May 9, 2000
Berkeley, Calif. -
The California men's tennis team (12-10, 2-5 Pac-10) heads to its first NCAA tournament since 1998 with a first round match against No. 31 Auburn, Saturday, May 13 at 9 a.m. at the Taube Family Tennis Center in Palo Alto. The match will be followed other first round action of Stanford vs. Northwestern at noon. The winner of each match advances to the second round, May 14, at noon.
NCAA REGIONAL BACKGROUND: The Bears are partaking in one of 16 regional tournaments being held on on-campus sites around the country this weekend. Sixty-four teams were selected to the tournament with winners of each regional tournament advancing to the sweet 16 of the 2000 NCAA Division I Tennis Championships at University of Georgia, May 20-23.
CAL IN THE NCAA'S: After advancing to the sweet 16 in 1998, last season was the Bears first non-NCAA appearance since 1993. Since 1925, the Bears have been to the tournament 34 times, making it to the quarterfinals or better on 20 of those occasions. The Bears only national championship came in 1925 when they went 4-1 on the year. Since then the Bears best finishes came in 1950, 1952, 1953 and 1980 when they finished second in the country after losing in the NCAA title match.
A LOOK AT AUBURN: Up first for the Bears this weekend are the 31st-ranked Auburn Tigers. The Bears and Tigers have met twice before with the Bears taking both meetings, including a 5-4 win in their last meeting in 1985. The Tigers, 14-9 overall and 4-7 in SEC conference play, come into this week's match on a roll having won three of their last four matches. They are led by the outstanding singles play of 36th-ranked Stephen Huss, who leads the team at 22-14 on the year. Huss has gone 10-5 at the No. 1 spot for the Tigers, including a 13-8 mark in dual match play. He also teams with teammate Mark Kovacs to form the nation's 20th-ranked doubles team, one that has gone 16-4 on the year.
A LOOK AT NORTHWESTERN: The Wildcats enter this weekend's regional with the unfortunate task of having to take on the nation's top team in the Stanford Cardinal. They enter the match on the tail of a huge upset of No. 10 Iowa at the Big Ten championships on April 27. Tops for the Wildcats this year has been the play of Brad Erickson, who has gone 23-19 on the year. Also making a mark has been Joost Hol, who has gone 20-11 overall and a team-high 13-6 in dual match play. Hol and Erickson also team to form the Wildcats best doubles tandem, having amassed a 20-7 record on the year. The Bears hold the overall lead in the series with the Wildcats, 4-0, including a 5-2 defeat last season.
A LOOK AT STANFORD: If the Bears should happen to get by Auburn on Saturday, it is likely that they will face cross-bay rival Stanford in the second round. Host Stanford is 22-1 on the year and coming off its only loss of the year to No. 2 UCLA on April 22. The Bears and Cardinal have met two times this year with the Cardinal taking both matches, 5-2 on March 1, and 6-1 on March 25. Stanford holds the edge in the overall series, 108-66-2. The top-ranked Cardinal are led by a host of players, three of which rank in the ITA's Top 15. Most notable for the Cardinal has been the play of No. 5 Geoff Abrams, who recently captured the singles crown at the Pac-10 championships. He is currently riding a 22-match, win streak while also teaming with teammate Alex Kim to form the nations top doubles tandem.
A QUICK SEASON IN REVIEW: The Bears opened the dual match season winning their first four matches, including wins over then-No. 61 Georgia Tech and No. 52 Oregon. After losing their next four of six, the Bears hit their stride again, notching four straight victories. This included a weekend sweep of Arizona and Arizona State, their only Pac-10 sweep of the season. Unfortunately for the Bears, they finished on a rough note, losing their last four matches to the likes of No. 4 Pepperdine, No. 2 UCLA and No. 16 USC. Although the Bears are 7-10 against ranked opponents this year, their 12-10 record is their best since 1998.
BEARS SHOW IMPROVEMENT OVER LAST SEASON: Despite all the ups and downs that have plagued the Cal team this year, the Bears have much to be proud of as they head into the NCAA tournament. At 12-10 overall and 2-5 in Pac-10 play, the Bears have bettered both their overall record and place in the final Pac-10 standings from the 1999 campaign. After having only won seven matches last year, the Bears have shown marked improvement, winning an additional five matches to give them their first winning season since 1998. Their tie for fifth place in the Pac-10 also tops their sixth-place finish last year.
DMYTRUK/KINTZ QUALIFY FOR NCAA INDIVIDUALS: In addition to their duties to the team, the Bears top doubles duo of juniors Erik Dmytruk and Scott Kintz learned last week that they had earned their first-ever individual invitation to the NCAA tournament. The duo received an at-large bid after going an outstanding 24-10 on the year. Currently ranked No. 22 in the country, the pair has gone 12-7 at the No. 1 spot for the Bears. They have pulled off big wins over UCLA's Jong-Min Lee and Brandon Kramer, as well as Oregon's Guillermo Carter and Leslie Eisinga. The tandem has shown drastic improvement from years past, having almost doubled their 13 wins from last season.
DMYTRUK LEADS BEARS: In addition to his role as part of the Bears top doubles team, junior Erik Dmytruk has also taken a leading role as the Bears top singles performer this year. The Edmonton, Alberta, native has notched a team-high 16 wins on the year, topping his total of 15 from last year. The junior has seen time at both the Nos. 1 and 2 spots, going 5-6 at No. 1 and 5-5 at No. 2 while amassing a 10-11 dual match record. His 6-3 record in tournament play is the best by a Cal player this year.
FRUTTERO, KOWALCZYK MAKING IMPACT: Freshmen John Paul Fruttero and Robert Kowalcyzk have wasted no time in making their presence known on the collegiate tennis scene this year. Both mainstays in the Cal lineup, Fruttero has seen considerable action at the Nos. 1 and 2 spots, posting the Bears best record (12-9) in dual match play. Kowalczyk, who has played at the Nos. 2-5 position, has notched 11 victories in dual match play, the second highest mark on the team. His 14 wins on the year are second only to Erik Dmytruk's 16, and he is one of only five Cal players to be above .500 on the year.
BARNES RETURNS TO COURTS: After missing eight matches due to surgery to repair an injured shoulder, junior Adrian Barnes returned to the courts on April 4 against Sacramento State, defeating Benny Andersson, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3. Since his return, Barnes has gone 2-3 overall en route to a 5-4 record on the year.
BEARS DISPLAY DOUBLES DOMINATION: In addition to the outstanding doubles performance by Dmytruk and Kintz, the Bears other doubles tandems of Robert Kowalczyk/Ben Miles and John Paul Fruttero/David Tzou have also been impressive, going 14-11 and 9-8, respectively. In fact as a team, the Bears are 34-25 in doubles in dual match play and 54-35 overall.
HEAD COACH PETER WRIGHT: Considered one of the best teachers in college tennis, Peter Wright is in the midst of his seventh year at the helm of the Cal program. The ninth coach in the 106-year history of Cal tennis, Wright has compiled a 84-72 career record during his tenure in Berkeley.
