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Frogs
open coach’s first ‘real’ season at Rice Men’s tennis head coach Joey Rive has already led last year’s team to the semifinal round of the NCAA Championships. But Rive said he feels that this year will be his first “real” season for him as head coach. After recruiting and bringing six new players of his choice, Rive said he has an arsenal set for the spring season that starts Friday as the Frogs travel down to Houston to play at the Rice Indoor Championships.
“When I got here last year there were so many seniors (six) and I just wanted to keep the success they had going,” Rive said. “I felt that I just needed to keep the ship running. I didn’t want to rock the boat too much. “Now with guys that I brought in, I can have some leverage in my coaching style,” he said. “I know what to expect out of them and they know what to expect from me.” The second-year head coach said the tournament will be a good chance for the team to prepare for the dual-match season. “Getting a couple of matches under our belt will be the biggest thing from this tournament,” Rive said. “It will also give me a sense on how to set the line-up for the regular season.” Rive said with so many new players it is difficult to set any goals and expectations. “Opening the season you usually have a good indication of how a team will perform,” Rive said. “But with some new guys it is hard to tell what this team is going to do this year.” The plus from having so many inexperienced players is that there will be competition resulting in better play, Rive said. “Fighting for a spot in the line-up will be huge for the (new) players,” Rive said. “When you have a group that wants a spot they will have to play at an optimal level to earn a spot.” Junior Toni Gordon said he is looking forward to get better both individually and as a team. The tournament will be a way for him to do that. “Personally I want to play as many matches as I can to get ready for the regular season,” Gordon said. “For the team it will be a good opportunity to see some of the new players against some other competition.” Gordon, who finished in the semifinals in this tournament the past two years, said he hopes reach at least the finals this year. But he wants the to fine-tune all the rough edges during the tournament. “The beginning of the season is hard to start for me because you are coming a long break” Gordon said. “The weather has made it difficult to practice.” Freshman Fabrizio Sestini said the tournament will be advantageous for the new players that need to get some experience. “I don’t have a chance to play much, but I can get some experience,” Sestini said. “I and the other players can get better at the serve and volley game At the same time I can get some wins against some good players.” The tournament will have two singles flights and two 16-team doubles flights. Participants include members from regional teams as SMU, Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas and host-school Rice. The team opens the dual-match season Jan. 30 against former conference rival SMU at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. Ram
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