KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Kutztown University men's tennis rolled with one of the youngest lineups in the PSAC last spring. Now, a year older and with a trip through the conference gauntlet behind them, the Golden Bears will look to translate their experience into results for first-year head coach
Wyatt Pauley.
The Maroon and Gold were just 2-6 a season ago, including 2-4 in conference, but were in the playoff hunt and could have qualified with a head-to-head victory over Millersville. That's nothing to scoff at, considering KU had three freshmen and three sophomores occupying its singles lineup all season and its doubles lineup save a few matches.
With Pauley, a former DII player at Quincy University (Ill.), at the helm, Kutztown hopes it can show improvements in all facets of its game and contend for a postseason berth. Other than the graduation of
Logan Kemp (Hanover, Pa./South Western), there were no additions or subtractions to the Bears' roster.
Sophomore
Gonzalo Barcelo (San Pedro, Argentina/Nuestra Senora del Socorro) stepped right into the No. 1 singles role during his rookie season and registered a 2-6 record (2-4 in conference). Junior
Sebastian Arizpe (Puebla, Mexico/Colegio Humboldt de Puebla) had the same mark at No. 2 and classmate
Neal Devkaran (Fairfax, Va./Paul VI Catholic) was 2-6 (1-5 in the PSAC) at No. 3 during his first season with the program after transferring in from Marymount (Va.).
Freshman
Justin Gincauskas (Mississauga, Ontario/Cawthra Park Secondary) (1-7) held down No. 4, while sophomore
Kurt Abell (Sinking Spring, Pa./Conrad Weiser) (2-4) and freshman
Ethan Moyer (Wernersville, Pa./Conrad Weiser) (2-6) --high school teammates at nearby Conrad Weiser-- handled fifth and sixth singles.
As a team, Kutztown was just 5-19 in doubles matches, often yielding the point awarded to the team that wins at least two of the three flights. Barcelo and Arizpe were the Bears' most successful unit, with a 3-5 record at No. 1, including 2-4 against PSAC opponents. Abell won a match each with Devkaran (at No. 2) and Kemp (at No. 3).
Kutztown played one fall match against Jefferson and had players entered in the PSAC Individual Championships before Pauley arrived in November. The Golden Bears are set to take part in 12 spring matches, starting with a road trip to Moravian, Saturday, for a match that will be contested indoors.
"The guys have worked extremely hard to get prepared for this season and we're ready to put our training to the test," Pauley said. "Moravian will be a solid first match for us. Hopefully we can start our season off on the right foot. Our players are excited for the opportunity of a new season and we look forward to representing KU in the best way possible."
The Bears are scheduled to be on the road again next Saturday, March 5, against Scranton, before competing on the Keystone Courts for the first time this spring, Wednesday, March 23, vs. Marywood. Their PSAC opener is set for Saturday, March 26, at West Chester.
Kutztown's final six matches of the regular season are all at home: Mercyhurst, April 8, Edinboro, April 9, Bloomsburg, April 13, Shepherd, April 15, Penn State Berks, April 20, and Davis & Elkins, April 23.
