Men's tennis jumps out to 3-0 start

By Jason Hortsch, Staff Writer -- hortsch12@up.edu

After starting the season with an impressive 2-0 record, the young Pilots tennis team wasn't satisfied. They wanted to take out the nationally-ranked (#56) Idaho Vandals.

Before the match started last Sunday, sophomore Justin Guay noted that the Pilots wanted to send a message.

"A win here would show that we mean business," Guay said.

Sophomore Ratan Gill agreed, referencing the fact that the Pilots have not traditionally been seen as a tennis powerhouse.

"Compared to the rest of the conference we don't have a lot of respect," Gill said.

Boy, did the Pilots serve notice.

The unranked Pilots handily upended Idaho in a convincing 5-2 victory.

Each match consists of three doubles matches and six singles matches. Whichever team wins two out of the three doubles matches earns one point, with each of the singles matches worth one point as well.

The Pilots quickly showed just how ready for the big stage they were, winning all three doubles matches to start the day. Holding a one point edge heading into the singles portion of the match, senior Geoff Hernandez quickly extended the lead with a 6-0, 6-1 thrashing of Idaho's Alan Shin.

"He's a senior like me, and we've had guys battle with him before," Hernandez said. "I knew he was good, and I was able to match up well. I really brought it today."

The Pilots then clinched the match with singles wins from freshman Stefan Micov, sophomore Alex Ferrero and Guay. While unfortunately coming out on the losing side after three hard-fought sets, sophomore Michel Hu Kwo's match against Idaho's Marius Cirstea was a highlight in itself, evoking images of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal's back and forth Australian Open championship tilt the night before.

Guay was particularly happy with the team's quick start.

"We know we can do big things," he said after the team jumped out to its early lead. "Today is an example of how we have really matured as a group."

While pleased to be 3-0, the young Pilots are hungry for more. With five out of the team's eight members underclassmen, they all know the future is bright.

"We have a really young team," Gill said. "We're a lot better now, and we can really step up. We can show the rest of the conference that Portland is good."

Hernandez agreed, noting the team's strong desire to gain recognition for their hard work.

"Our goal is to get nationally ranked," he said. "Hopefully we can take out some big teams in our conference on our home court."

"The past few years, a lot of conference teams have been better than us," Guay added. "This year we're stating that we belong in that group of teams that competes for the title."

While wanting to win and having success doing so, the Pilots are still having fun. With so many players near the same age, the team has really bonded.

"All of us are close," Ferrero said. "We're all good friends, like a family. We'll never give up on a match."

With 12 remaining home matches, fans have plenty of opportunity to fill the tennis-sized hole that exists between the Australian and French Opens to watch the Pilots progress before their eyes. The Pilots next host UC Davis Sunday at 10 a.m.