Friday Feature: Serving Notice
April 29, 2011 | Men's Tennis
April 29, 2011
By Scott Weighart, Special to GoTerriers.com
In most sports, the phrase "youth movement" often comes up to explain a team's downturn in performance.
Sometimes, though, an infusion of new blood is just what is needed to get out of critical condition and back to good health.
For a Boston University program that bleeds scarlet, that's exactly what has happened with the men's tennis team. So far this year, the team has won ten matches--just about as many as it won in the last two years put together. That's happened despite the fact that the team's top players are all freshmen and sophomores; only two upperclassmen typically play in a given match.
So some great recruiting combined with a newfound intensity has led the program to its best season in years and a No. 3 seed in the America East tournament, which starts tomorrow with the Terriers facing No. 2 UMBC in New Haven, Conn.
"The new guys we brought in are very talented, and there's a whole different atmosphere--more serious, more driven," sophomore Marcus VanBerkel (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) says.
"The new blood has definitely done a lot to change it up," sophomore Josh Friedman (Los Angeles, Calif.) says. "There's a different demeanor on the team, a different mentality on the court. There's a lot more focus. We don't fear opponents anymore; we don't think anyone's better than us. The whole atmosphere of the team has changed to a winning, go get `em attitude."
One key has been doubles play. For those unfamiliar with college tennis, a match begins with three doubles contests, each decided when one pair wins eight games. The team that wins at least two of the three battles in doubles earns a point in the total match; one point each is awarded for the six best-of-three set matches in singles. So winning that doubles point means that the team can split the singles matches and still come out on top.
"We've really focused this year on doubles and getting the doubles point at the beginning of matches, which we rarely got last year," VanBerkel says. "That's been a big thing for us. It really propels us at the beginning of matches."
According to Friedman, who is the team's top player, VanBerkel is a big part of the surge in doubles. "Marcus is our doubles specialist," Friedman says. "He's unreal. He had a major injury to his bicep at the beginning of the year, potentially career threatening. That kid just sucked it up and came out and played spectacularly this year. He plays incredible doubles and finds a way to win. Last year doubles was our biggest weakness. Now we're always competing. Even the losses, you're shocked that they lost because they're so competitive out there."
With the doubles point in hand, the Terriers can go into singles play with momentum, parading out a steady stream of young talent. Friedman typically heads it up as the No. 1 singles player.
"He hits a really heavy ball, really consistent player," VanBerkel says of his teammate. "He fights to the end. What separates him is that no matter what's going on, he finds a way to win, whatever it takes. If he's having a bad day with his forehand, he'll hit it differently and find a way to beat the players. He's really energetic on the court, and that pumps up the team and sets the tone for everyone else."
Learning how to turn his emotions into a positive didn't always come easily for Friedman. "Starting as a junior player, I blew up on the court--not tank matches but just lose focus. As you play more and mature on the court, you find your personality on the court, whether you're intense or you're quiet. I'm very intense. That's the way I've played all of my sports.
"The biggest thing is I've found a way to just channel it positively. Lose a point, and move on. Win a point, well, use that passion to fire yourself up and get going. The biggest thing that's helped is the team atmosphere: I'm firing myself up; the guy next to me gets fired up, and it helps the team."
If all goes well, the doubles point tees up a winning match for Friedman, and his play inspires the rest of the singles pecking order. That often starts with freshman Jesse Frieder (Providence, R.I.).
"He's a very good, consistent player who will grind you down, no matter what you throw at him," VanBerkel says. "He's very solid--the perfect guy we need in that No. 2 or 3 singles spot. He's very naturally adept in the game."
Friedman cites Frieder as one of the players who has most exceeded expectations this year.
"As a freshman, he just shows a level of maturity that I've never seen in a first-year player," Friedman says. "He's always on the court, always competing, always striving to be the best he can be no matter what the situation is. That just adds to the team having a more competitive atmosphere and more focused team demeanor."
Another recruit who has already paid dividends is Jarred Pendleton (Sugarland, Texas) who plays No. 3 and 4 singles and No. 2 doubles. "He's a very animated character on the court," VanBerkel says. "He's a really solid player--really good strokes, hits the ball really well, and a great doubles player. He hits volleys and works really well with Jesse."
Freshman Andrei Stern (Coral Springs, Fla.) has played a variety of roles well. "He has more of a different game--more topspin and throws different stuff at you, which is really good," according to VanBerkel. "He's a real fun player off the court, too, which is really helpful."
Another real find has been sophomore Ferdinand Brunet (London, England), who transferred to BU from Stony Brook this year. Just as the Terriers managed to take away an NCAA basketball tournament berth from Stony Brook in the America East championship this year, Brunet is looking like another steal for BU.
"He's just come in and not only been the best teammate but one of the most competitive guys on the team," raves Friedman. "Day in and day out, this kid just does work--finds a way to win, finds a way to get through it."
Playing No. 5 or 6 in singles, Brunet sounds like a throwback to former tennis pro Harold Solomon, a.k.a. The Human Backboard.
"He won't miss a ball," VanBerkel says. "He's very tough player for opponents to play, especially on our courts, which are very slow. So that's a really big advantage. He's a great player because he just wears guys down, and that's just demoralizing for other teams. He's won almost every match, so he's a solid addition."
Add in talented junior Michael Kopelman (Treasure Island, Fla.)--who was named America East Player of the Week on April 5 due to a 6-0, 6-0 win in a No. 2 singles match as well as a win in a top doubles pairing--and only one graduating senior in Bill Kring (Charlton, Massachusetts), and it looks like this program will be tough to play for years to come.
In the short run, though, the simple goal is to beat No. 2 seed UMBC this weekend.
"We've got to focus on taking those guys down," Friedman says. "There's no point in looking any further than that. They're good; we're just as good. If we come out with that doubles point, we'll get some momentum and put some fear in their shoes because in my opinion they're walking around saying, `We're playing BU: How good can they be?' If we put a little fear in their shoes, we come out and win that match."
So BU men's tennis is serving notice to the competition this year. UMBC will be challenged to find fault.
