The men's tennis team launches into its fall season as the Big Green hit the road and head for the Yale Invitational Tournament on Friday.
The Big Green are looking forward to a strong season, after a successful spring during which they finished third in the Ivies with a 17-5 record.
"The team looks great this year," co-Captain Avery Rueb '99 said. "We have good team chemistry and a motivated crew that will get some big wins."
Although very deep, the team is equally young. But this challenge doesn't seem to bother Rueb.
"The freshmen guys are awesome," he said. "We definitely have some strong young talent on the team."
Which is good, considering that much of the team's success will rely how well the younger members preform.
The three to six ranked players on the team will be the backbone for the Big Green and the ones who Coach Chuck Kinyon hopes will bring in the wins.
"They're young, but we're going to heavily depend on them," Kinyon said.
The freshmen will have time to make improvements, as the fall season is more a warm up for the competitive spring season during which the Big Green will battle Ivy opponents in pursuit of a League Championship.
In the top positions, the Big Green will look for some returning lettermen to show some leadership.
Captain and number one player Matt Fuller '97 will move up one spot in singles this year after playing behind Jim Rich '96. Last year rookies Gabe Sauerhoff '99 and Rob Simik '99 will also have to step up this year to help out the Big Green.
The team has been practicing twice daily for the last two weeks and is looking in fine form, with greatest improvements coming the its doubles games.
"We struggled last year with our doubles, but I'm pleased with how the guys look now," Kinyon said.
As they begin their journey to a berth at the NCAA tournament and a possible Ivy Title, the Big Green can expect heavy competition from many of the other Ivies, including Harvard, a top ranked team, Princeton and Yale, both of which had good recruiting classes.
"Outside of Harvard, there is a lot of parity among all the school," Kinyon said.
Going to the Yale Invitational this weekend, the Big Green will have to overcome a few early injuries.
Co-Captain Rueb will be out for the weekend because of a bad wrist, while freshman Andy Evans also will be sidetracked with an injury.
"Heading into Yale the team will be light," Kinyon said. "But the team should be able to shoulder the added responsibility with some strong playing."
The Dartmouth men play only two home meets this season and both are on the same day. October 6, the Big Green will battle Boston University at 10:00 a.m. and the University of Vermont at 2:00 p.m.
