The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Hornets hope to build on 2006 success
Team looks to replace five graduated seniors from last season
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 22, 2007
In the spring of 2006, the Saline boys' tennis team broke through to qualify for the state tournament. Last fall, the Saline girls followed suit, advancing to the Division 1 tournament for the first time.
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Now it's the boys' turn again, and the Hornets and first-year boys' head coach Andy BeDell is hoping to make it three in a row.
"We got our 18 points (at regionals), and they got a taste of it last year," BeDell said. "Now we want to go back this year and do a little better."
The biggest obstacle standing in the Hornets' way is, as usual, a grueling regional tournament featuring state title-favorite Ann Arbor Pioneer.
"Once again, we're in the toughest region in the state," BeDell said. "But our guys have worked hard all winter and they're ready to go."
Another obstacle will be having to replace five graduated seniors from the 2006 squad, including No. 1 and No. 2 singles players Drew Smith and Zach Geiger.
Likely replacing that pair at the top of the Hornets singles lineup will be sophomore Andrew Musbach and junior Andrew Ahadi, who BeDell said are "vying for the top spot" as the team approaches its season opener, a quad meet at Traverse City Central this Saturday.
That neither of Saline's No. 1 or No. 2 singles player will be a senior — and that only two members of the Hornets' 14-player roster, captain Alan Barnes and Amit Sachdava, are seniors — is evidence of how young BeDell's team is. But he believes that by the end of the season, the 2007 team can be just as successful as last year's.
"I think we're looking good. You might call it a 'rebuilding year,'" he said, "but I would say we're deeper, top-to-bottom, than we were last year … We're a fairly young team, but they're all good athletes and experienced, tournament tennis players. They're not strangers to this kind of competition."
Saline's No. 1 doubles team in Traverse City is likely to be juniors Andrew Tasso and David Janego. Other positions are still up in the air, but in the mix will be Barnes and Sachdava, juniors D.J. Geiger and Tado Onuma, sophomores Matt Bernard, J.J. Viera, and Jeff Hampton, and freshmen Peter Spittler, Michael Ho and Aaron Bolton.
BeDell said the team's rigorous schedule and ample conditioning will have them ready for the regional challenge, but the inspiration provided by the Hornet girls' fifth-place finish in the state "definitely" should help as well.
"They want to do the same thing," he said. "The guys came out and supported the girls and saw what they accomplished … They want to have that same success."
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