1998-99 Season Preview
The Catholic University men's tennis team returns its three top players: junior Matt Burke (No. 1), sophomore Steve Balshi (No. 2) and junior Doug Rowe (No. 3). Coach Martin Dowd is hopeful that they can help the team improve upon its 10-8 combined fall and spring record and fifth-place finish in the conference last season.
Burke was 8-11 last year, Balshi took team Rookie of the Year honors while going 10-8 and Rowe was an impressive 13-3.
Bolstering the lineup are returning lettermen senior Jim Duffy, sophomore Martin Locraft and senior Kyle Mason. Sophomore Kevin Farrow and senior Jimmy Chu also return.
Freshmen Donald Polifka, Steven Testa, John Bono, Jonathan Impastato and Chris Knudsen hope to break into the starting lineup. Polifka started at No. 1 singles for four years at Patrick Henry High School in Ashland, Va., and is expected to contribute significantly as a freshman.
The team faces another challenging schedule, including a spring-break trip to Hilton Head, S.C.
1999 Results (14-3, 2-3 CAC)
|
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
|
March 1 |
Eastern Mennonite # |
W, 7-0 |
|
March 2 |
Martin Methodist # |
W, 6-1 |
|
March 4 |
Ohio Northern # |
W, 4-3 |
|
March 5 |
Philadelphia Textile # |
W, 5-4 |
|
March 13 |
York (Pa.) * |
W, 7-0 |
|
March 18 |
at Randolph-Macon |
W, 6-1 |
|
March 21 |
Lebanon Valley |
ppd. rain |
|
March 25 |
Gallaudet * |
W, 6-1 |
|
March 28 |
at Villa Julie |
W, 8-1 |
|
March 29 |
UDC |
W, 7-0 |
|
March 31 |
at Gettysburg |
W, 4-3 |
|
April 7 |
Mary Washington * |
L, 7-0 |
|
April 10 |
Dickinson |
W, 5-2 |
|
April 14 |
at Shenandoah |
W, 7-0 |
|
April 17 |
at Loyola (Md.) |
W, 6-1 |
|
April 19 |
at Western Maryland |
W, 6-1 |
|
April 24-25 |
CAC Championships |
5th place |
By conference agreement, tennis records now include fall and
spring season.
* CAC matches
# Hilton Head, S.C.
Home matches in bold
1999 Roster
|
Name |
Yr. |
Hometown |
|
Steve Balshi |
So. |
Gwynedd, Pa. |
|
Matt Burke |
Jr. |
Wilmette, Ill. |
|
James Duffy |
Sr. |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
|
Michael Hedge |
Fr. |
Prince George, Va. |
|
Martin Locraft |
So. |
Rockville, Md. |
|
Donald Polifka |
Fr. |
Beaver Dam, Va. |
|
Doug Rowe |
Jr. |
Trumbull, Conn. |
|
Steven Testa |
Fr. |
Millville, N.J. |
