2008 Outlook

2008 Walsh University Men's Tennis Outlook

The 2007 Cavaliers walked onto the tennis court with an American Mideast Conference title to recapture, and they did not disappoint. Coming off an upset to Malone in the final round of the 2006 Regional Tournament, the Cavs regrouped and refocused to take the conference by storm in 2007, going a perfect 6-0 and beating AMC rivals Malone and Tiffin en route to a Regional Championship and NAIA national appearance. The Cavaliers only dropped four points to conference opponents until the pivotal Regional Championship match with Tiffin, in which Dexter Mahase (Sr., La-Romaine, Trinidad/St. Benedict/Shorter College ‘04/Grambling ‘05) pulled out a tight match at second singles to assure a 5-4 Walsh victory. Mahase and fellow junior Stephen Webster (Lexington, OH/HS) earned All-AMC honors, Webster for the third straight year. Although the Cavaliers enter 2007 with a predominantly freshmen squad, the strong leadership at the top from Webster, Mahase and returning senior and letter winner Greg Kerschbaum (Elyria, OH/HS) will help to set the standard high for the young squad. There is no doubt the 2007 Cavaliers have their sights set on a 12th straight conference championship and — National Championship appearance.

Senior and co-captain Stephen Webster finished 15-5 in his second year at the top spot. One of the most competitive and hard-working players on the Cavalier squad, Webster has a killer instinct and court intelligence that makes him a very dangerous and savvy opponent. He also compiled a 14-4 first doubles record with Mahase, whom he will likely team with again in 2007. Mahase turned in a team-best 17-3 record at second singles. This duo represent one of the best 1-2 punches in Walsh history, and will be virtually unstoppable in conference play. Senior co-captain Greg Kerschbaum has compiled an extremely impressive 46-10 singles mark over three years at fourth, fifth and sixth singles, going 15-5 at fifth in 2007. Kerschbaum’s consistent groundstrokes and explosive serve are accountable for many of his victories. He has also been a solid force in doubles, teaming up with Nick Grahame and fashioning an 8-3 third doubles record last year. Look for Kerschbaum to take over the third singles spot and continue to get wins in the doubles line-up as well.

Junior Casey Eck (North Canton, OH/Hoover) returns to the Cavalier line-up from the 2006 squad. Eck played in limited matches his freshman year, but will look to immediately impact the young squad.

In the long run, the Cavaliers success will depend on the performance of the freshmen. Jake Allmaras (Powell, OH/Olentangy), Steve Cabassa (Alliance, OH/HS), Joey Hanna (Wadsworth, OH/HS), Gary Innes (Randburg, South Africa/Kings School Robin Hills), Matt Jeffries (Canton, OH/GlenOak) and Curtis Kugler (Dover, OH/HS) will battle for the fourth, fifth and sixth singles positions as well as second and third doubles.

Coming off a strong 2007 performance, the Cavaliers will be the target to shoot for in the American Mideast Conference. With a formidable front line that demands an unrelenting work ethic and a winning mentality, the Cavs will look to make that target a long shot for conference foes.