POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 9, 2018) – The Vassar College men's tennis team heads to the University of Rochester Saturday afternoon for its first match of the 2018 portion of the 2017-18 campaign, and along with the match comes a new set of goals and expectations from when the season started back in August five months ago.

The Brewers competed in three dual matches during the fall season, along with the annual Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Northeast Regionals. Those competitions should give this young group plenty of confidence going into a slate of matches this spring that includes contests against six ranked teams including Liberty League foes No. 24 Skidmore College, No. 35 Hobart College and No. 40 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

While the team is young, in fact sporting not one senior this season, it's not short on experience or talent as shown by the results this fall. Vassar picked up wins in two Liberty League matches against Bard College and Union College, and battled against ranked Williams College before falling to the Ephs. Also, freshman David Gandham starred at the ITA Regionals, advancing to the second day of action.

All of this was without three juniors that were abroad in the fall, which forced the Brewers to play shorthanded without Nick Lee, Robin Drummond and Jamie Anderson. Those three have returned to form a leadership group of four juniors with fellow junior Nick Zuczek. Each of the juniors provides a different aspect of leadership for the team, which includes four sophomores and three newcomers.

Of the returning group of eight from last year's team, six of the eight played consistently in the singles ladder while the other two were mainstays in the doubles lineup. All eight will bring a drive and grit to this year's team, while the freshmen group has already proven to be big assets to the group in the fall season.

JUNIORS
The Brewers will count on the four juniors this season to lead the way. Looking at the group, Anderson returns as a full-time singles' starter from last season, when he played mostly at No. 4 while going 9-12 overall for the Brewers. He did post a 3-3 record within the Liberty League, and was fourth on the team in total singles wins. Anderson also was 5-4 in doubles last year and will look to earn more chances, as he was 3-1 in Liberty League action playing at No. 2 and No. 3 pairs last season.

Last season, Zuczek was a standout for the Brewers at the No. 3 doubles position, earning All-Liberty League accolades after going 7-5 with partner Nick Litsky including a 3-1 mark within the conference. Zuczek teamed with Gandham in the fall, and was 2-1 at the No. 2 spot, which should give him confidence going into the spring part of the season.

Both Drummond and Lee were abroad in the fall, but both will look to make contributions in both the singles and double's department. Drummond went 0-1 last season in his only match, playing No. 2 doubles with now-departed Juan Felipe Laso, but has great size and should work his way into the rotation in pairs.

Nick Lee was exclusively a singles player for Vassar in 2016-17, and posted a 3-2 mark while playing at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions. Lee is a smart player and gets around the court well, so his addition after his semester abroad will help the Brewers throughout the spring. In fact, all of his wins were in straight sets last season, including going 3-0 in the Liberty League.

SOPHOMORES
The sophomore group, which equals the junior class for largest on the team with four, returns after making a large impact both last season and in the fall. All four were consistent contributors in both singles and doubles during the 2016-17 slate, and each were big parts of the fall season as well for the Brewers.

VC's top option at No. 1 this spring looks to continue as Allen Sokolov is back after going 2-1 at the top position this fall. A smart and calculated player that was All-Liberty League as a freshman, Sokolov moves his opponents during matches and can end points both with power and precision. The sophomore was 11-11 last season as a freshman, which ranked second in overall wins. He also played 17 matches in doubles as a freshman at the No. 2 position, chalking up seven triumphs.

Joining Sokolov as a top returning option for the Brewers is Jeremy Auh, a sophomore from Scottsdale, AZ. The athletic and fiery player went 2-1 at No. 3 in the fall, but has shown glimpses that he could move into the conversation as one of the better players in the Liberty League. If Auh can continue to progress during the season, look for him to have a big spring season for the Brewers in singles. In doubles, Auh played No. 1 this fall and was 2-0 in the Liberty League and also earned a win at the ITA Regionals.

Sophomore Dom Demeterfi has had moments throughout his young career when he's been among the best players on the team, but his consistency has struggled at times. His serve and volley game is very effective, and with his length and height, Demeterfi could breakout in the spring season. In the fall, Demeterfi was 1-1 playing at No. 4, earning a pair of doubles wins last season as well.

The Brewers used Zamir Birnbach at No. 6 singles more throughout the season last year during his freshman campaign, and he responded with a 5-2 mark including a 2-1 record within the Liberty League. Birnbach came out in the fall and chalked up a 1-1 record playing at No. 6 singles, and should be a factor in the lineup again this spring.

FRESHMEN
The Vassar freshmen group of three immediately made an impact on and off the court this fall, as all three fit right into the lineup for head coach Alex Wong.

Newcomer Adam Krueger slotted into the No. 2 position for the three dual matches for the Brewers, and had success as he went 2-1 with his only loss coming in a hard-fought decision against ranked Williams. Krueger's best attribute is his determination and focus, and his will to win has shown to be amongst the highest on the team already. This fall, Krueger also played at No. 1 doubles with Auh, picking up wins in both conference matches while adding a third win in the ITA Regionals. Look for those two to continue to play together going through this season.

Fellow newcomer David Gandham comes into the spring portion of the season with a team-best four wins from the fall, thanks to a run into the third round of the ITA Regionals at Skidmore. Gandham played No. 5 in both conference matches for Vassar, but will look to climb the ladder after his strong showing to end the fall. Gandham also played No. 2 in doubles for the Brewers, scoring a pair of wins with junior Nick Zuczek.

The third freshman, Nicolas Demaria from New Hyde Park, NY, won his only singles match during the fall but was a constant on the doubles court at No. 3 with Sokolov. Demaria communicates well, understands angles and positioning, and looks like he will be another strong asset for the Brewers going forward.

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The Brewers will open their season at the University of Rochester Saturday, February 10 at noon in Rochester, NY.