The ETSU Bucs Men’s Tennis have repeat on their mind as they get ready for fall season.
The Bucs finished their 2003-04 campaign with a Southern Conference Championship and now this year’s team is ready to top last year’s team. Although last year’s team went undefeated in conference play, the team lost some close matches to big non-conference opponents.
“We lost 4-3 to both Tennessee and Wake Forest,” said Moises Serrano, senior from Columbia.
“We were so close and this year we hope to get over that hump.”
Two big dates on the schedule include Jan. 28 when the team will have their chance to get back at the Demon Deacons and Feb. 1 when ETSU will try to take down the Vols in Knoxville.
The team is only lost two players (Diego Iglesias and Alejandro Salazar) to graduation, but they return with seniors Serrano, Fernando Fiuri and Federico Ochoa.
The Buccaneers also return SoCon Freshman of the Year Oscar Posada who is expected to play No. 1 singles this season.
“I played a couple of matches at No. 1 last year so I’m ready for the competition,” said Posada. “Our team is looking very good this year.”
Posada is also ranked 105th in the ITA National Preseason Rankings, which were recently released.
The team has been training hard this off-season to prepare for a busy schedule that begins this weekend with a trip to Athens, Ga., for the Southern Intercollegiate hosted by the University of Georgia.
“We will have trips every weekend against some of the best competition in the nation and we should be ready to play,” said Felix Insaurralde, who played No. 6 singles last season.
After this weekend, the team will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., for the Tarheel Invitational.
ETSU’s greatest challenge in the SoCon last season was by far the College of Charleston and this year will be no different.
“College of Charleston will be the hardest for us, they haven’t lost too many players and it will be a little tougher, but I think we can beat them,” Serrano said.

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