Club tennis impressive after making USTA Championships
Mike Mazzeo
Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: Sports
"It was a big court," Naim said. "It looks a lot bigger when you're actually playing on it than when you see it on TV. Even with no one in the stands, it was kind of nerve wracking with no one around you."
Naim and men's team captain Lenny Maher each won their matches.
"It was pretty good for our first time," Naim said.
Tryouts began the week of freshmen move in and with 45 people vying for only 10 spots, it was clear that there was not only a lot of interest, but also a lot of talent.
And that talent showed right away when the team played its first official club match against Temple, a veteran club that had a ton of experience.
Drexel lost 28-27, but the team was on a mission to make headway in just its inaugural season.
In sectionals Oct. 20, the Dragons finished 11th out of 24 teams going 3-3 overall. They defeated TCNJ, Shippensburg and the University of Pittsburgh.
However, it was Drexel's first match against highly ranked Lehigh that Naim remembered.
"It came down to super overtime and we lost a big point on deuce and lost 25-24 overall," he said.
The Dragons finished out the fall season third in the Philadelphia Campus League behind only Delaware and Villanova.
After playing sparsely in the winter, Drexel is bound for the USTAs, achieving a National Ranking of 75 due to its past performances. There are over 250 teams in collegiate club tennis.
The Dragons, who are one of 64 teams in the field, will begin pool play April 17 against the likes of defending champion Texas A&M and highly-ranked Virginia.
Each pool consists of four teams and three matches will be played.
After those matches take place, the teams will be separated and another day of pool play will commence.
On the final day, the top 32 teams will play a single-elimination tournament for the Gold Bracket, while the bottom 32 teams will play in the same format for the Silver Bracket.
While many teams will be under pressure to perform, Drexel is going into the USTAs with the right mindset.
Naim and men's team captain Lenny Maher each won their matches.
"It was pretty good for our first time," Naim said.
Tryouts began the week of freshmen move in and with 45 people vying for only 10 spots, it was clear that there was not only a lot of interest, but also a lot of talent.
And that talent showed right away when the team played its first official club match against Temple, a veteran club that had a ton of experience.
Drexel lost 28-27, but the team was on a mission to make headway in just its inaugural season.
In sectionals Oct. 20, the Dragons finished 11th out of 24 teams going 3-3 overall. They defeated TCNJ, Shippensburg and the University of Pittsburgh.
However, it was Drexel's first match against highly ranked Lehigh that Naim remembered.
"It came down to super overtime and we lost a big point on deuce and lost 25-24 overall," he said.
The Dragons finished out the fall season third in the Philadelphia Campus League behind only Delaware and Villanova.
After playing sparsely in the winter, Drexel is bound for the USTAs, achieving a National Ranking of 75 due to its past performances. There are over 250 teams in collegiate club tennis.
The Dragons, who are one of 64 teams in the field, will begin pool play April 17 against the likes of defending champion Texas A&M and highly-ranked Virginia.
Each pool consists of four teams and three matches will be played.
After those matches take place, the teams will be separated and another day of pool play will commence.
On the final day, the top 32 teams will play a single-elimination tournament for the Gold Bracket, while the bottom 32 teams will play in the same format for the Silver Bracket.
While many teams will be under pressure to perform, Drexel is going into the USTAs with the right mindset.
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