|
Lions Welcome Three Players to Program
Aug. 13, 2009
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The LMU men's tennis program will welcome three new players this year, Head Coach Brad Sceney announced on Thursday. Otto Sauer, a transfer from Ole Miss, Zeke Hindle, who sat a year in residence last year and gained one year of eligibility, and Jack Zapala, a transfer from Azusa Pacific University, will each join the Lion program in 2009. Sauer transfers to the Lion program after spending one year at Ole Miss. Playing for the second-best team in the country last year, Sauer accumulated a 20-9 record, 18-7 in dual play, playing at the No. 4-5 spot. The aggressive baseliner is coming from the toughest conference in the country, and Sceney and the rest of the Lions expect him to be one of the best players in the WCC this year. He also sported a 25-8 overall doubles record, 20-7 in dual play, which shows he knows that side of the game in addition to his talent as a singles player. According to Sceney, "one of the real upsides of Sauer is that he comes with the expectation to win, and that is something that we are constantly trying to instill on the entire team. Our squad needs to take the court expecting to win, and Otto already owns that mentality entering our program." Hindle, who recently gained a year of eligibility after sitting a year in residence, is destined to be a team leader in terms of morale. Earning a chance to play at the collegiate level, he will hold nothing back during the year and is expected to do whatever is needed to improve the team. According to Sceney, "college tennis is about getting a team psyched and pumped to go fight for each other as a whole, and Zeke will be a leader in that regard." Hindle is a steady baseliner with an unparalleled will to compete. "Hindle is an unexpected addition this late in the summer, as we were unsure if he'd be granted a year of eligibility, and we look to make Zeke's efforts in becoming eligible a profit for the team, and as rewarding for him as possible," Sceney added.
Zapala, a transfer from Azusa Pacific, is a big server and knows the doubles court well. Teamed with Janosch Apelt last season for Azusa Pacific, he beat LMU in doubles early in dual play. "After edging one of our doubles teams last year, it will be nice to have him on our side of the net this season," Sceney said. "He will also compete for singles playing time this year, and I look forward to seeing how he stacks up compared to the rest of the guys." "This year's recruiting class gives us three new players with genuine rights to play singles and doubles," Sceney said. "This will dramatically add to our depth should we incur the injuries we had last year. In an ideal situation, without injuries, the addition of the new players increases the competition for playing time. It has always been my goal to have 10 players that thoroughly deserve to play in a legitimate top-50 team, and this year's recruiting class really closes the gap to that goal. With the talent that I expect to have this year on the team, every player has to bring his best day-in-and-day-out, because there is always a talented player looking for his chance to get on the court and make a positive difference for our squad. All in all, each recruit brings a different element to the team, and I am excited about the potential for this year and the future." |
