2007 Men's Tennis Season Review
A LONG, HARD ROAD: It's hard enough to start with a brand new
lineup. It's ever harder when that instability includes a scramble for
players and a mid-season coaching change.
Such was the lot for the Pacific men's tennis program, which seemed to start over not once, but twice during the course of the 2007 season. The Boxers fielded a roster that included five freshmen after no players returned from the 2006 team. It takes six to field a complete team, though, and head coach Jeff Thompson was left to scramble to find a sixth man to close out the squad.
The Boxers filled the gap early with freshman Jordan Nakayama, who played two matches the opening weekend before returning to the baseball team, before Zach Hackett came to the program after two years as a member of the track and field team.
Then, in late February, Thompson resigned as head men's tennis coach and head women's basketball coach. Head women's tennis coach Sandy Garry stepped in to coach both squads, and will retain the dual role for the 2008 season.
The core of players was able to gel once the roster and staff were solidified, but the Boxers struggled the entire season on the court. Pacific went 0-16 on the year in a schedule that included only conference matches. The Boxers, in fact, won just one match all season. That win was from the No. 2 doubles team of Hackett and Brett Honda, who scored an 8-4 victory over Matthias Kullowatz and Tom Youmans of Lewis & Clark.