Men's Tennis | 2/19/2013 4:11:00 PM

Coming off a banner season in which it won more matches in a single season than it had in over 20 years, the Methodist men's tennis team, and third-year Head Coach Mike Bonnell believes the best is yet to come.
 
The Monarchs finished tied for second in the USA South in the regular season a year ago, going 17-5 overall and 4-2 in league play. The 17-win season came on the heels of a 14-win season, which followed a 10-win season, and Bonnell believes that the upstart Monarchs are well-positioned to continue their ascension.
 
“I feel we can compete for a conference championship, not just this year but in the coming years as well,” said Bonnell. “[perennial power] N.C. Wesleyan has a new coach this season and lost some key guys from last year and Christopher Newport also has a new coach and is missing some contributors from last season.”
 
While Bonnell has a relatively young team, he does not lack for talent and the aforementioned youth provides for a solid core that will remain intact for subsequent seasons.
 
“I think that we have a deeper team this year, we did lose out No. 2 from last year (2012 USA South Rookie of the Year Hans Baumstark), but with a promising group of newcomers and what we brought back, I think the lineup is tougher from top to bottom.”
 
That depth was evidenced by the fact that Bonnell feels that on any given day, his 5,6,7 players can practice and compete with his 1,2,3 players, adding an element of competition.
 
Some of the top returners for the Monarchs include juniors Duncan Miller, Greg Patterson, and Lawrence Salmon, sophomore Dillon Sullivan, and senior Robert Clayton among others.
 
Miller, a second team all-conference pick each of his first two seasons, will likely resume his No. 1 singles spot, where he went 15-14 a year ago. He was also 19-9 overall in doubles play, including 12-7 with the since-departed Baumstark.
 
“Duncan can compete with the best,” remarked Bonnell. “He has only been getting better we expect big things from him.”
 
Patterson went 15-11 in singles last year, bouncing between three different flights throughout the course of the year. He also team with Clayton to form a formidable doubles pairing, where they went 19-7 on the year.
 
“Greg has a chance to move up in the singles flights this year,” Bonnell said. “His offense is more diverse this season and I think he can take a step forward.”
 
Sullivan enters his sophomore season having posted a 19-8 record in singles last year and is poised to improve on those numbers. Additionally, he makes up one half of the Monarchs' regionally ranked doubles team with Lawrence Salmon. In limited experience playing together in 2012, the duo went 4-1, then this fall they advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA Southeast Regional Qualifier. Salmon also has singles experience, having gone 22-5 a year ago.
 
“Dillon and Lawrence have great chemistry together,” noted Bonnell. “I'm really excited to see what they can do this spring.”
 
While the aforementioned players are all in the mix for playing time in both singles and/or doubles, the batch of newcomers that Bonnell welcomed to the team in the fall have only fueled his optimism for this season and beyond.
 
The likes of Taylor Buchholz, Teal Howard, Max Mancini, Kyle Cummings, and Taylor Lilly all have made great improvements since the fall and have a chance to make major contributions over the course of the season.
 
“I am optimistic about this season,” Bonnell reiterated. “We are talented enough to challenge for a conference championship, and we are positioned to sustain that success going forward.
 
And Bonnell has big plans for his squad going forward. The Monarchs will open the spring season ranked No. 14 in the Atlantic South Region and he would like to see his team crack the Top 10 by season's end. From there, Bonnell has his sights set on the national rankings and the ability to compete against the NCAA's best.
 
“I want to be a Top 25 program,” Bonnell deadpanned. In order to get there, he has made modifications to the schedule in order to add more ranked Division III schools, a move that should curry favor with the rankings committees.
 
Additionally, Bonnell went on to talk of the potential of Methodist's PTM (Professional Tennis Management) program and how that can benefit a team such as his.
 
“Currently, all but two of my guys are PTM majors and I think it can really be a positive for us,” he said. “It's something that can draw a higher-caliber player to Methodist. Just like the PGM program draws amazing players for our golf teams, I would like to see PTM start benefitting Methodist tennis in much the same way.”
 
The Monarchs, looking to continue their upward trend, begin the 2013 season on Sunday when they play at Chowan at 2:30 pm.