Jan. 27, 2012

MERION STATION, Pa. - Steady and consistent improvement is the goal of any athletic squad, and the Saint Joseph's men's tennis team is no different. The Hawks will look to take advantage of a healthy blend of youth and experience to make the spring of 2012 a successful one.

Last season, the squad finished eighth at the Atlantic 10 Championship, a step ahead of its ninth-place tie from the previous season. This year, the Hawks have their sights set on breaking through to the league's upper echelon.

"Our goal is to be as good, if not better," than last year said head coach Ian Crookenden. "That means winning a quarterfinal match against one of the top four seeds, and to do that we're going to have to be at the top of our games."

The fourth-year headman also wants to change the perception of his squad around the league; with respect comes improved seeding in the conference championship, but that respect is borne out of success on the court.

"We have to have other coaches start to recognize that we are a much stronger team than they give us credit for," Crookenden said.

In order to do that, SJU will count on the leadership of seniors Peter Cognetti and Jeff Kessler and junior Tommy Gates to help guide the influx of young talent both on the court and off.

"There's a very good atmosphere around the squad," Crookenden said. "There is no rivalry, aside from a friendly one; there is no divisive element that I've seen."

Junior Alex Veronis returns from a semester abroad to his customary position in the top singles flight. Veronis won 10 matches at number-one singles last season, the most for any Hawk at any individual flight.

"After his year last year, I think he knows he can handle the best that this conference has to offer," Crookenden said of his top singles player. "I don't think he'll be satisfied with having anything less than a winning record this year."

Kessler will remain in the second flight, where he played all of his singles matches last season, but after the top two, competition for starting slots is wide open.

"We have such a talented squad," Crookenden explained. "To make sure we don't overlook anybody's talents and that we use the players effectively, it's going to take some time for us to see who performs well in match play.

"[The younger players] have to realize that it's not how they do against other squad members," he continued. "It's how they do against the competition, the schools we play against. That's the record that counts."

As for the doubles pairings, Gates and sophomore Dan Barrus had some success playing together in the fall and will be reunited once again in the spring. Crookenden revealed that seniors Cognetti and Kessler, who have spent a large part of their time on Hawk Hill teamed up, will likely be playing with different partners this season.

"I'm splitting Jeff and Peter and trying to incorporate some of the newer talent we have," the coach remarked. "Max Montague is a very talented doubles player and we want to take advantage of his talents; if we can blend Peter and Jeff's experience with some of the fresh face, then we might have a new look when we face some of our more established opponents."

Speaking of the Hawks' opponents, Crookenden has once again put together a challenging schedule for his squad.

"The schedule is difficult this year because we're traveling so much and our conference matches are very spaced out through the season," he explained.

The Hawks will face perennial league power George Washington and then Duquesne in home indoor matches in February. A pair of matches with league foes Richmond and Charlotte in early March precedes the annual Spring Break trip to Orlando, where SJU will meet up with programs from across the country such as Kennesaw State, Creighton, South Dakota State, and Presbyterian.

The switch between indoor courts and outdoor play can be a tricky one, but Crookenden hopes to have his Hawks flying high by then.

"Following our Spring Break trip, we'll be much better prepared for outdoor play, and that's when the meat of our schedule is," he said. "By then we should have some established lineups and doubles combinations worked out."

Returning home, the Hawks will face off with conference foes Xavier, Fordham, La Salle, Temple, and St. Bonaventure over the course of the season's final month. Saint Joseph's will also play its customary matches with local rivals such as Villanova and Drexel.

The 2012 Atlantic 10 Championship will be held April 13-15 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. The Saint Joseph's men's tennis squad will be there; how long they stay, and how far they go, is up to them.

If the veteran leaders and young talent can coalesce into the well-rounded squad that their coach envisions, there's reason to believe that these Hawks can soar to new heights.