Men's tennis spends break in South Carolina
'Golds win four of five matches on team trip, team continues to come together, coach says
Andy Weise
Issue date: 3/29/06 Section: Sports
Spring break has become a popular time for UW-Eau Claire athletic teams to test themselves against competition they don't normally see.
The Blugold men's tennis team found themselves in Hilton Head, S.C. over the break, facing off against five different teams from around the country.
Coach Tom Gillman said the team's trip went well, both on and off the tennis court.
"We got some sunny days in the upper-60s, mid-60s, a little bit of everything," he said. "We stayed in a house this year; I get a feeling (they) had a good time. They enjoy spending time together as a team, and they competed well in every match."
Gillman said the team came in with expectations of at least finishing .500 throughout their trip. They came away with a 4-1 match record, but more importantly, he said, the team came together very well.
"It's a tough schedule; I tend to be a little conservative talking to them in a way .500 would be pretty good," he said. "I really do think we did especially well; (we) almost went undefeated."
In their first day of matches, the 'Golds defeated Hope College (Mich.) and Asbury (Kent.) back to back on March 20.
Against Hope, the Blugolds finished out a close match 4-3 over their opponents. All four victories came from the singles competition.
Juniors Aaron Nordenskjold and Jeff Peterson, at No. 3 and No. 5 respectively, both won their matches with Peterson being the only player who won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.
Sophomores Jake Znidarsich and Erik Brandner also won their matches at No. 2 and No. 4, both in three-set matches.
The team had even better results against Asbury when they won 7-0 and won every singles and doubles match.
They competed against the College of Wooster (Ohio) the next day but were unable to come away with a victory in the match.
Both Peterson and sophomore Tim Eisele lost close matches in three sets for the team as they lost 4-3 overall.
In their final day of competition, the Blugolds won two straight matches against St. Lawrence (N.Y.) and Albright (Penn.).
The Blugold men's tennis team found themselves in Hilton Head, S.C. over the break, facing off against five different teams from around the country.
Coach Tom Gillman said the team's trip went well, both on and off the tennis court.
"We got some sunny days in the upper-60s, mid-60s, a little bit of everything," he said. "We stayed in a house this year; I get a feeling (they) had a good time. They enjoy spending time together as a team, and they competed well in every match."
Gillman said the team came in with expectations of at least finishing .500 throughout their trip. They came away with a 4-1 match record, but more importantly, he said, the team came together very well.
"It's a tough schedule; I tend to be a little conservative talking to them in a way .500 would be pretty good," he said. "I really do think we did especially well; (we) almost went undefeated."
In their first day of matches, the 'Golds defeated Hope College (Mich.) and Asbury (Kent.) back to back on March 20.
Against Hope, the Blugolds finished out a close match 4-3 over their opponents. All four victories came from the singles competition.
Juniors Aaron Nordenskjold and Jeff Peterson, at No. 3 and No. 5 respectively, both won their matches with Peterson being the only player who won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.
Sophomores Jake Znidarsich and Erik Brandner also won their matches at No. 2 and No. 4, both in three-set matches.
The team had even better results against Asbury when they won 7-0 and won every singles and doubles match.
They competed against the College of Wooster (Ohio) the next day but were unable to come away with a victory in the match.
Both Peterson and sophomore Tim Eisele lost close matches in three sets for the team as they lost 4-3 overall.
In their final day of competition, the Blugolds won two straight matches against St. Lawrence (N.Y.) and Albright (Penn.).