Sept. 14, 2008

With seven returning players and a host of talented newcomers, Dayton men's tennis coach Steve Brumbaugh has reason to be excited about the upcoming 2008-09 campaign.

The Flyers begin their fall schedule on Sept. 19 and 20 at the Toledo Rocket Invitational in Toledo, OH. It marks one of three fall invitationals for the Flyers before starting head-to-head competition in January. According to Brumbaugh, he wants the Flyers to use the fall season as a springboard to meet their goal of finishing in the top four in the Atlantic 10.

"The development area starts right here," Brumbaugh says. "[Our players] try to develop their strengths and improve their weaknesses."

Following Toledo, Dayton's fall schedule will also include trips to the Valpo Invite in Valparaiso, IN on Sept. 26 and 27, and the Ball State Invitational in Muncie, IN on Oct. 3 and 4. The annual Alumni Match will be hosted on Oct. 11, five days prior to the ITA Midwest Regionals in Columbus, OH.

At this point, Brumbaugh says he expects 2008 First Team All-Atlantic 10 performer Michael Rohana and fellow junior Matt Sherman to lead the squad at the top of the lineup. They finished first and second in singles victories on the team last spring, combining for 21 wins.

Senior David Peyton is also expected to fit in near the top of the lineup after playing eight matches last year at No. 3 singles. Beyond that, Brumbaugh says a pair of talented freshman have a good chance of seeing consistent playing time. He's been impressed particularly with Andrew Nixon (Pittsburgh, PA/Peters Township H.S.) and Austin Wiegand (San Antonio, TX/Chruchill H.S.), both of which won a State doubles title in high school. Senior Antonio Rodriguez and sophomore Michael Koscielski are also among those competing to see action.

The play of the four freshmen so far in practice has excited their veteran teammates.

"We have a bunch of good freshmen," Peyton says. "This is probably the best freshman class we've had since I have been here. We have a strong team coming back too."

This year's Dayton squad will have to replace the loss of James O'Connell (a 2008 Second Team All-Conference performer ) and Josh Vance to graduation. However, Brumbaugh is happy with the way the team has gelled thus far.

"They have such good character this year and good leadership," he says. "They have been working hard in the weight room and really want to get better. We worked hard last year and we were a good team, but I see this team being better because of how they're coming together."

When the spring season rolls around, Brumbaugh believes his squad will have what it takes to remain competitive with the conference's elite teams. This year, he cites defending champion Xavier, George Washington and St. Bonaventure as the toughest competition. The Flyers will face all three teams in regular season play, beginning with a trip to St. Bonaventure on March 20. UD will host Xavier and GW on March 31 and April 4.

Other highlights from the 2009 spring schedule will include three more conference match-ups, a four-team round robin competition at IPFW on Feb. 13 and 14, and a showdown with in-state rival Wright State on March 11 at UD. The Flyers are slated to host 11 home matches during the spring.

The 2009 season will conclude in Monroeville, PA at the Atlantic 10 Championship beginning on April 24.