POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 11, 2010) -- The Vassar College men's tennis program, currently ranked No. 11 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Northeast Region, is steadily rising to national prominence under the reign of fifth-year head coach Ki Kroll, who has twice been named Liberty League Coach of the Year.

Kroll's first crop of players that included last year's captain and 99 career match winner Jeremy Rosen, doubles specialist Pete Ludlow, and the crafty lefty Chris Seeger have graduated after bringing the program to new heights. Kroll's first recruiting class of current seniors Michael Mattelson, Jeremy Arthur, and Shane Donahue plan to lead the Brewers to their best season yet – one that starts this Saturday, February 13 at home against Manhattanville at 11:00 a.m. inside Walker Field House.

“I loved all the guys I inherited but I feel like this team is fully mine,” says Kroll. “I've recruited all of my current guys since their junior or senior year of high school so we have a special bond entering the spring season.”

This core group of seniors has experienced the three best seasons in Vassar men's tennis history that include the Brewers' first ever Liberty League title in 2007, and their first ever berths to the NCAA Division III Tennis Championships in 2008 and 2009. Although Vassar came up short in the Liberty League finals against Skidmore in each of the previous two seasons, Kroll is proud of his team's effort in last year's 5-4 loss to Skidmore in last year's Liberty League final. The match was decided at the No. 4 singles slot where Vassar's Joshua Jasso and Skidmore's Spencer Cheng ended with a hard-fought third set tiebreaker.

“We lost to Skidmore 9-0 earlier in the season, which was a disappointing loss,” says Kroll. “It was huge for us to come out firing like we did and come within a few points of winning the Liberty League.”

Vassar's new found resolve gleaned from its Liberty League battle earned the Brewers their second straight NCAA Division III Tennis Championship berth where Vassar faced No. 11 nationally ranked Bowdoin. The Brewers showed signs of making it past the first round hump as they led late in two of three doubles matches until a thunderstorm forced play indoors where the Bowdoin squad recovered and swept the doubles. The Polar Bears then added two singles wins for a 5-0 victory that was much tighter than the score indicates.

“That's another instance where a few points here and there change the course of the match completely because instead of being down 0-3 after doubles we're up 2-1 and I believe that those singles matches would've been a little different.”

This year's team is not only looking for a third straight NCAA bid, but an ensuing first round victory that has alluded Vassar the last two seasons. “From top to bottom, this year's team is one of the most talented I've had,” says Kroll, “but we have to prove ourselves on the court every match. We're certainly not in the position to take any team for granted.”

The Brewers have a solid array of accomplished players bolstered by the recent addition of the Guzick brothers, Andrew and Ben, who will accompany soon to be All-American Mattelson at the top of the lineup, shifting down the former All-American doubles duo of juniors Max Willner and Greg Katz.

Singles:

The Brewers are led by senior captain Mike Mattelson, a three-year No.1 singles player who did everything possible this past fall to solidify his legacy as arguably the greatest player in the program's history. The two-time All-Liberty League selection and 2007 Liberty League Rookie of the Year won the ITA NE Regional Championship last fall, becoming the program's first singles player to advance to the ITA National Small College Championships in Mobile, Alabama. Mattelson defeated NYU's Patrick Whitner in the final and Skidmore's Carl-Eric Girardin to avenge the previous season's losses to Whitner in the ITA NE Regional final and Girardin in the Liberty League final. The 100 plus career match winner also won the A Flight of the Wallach Invitational, which helped his rise on the national scene as the preseason rankings position Mattelson as the ITA's No. 16 and the Northeast's No. 4 ranked player.

“Mike is playing with a lot of confidence now and he's hungry,” Kroll says, “He wants his senior season to be memorable.”

Ben Guzick, the recent sophomore transfer from Carleton and older brother of freshman standout Andrew Guzick, was one ITA Midwest Regional Championship win away from equaling Mattelson's accomplishment of advancing to the ITA Nationals. The MIAC singles and doubles All-Conference selection imports a No. 18 ITA preseason singles ranking and boasts a No. 5 ITA Central ranking which may be non-transferable.

“This is a real positive to have a player of Ben's caliber in our program,” says Kroll. “He will have an immediate impact in the top of the lineup and makes us deeper and better.”

Despite his brother Ben's impressive resume, freshman Andrew Guzick's strong fall debut in which he went 2-0 in dual matches and reached the quarterfinals of the ITA NE Regional Championships, indicate that he will garner his own share of the spotlight. The No. 2 and No. 3 singles players the previous two seasons, respectively, Willner and Katz should have great success in a newly configured Vassar lineup.“Max and Andrew may end up splitting time at the three and four position but that really speaks to our team's depth because they could both be solid number twos for us,” says Kroll.


The two-time Liberty League All-Conference singles selection, 2008 Liberty League Rookie of the Year, and No. 20 player in the ITA NE Region, Willner hopes to continue his groove found in the fall when he reached his second consecutive ITA NE Regional singles semi-final and captured the Wallach B Flight Singles tournament.





The quiet half of the program's first ever All-American doubles team, Katz, lets his accomplishments speak loudly. The two-time Liberty League singles selection hopes to add a third to the books this season.






Senior counter-puncher Arthur, indoor specialist Donahue, junior doubles specialist Josh Jasso, and freshman Josh Kessler will all compete for the No. 6 singles position but it will most likely be played by committee with the start going to the man with the hot hand. “I have four solid options at the six spot and it's a luxury to have such quality depth because each of those options brings a different playing style,” says Kroll.

Doubles:

The doubles line-ups rarely end up the way in which they started at the beginning of the season so these projected doubles teams will most likely shift as the season progresses due to injuries and partner compatibility.

 Mattelson, who reached the doubles semi-finals of the ITA NE Regional Championships with Andrew Guzick and won the Wallach Invitational A flight doubles with Greg Katz, enters the spring season ranked No. 7 with Greg Katz in the ITA NE preseason doubles rankings. He will team up with Ben Guzick to consolidate two powers at the top of the doubles line-up.

 Willner and Andrew Guzick showed an effective blend of experience and youth when they formed a bond at the Wallach Invitational this past fall, reaching the semi-finals. The righty pair brings great variety and court sense to the No. 2 spot.

The “Southpaw Duo” of Greg Katz and Josh Jasso advanced to the B Flight finals of the Middlebury Invitational.

“We work hard at doubles and I am excited about our pairings this year because getting out to that early lead and putting pressure on the other team makes all the difference,” Kroll explains.

Schedule:

The Brewers open the spring dual match season at home against Manhattanville on February 13 at 11:00 a.m. Vassar hosts rival and No. 23 ITA nationally ranked Skidmore on February 27 at 1:00 p.m. Vassar will face three other preseason ITA nationally ranked opponents in No. 17 Trinity at home on April 3 at 12:00 p.m., No. 7 Williams on the road on April 10 at 11:00 a.m., and No. 10 Amherst away on April 24 at 1:00 p.m. The Brewers take a Spring Break trip to Orlando where they square off against Coe on March 7, Rochester on March 8, TCNJ on March 9, Carthage on March 11, and Haverford on March 12. Vassar College hosts the Liberty League finals the weekend of April 17-18.

“We do have a tough schedule,” Kroll admits. “I like our chances to surprise some top teams, and I have a feeling that this year, some of those key points that make a match will go our way.”