2006 Mercy College Men's Tennis Review
The Mercy College men's tennis team completed the 2006 season by adding several accomplishments to its proud history. The Flyers posted a 10-4 overall record, won a share of the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) regular season title, made a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and finished as the No. 5 ranked team in the Fila East Regional rankings. What made these achievements most impressive is that they did it with only three seniors, one sophomore, and three freshmen on the roster.
"This was a very successful season for our program," said fifth-year head coach Barbaros Ozdogan, who was named NYCAC Coach of the Year. "We didn't win the conference championship and fell short in the NCAA Tournament, but we reached many of our goals, competed very well with our rivals and represented Mercy College at the highest level. I'm very proud of our team's performance on the court and in the classroom."
Their successful season began with a 9-0 shutout of New Jersey Institute of Technology and the Flyers went on to stretch their win streak to five straight, including triumphs over conference foes Dowling and Adelphi. The run came to end with a defeat at the hands of Kutztown, ranked No. 38 in the nation and No. 2 in the region.
Mercy bounced back by blanking another conference opponent, St. Thomas Aquinas, and went on to put together another five-match win streak. That stretch was capped off by a big 5-4 road victory over rival Concordia, which finished ranked No. 35 in the country and No. 1 in the region.
The Flyers fell to Queens in their regular season finale and to Concordia in the NYCAC Tournament semi-finals, but were selected as an at-large team for the NCAA Tournament.
Mercy met up with Assumption in the NCAA First Round, hosted by Stonehill. There they were edged by the Greyhounds, 5-4, in an epic battle that saw four of the six singles matches go to three sets.
Despite the setback, seniors Hans Peter Gartner, Pavol Vasko and Dennis James went out with much to be proud of. James finished off his career by going 6-3 in singles play during his final season and posted a 3-2 mark in doubles action. Playing primarily at No. 6 singles, Vasko posted four wins, including a come-from-behind 2-6, 6-3, 6-1, victory versus his counterpart from Assumption in the NCAA Tournament.
Gartner, the team's Most Valuable Player and an All-NYCAC First Team selection who also earned a spot on the NYCAC Honor Roll for his academic success, finished the year ranked as the No. 5 singles player in the East region. He posted a 7-5 record at No. 1 singles, including a victory over nationally ranked Rodrigo Teixeira of Concordia during the regular season.
"We will always remember his contributions to our team," said Ozdogan of Gartner. "He was a great captain and he worked very hard for the team's success. He always gave a top performance on the court and in class."
Gartner and freshman Yusufcan Koksal finished the year as the No. 3 ranked doubles pair in the East, going 6-6 at the No. 1 spot. Koksal was also one of the top rookies in the region, going 12-3, with a seven-match win streak and a win in the NCAA Tournament to close out the year.
Freshman Vyacheslav Glebov burst onto the collegiate scene by putting together a 9-6 record in singles play, appearing primarily at No. 2, where he went 6-5, and earned NYCAC Rookie of the Year honors to go along with an All-NYCAC Second Team selection. He also made four starts at No. 1, going 3-1.
"Vyacheslav showed that he is one of the best talents in the conference and we also need to credit Yusufcan's performance and team leadership," said Ozdogan of two of his top newcomers. "Yusufcan's tennis exceeded my expectations and both of them had outstanding first semesters academically."
Glebov also teamed with sophomore Carl Johnson to go 12-4 in doubles play, with an 11-match win streak that propelled the pair to a tie for the No. 10 ranking in the region. Along with his doubles success, Johnson also fared well in singles play at No. 3 and No. 2, posting a 9-6 record and earning a spot on the All-NYCAC Second Team.
Another freshman that played a key role in the Flyers' run to another NCAA bid was Timon Prosper. Mercy's No. 5 singles player and considered to be the team's most improved player, finished the year with an outstanding 11-4 mark, including a three-set victory versus Assumption in the NCAA First Round. Prosper also paired with four different teammates in doubles action, posting a 10-5 record and performed well in the classroom during his first semester with a 3.8 GPA.
"Timon is a great talent and a solid hard working player," said Ozdogan. "He's our youngest player, but with all the experience he had this past season he will be even better in the future."
As far as the future is concerned for the Mercy men's tennis team, with four letterwinners returning, the Flyers are setting their sights even higher for 2006-07.
"The conference and regional championships are our biggest goals," said Ozdogan. "We would also like to represent Mercy by playing the highest level of tennis at the NCAA Championships. Our goal is not just to participate but to win and continue to advance."
