Season Preview
returning players lead men’s tennis

The Muhlenberg men’s tennis team brings an excellent return game to the courts for the 2010 season.

The Mules, who played one match in late February and begin their season in earnest

Farber is a team captain for the second year in a row.

with a match at New Jersey tomorrow, return almost their entire starting lineup from last year. They also return two players who sat out last year but were key contributors in both 2007 and 2008.

As a result, Muhlenberg has one of its most experienced teams in recent memory as it seeks to improve on last years records of 6-7 overall and 3-6 in the Centennial Conference.

“When I came in as a freshman, one of the things that got me here was that Coach said, ‘If you come in now, you have a chance to start

Kral entered his senior year with a career record of 19-16.

all four years,’” said senior co-captain Yoni Farber. “We’ve gotten steady, solid recruits since then, and we have a lot of good players, all fighting for spots. This year could be our best.”

Leading the Mules at the top of the lineup is sophomore Jordan Rutt, who began last spring playing at No. 6 and moved up to No. 3 by the end of the season. He led the team in wins with a combined record of 19-18, including a 9-7 singles mark. Rutt combined with classmate Zach Adler for a respectable 4-5 doubles record in the highly competitive CC.

“Jordan has taken tremendous strides and deserves to be our No. 1,” commented Farber. “He’s a terrific leader and is very responsible. He jokes around when it’s appropriate but knows when it’s time to get serious.”

Sandwiched in between Rutt and Adler at No. 3 is junior Robbie Goldwein, who played No. 1 for the Mules for two years before taking last year off. In his first match back with the team, Goldwein won 8-2 against Penn State Berks.

“Robbie can pick everyone up,” said Farber. “Last year without him in the lineup everyone was playing a spot up. Now everyone has a better chance to win.”

Farber also scored an 8-2 win at singles vs. Penn State Berks, at No. 4. Senior Matt Kral and junior Wayne Mitchel round out the singles lineup and also make a formidable doubles team. They were a team-best 6-4, 4-4 in CC, last year.

Senior Mark Apostolos also is back in the mix after studying abroad last spring. He played No. 3 doubles in the Penn State Berks match.

Muhlenberg opens CC play with a home match against McDaniel on Saturday, then travels to Baltimore to take on nationally ranked Johns Hopkins next Saturday, beginning a stretch of four our of five matches against the 2009 CC playoff qualifiers. Three CC teams were ranked in the top 10 in the region in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason poll.

“It should be an interesting year,” said Farber.