University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Tennis Set To Begin Spring Season
February 09, 2001 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 9, 2001
AMHERST, Mass. - After a short lay-off, the University of Massachusetts tennis teams will begin the spring portions of their schedules. The men are in Ithaca, N.Y. participating in the Cornell Invitational this weekend, Feb 10-12, while the women will travel to New Haven, Conn. for a date with the Bulldogs of Yale on Monday, Feb. 13.
Both teams enjoyed great success in the fall as they each posted 6-1 records. The Minutemen are led by junior Steve Prisco (Dedham, Mass.), who compiled a 5-2 record at the No. 1 singles spot. He also combined with freshman Brent Davis (San Diego, Calif.) on a 13-3 record at the No. 1 doubles. Davis posted a 12-2 record at No. 2 and 3 singles. Coach Judy Dixon is optimistic about the team. "This team will have more wins over stronger opponents than in the past," says Dixon. "If they stay healthy, I think they can compete for the Atlantic 10 Championship and it's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament."
The Minutewomen are young and deep. They are led by freshman Francesca Mancini (Milan, Italy) . She compiled a 12-1 record, with her only loss coming in the NCAA East Regional at the No. 1 spot. Mancini and freshman Jafra Depontes (Kaliua-Kona, Hawaii) posted a 9-1 doubles mark at the No. 1 spot. In the NCAA regionals, they defeated the No. 1 and 6 seeds en route to the quarterfinal round before bowing out. "With the talent we have, we are looking to take the program to the next level and sustain a sectional ranking," says coach Dixon. "Having a young team is good and bad. While they just go out there and play without any expectations about who they should beat or lose to, they are still freshmen, and freshmen are going to make mistakes."
If both teams can overcome their weaknesses they should be very successful this season. While both teams will not play on campus for a couple of weeks, they will play close by at the Bay Road Tennis Club in Amherst. The men will host Colgate on Feb. 18 at 12:30, while the women will host Army on Feb. 24 at 6:00.
