West, the Yale Invitational will have much better competition than in past years.
“Columbia looks to be our toughest competition this weekend, but all of the teams will be strong,” West said.
Rowan Reynolds ’06, who reached the semifinals in the B-Flight division last weekend against Cornell, is one freshman looking to contribute on a high level for the Bulldogs this weekend.
“I am encouraged by the results of last weekend, both in regards to the team and individually. It will be our first home tournament, so we really want to do well, and we hope that a lot of people will come out to watch,” Reynolds said.