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Jan. 24, 2008
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The 15th-ranked Wake Forest men's tennis team will begin the 2008 dual match season at William and Mary on Saturday at 2 p.m. 2007 was a record-setting for the Wake Forest men's tennis team, who had one of its most successful seasons to date, finishing at No. 13 in the ITA Rankings with a 23-7 overall record. The spectacular season ended when the team advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in the program's history. The Deacs lost two seniors to graduation, including Todd Paul, who won more career singles matches (107) than any player in Wake Forest history. He also helped accumulate 82 victories in doubles, tying for the fourth-most in school history. Six letterwinners will return for the upcoming season, including five starters. Junior Cory Parr, a Jericho, N.Y. native, will likely lead the Deacs at No. 1 in 2008. Parr finished 19-7 at No. 2 singles, including an 8-3 mark in the ACC, which earned him All-Conference honors. Parr and doubles partner Charles Sartor played in the middle of the doubles lineup in 2007 and posted an 18-7 record overall. At the NCAA Sweet 16 Parr had one of strongest performances of the season, battling through three sets with UVA's 25th-ranked Treat Huey. "Cory lost, but it was a great match for him against a very good Virginia player," Head Coach Jeff Zinn said. "Cory should be a top player in the ACC, if not the country this season. He's an extremely smart player. Right now we're working on getting him more physical on the court." The 2007-08 team co-captains are seniors Mariusz Adamski and Charles Sartor. In 2007 Sartor saw limited action in the spring after a 4-2 fall record. Adamski went 13-9 in dual match season singles, playing at Nos. 3 and 4.
Adamski and graduated senior Todd Paul shined in 2007 doubles, posting a 19-9 record at No. 1, including an 8-3 conference mark. The tandem advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA tournament, knocking off No. 1 seed John Isner and Luis Flores of Georgia on the way. "Mariusz has come along way in three years," Zinn said. "He can play at a high level. We will be counting on him quite a bit to get things taken care during the spring." Other returnees include sophomores Andrew Brasseaux, Steven Forman, and Jason Morgenstern. All three Deacons had quality playing time in 2007 at the bottom half of the lineup. The Deacons also have two newcomers, freshman Jonathan Wolff out of Sarasota, Florida and Carlos Samon, a junior transfer from USC.
Dual Match Season
Head Coach Jeff Zinn has put together a strenuous non-conference schedule that includes three Big 10 teams. "We have some big matches right away," Zinn said. "That's the way I like it. We need to play the best competition we can to prepare us for conference season." The Demon Deacons will host Wisconsin, one of the surprise teams in the 2007 NCAA tournament, on February 4. Last season, the Badgers posted their best conference performance since 1994 and advanced past the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in the program's history. Immediately following the Badger match-up the Deacs will head to Columbus to face Ohio State, who finished the 2007 season ranked third in the country. The Buckeyes took the Big Ten tournament title last season and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAAs, before suffering an upset from then-No. 10 Illinois. On March 1 the No. 21 Michigan Wolverines will play the Deacs in Winston-Salem for the last home non-conference match. During spring break the Deacons are headed to the Lonestar state to face TCU and Texas A&M. ACC competition starts early for the Deacs in 2008, with the opening match vs. NC State set for March 5. In 2007, 10 ACC teams received invitations to the NCAA tournament, showcasing the top to bottom strength of the conference. "If you don't set up a good non-conference schedule you'll get your lights knocked out regularly in the ACC. We're counting on our early games to get us ready."
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