DENVER – The MSU Denver men's and women's tennis teams are returning to action for the spring season stronger than they were in the fall.
That's because, with two new additions to the men's roster, and another to the women's team, the Roadrunners are at the very least able to fill out full lineups.
"We have more depth, which I'm excited about, and some new faces," first-year Metropolitan State University of Denver coach
Josh Graetz (Albury, Australia/The Scots School) said.
Of course it's also helpful that both
Mateo Besada (Buenos Aires, Argentina/SEADEA) and
David Kijak (Aurora, Colo./Odyssey Charter School (Nev.)) on the men's side, and
Eliza McKean (Buderim, Queensland, Australia/Sunshine Coast Grammar School) on the women's side, are expected to have strong immediate impacts.
That will start to be revealed over the next few days, as the Roadrunners' men's team travels to Air Force for an 8 a.m. dual with Oklahoma Baptist on Friday as well as a matchup with the NCAA Division I Falcons at 4 p.m. Monday. Meanwhile, the women play Friday at 1 p.m. at Division I Northern Colorado, then travel to Air Force on Saturday for a 9 a.m. meeting with Oklahoma Baptist.
"It's an important match for the guys, a regional matchup," Graetz said of the opener with Oklahoma Baptist. "We're up to all six guys, but we only have six competing – so every guy is competing every match. We can still achieve our goals, it's just every guy is going to have to come and give everything every single match all season."
The men didn't play any duals in the fall, but adding two players at the semester break helps complement a roster headlined by
Daniel Llorente (Malaga, Spain/),
Alejandro Martinez-Morilla (Madrid, Spain/I.E. Valdecas) and
Joey Tscherne (Sylmar, Calif./John F. Kennedy). Martinez-Morilla reached the quarterfinals of the ITA South Central Regional tournament in the fall, while Llorente reached the round of 16 and Tscherne lost in the second round to the eventual tournament runnerup. Llorente and Tscherne reached the quarterfinals in doubles.
Martinez-Morilla is ranked sixth in the region, Llorente is 16
th and Tscherne is 19
th. Llorente and Tscherne are the region's sixth-ranked doubles team.
"Just having some new faces helps a lot," Graetz said of adding Besada and Kijak. "It keeps the returners on their toes a little bit. Both are extremely talented. They've been in Denver less than two weeks, so they've got a lot of learning to do, but I'm excited to see what they can achieve."
McKean joins a women's roster that is led by
Tabitha Porter (Auckland, New Zealand/Northcote College) and
Alex Pessoa (Denver, Colo./Home-schooled). Porter is ranked 24
th in NCAA Division II and third in the region after reaching the regional championship match last fall. Pessoa is the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's reigning player of the year, as well as freshman of the year.
Helena Steenberg (Skodsborg, Denmark/Naerum Gymnasium, Naerum, Denmark) and
Ainsley Winterrowd (Lacey, Wash./North Thurston) made a run to the doubles semifinals at the regional meet and are the sixth-ranked tandem in the region.
"There's some inexperience there, but I think there's some depth – especially at the bottom of the lineup – which we haven't had on the women's side," Graetz said. "It's going to be a real team effort, which I'm excited about."
The women are picked to win their straight RMAC championship, while the RMAC doesn't sponsor championships for men's tennis. Both are seeking to reach the national tournament: it would be a repeat trip for the men, though they no longer have their top player from last season since Graetz is now the coach.
The women were 2-2 in duals during the fall after posting a 17-9 record last year, including 6-0 in the RMAC. MSU Denver has won 13 straight RMAC women's duals dating to 2016. The men were 14-9 in duals last year, including 6-0 in the RMAC's final season of sponsoring the sport.
"I'm excited to get started and open the season, and I know the players are feeling the same way," Graetz said.
