Zags Look to Start Strong at EWU Fall Classic
9/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
SPOKANE, Wash.—The Gonzaga University men's tennis team will begin its 2014-15 season at the EWU Fall Classic in Cheney, Wash., this weekend, and according to the tournament's seeding, the Zags should start the year on a good note.
Gonzaga players hold the No. 1 seed in all three brackets of the Fall Classic. Alvaro Nazal, a two-time winner of Eastern Washington's tournament, is the top seed in the ‘A' bracket while incoming transfer Sergio Chip headlines the ‘B' flight. In the Doubles bracket, Vicente Varas and Vladimir Mijatovic are the top-seeded duo heading into this weekend's competition. Furthermore, Nick Kamisar is the second seed in the ‘A' bracket, giving Gonzaga all three No. 1 seeds and four of the six top two rankings.
"This tournament has a lot of good players," said Gonzaga men's tennis head coach Peter MacDonald. "It's an opportunity to get some matches in against other opponents before regionals and a chance to see if what we're doing so far in practice is working or not."
Four players will play in the top flight at Eastern Washington. Nazal and Kamisar enter as the top two seeds while Mijatovic and Varas will also fight for the overall title. Nazal and Kamisar are obviously expected to play deep into the bracket, but the other two also have the ability to string together more than a few wins as well.
"Nazal and Kamisar both have brought legitimacy to this program," said MacDonald. "Mijatovic's game has grown in the last four years and he's been playing well recently, and Varas has had strong fall results in the past. He could have a great tournament."
In the ‘B' flight, Chip is the favorite despite the fact he'll be playing in his first Division I tournament. He transferred in from College of the Desert, a junior college in Palm Desert, Calif. Also competing in the second flight, Joey Brandt will look to kick off his senior year with a strong tournament.
"We're really excited to see what Smith can do, to see him play against top-notch competition for the first time," said MacDonald of the transfer student. "Joe's been working hard all summer, particularly on his mental toughness. It'll be good to see where his game has grown to after that."
Overall, MacDonald is excited for the team to get back on the court and to assess their performance and improvement.
"This is an exciting time of the year," he said. "You get to see where you're at and plan out adjustments to get better."
The EWU Fall Classic will run Friday, Sept. 26, to Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Eastern Washington Tennis Courts.
