A renovated Collett Tennis Center will not be the only change for the Wabash tennis program this season. A new group of freshman will have the opportunity to join the talented veterans from last year's squad and will make their debut Wednesday afternoon at 5 p.m. against Franklin College.
Wabash posted 11 wins and took fourth place at the 2008 North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Tennis Tournament. Four seniors — Jay Horrey, Sean Clerget, Ryan Waldon, and Ian Sequeira — are back for their final season as Little Giants.
The seniors will play in new surroundings. A major renovation to the indoor portion of the Collett Center featured resurfaced courts, new lighting, and new wall and ceiling coverings. Wednesday’s match will be the first in the facility since the make-over was completed.
"Jay, Ryan, Ian, and I have greatly enjoyed our time here and as seniors we feel very blessed to have an extraordinary facility to play in," Clerget said. "We never thought that any renovations would be done before we graduated. We often joked that we would get people together to do renovations. So it was a pleasant surprise when we learned that this was the year for the renovations."
Horrey stands on the brink of becoming the winningest singles player in Wabash history. The New Albany native enters Wednesday's match against Franklin College (5 p.m.) with 57 wins, seven away from breaking the record of 63 set by Mark Ratner ’00 from 1996-2000. Horrey can also break the doubles victories record of 58 set by Dan Altman ’02. Horrey has combined with Clerget and other partners to pick up 54 wins heading into Wednesday.
Horrey is focused on the team's season and not the records.
"I'm entering my final season with some mixed emotions," Horrey said. "I've been playing competitive tennis since I was nine years old and the realization that it will be over in April is a bit surreal. At the same time, I'm very excited by the prospects of this team and the chemistry we continue to build on a daily basis. I'm ready for the first match. I think we all are ready."
Joining the seniors are returning sophomores Ricky Ritter and Billy Evans. Junior Rob Janda will miss the spring season while studying abroad.
Freshman Peter Gunderman was 3-1 at the Fall ITA Tournament and is the only newcomer that has already experienced collegiate tennis. Evan Bayless, Sumit Kovoor, Zach Lowry, and Nick Smith will start their freshmen season on the team. Brandon Doebler is currently a member of the Wabash basketball team and will hit the tennis courts once the hoops season comes to an end.
Waldon is ready to see how the impact of weeks of practice with the new members of the team will pay off throughout the season.
"We have a great group of freshman guys that are coming in with fresh feet and positive attitudes that should contribute greatly to our team," Waldon said. "We have all been working very hard at practice in order to be ready for our first match against Franklin this Wednesday, and I think that when the freshman see how a collegiate match works they will be that much more excited to try and earn a spot in the lineup. I believe that we can go out and really surprise some teams that believe we are down from losing three of our top-four players from last season. We have a great schedule and the record for most wins in a single season is definitely in the back of all of our minds. I know that the seniors have the experience to guide the freshman and help this team become very successful this season."
Head coach Jason Hutchison believes his team is ready to start the new season and christen the facility’s changes with a victory.
"We are extremely excited to finally have matches beginning," Hutchison said. "The preseason went quick, but the guys are ready to compete against someone other than their teammates. We have been working very to get ready for our first match in the new Collett Tennis Center. It should be a great boost for the entire season knowing that this team was the first to play a match in the new facility and come out with a win."