Feb. 9, 2011

Detroit, Mich. -- When head coach Bryan Morrow took over as head mentor of the Wayne State men's tennis team in 2008, his aim was to bring the program back to the top of the GLIAC.

Last season, the program took a step forward in achieving that goal as the Warriors recorded the programs best win total (15) since 2004 and best finish (2nd) at the GLIAC tournament since 1992.

The efforts resulted in Morrow being voted GLIAC Coach of the Year.

With 2010 old news, the team sets it sights on bettering the results in the 2011 campaign.

The Warriors will feature a nice mixture of talent with six letterwinners returning to go along with four new recruits. Matt Fisher will be the 11th member, returning to the program after taking a couple years off.

“Talent-wise, we should be competing for a GLIAC Championship,” stated Morrow. “We are in a position to where we should be competitive in every match. I like this team because the guys interact well with each other. I like the way they compete.

Seniors Eric Szydlowski and Marlon Leone and redshirt junior Will Nolan are the veterans of the group. Leone will also serve as co-captain.

“I'm expecting all three to continue to be leaders of the team. They are an important piece of the puzzle.”

Szydlowski floated between No. 5 and No. 6 singles posting a 7-8 record. He did play some doubles matches at the No. 3 spot, tallying a 2-7 mark. Leone finished the season 2-5 and 2-3 in singles and doubles, respectively. Nolan went 1-0 at No. 3 singles and 3-1 at No. 3 doubles last season.

The sophomore trio of Thomas Ducret, Jon Groszek and Oscar Gamarra will be relied on heavily this season.

Ducret had an impressive freshmen season, going 16-5 in the No. 3 singles spot, and tallying a 7-6 mark, playing mainly No. 2 doubles.

“So far in fall practices and the challenge matches, Thomas (Ducret) has looked really strong and has stepped it up a notch. He will definitely be one of the top guys on the team.”

Groszek will be the other captain for the Warriors. Groszek finished with a solid 9-1 record at No. 6 singles last season.

“Leadership wise, Jon (Groszek) has really picked it up, and his game has really elevated. I expect good things from him.”

Gamarra tallied an 8-8 mark at No. 4 singles and won a huge match for WSU in the GLIAC tournament against Ferris State to clinch the second-place finish.

“I did not have much time to work with Oscar (Gamarra) last year because he did not get here until January, so we used last fall and this offseason to really try to enhance his game and make him an all-court player. His net skills and serve have improved, so I like where his game is at.”

The four freshmen are Alex Attala, Aman Gill, Michael FitzGerald and Melvin Joseph.

Attala, a graduate of Chippewa Valley High School, earned four varsity letters with the Big Reds. Attala served as team captain during his senior year, posted a 26-1 record, and was selected to the Division 1 All-State team. He lost only one time during his junior and senior year's with both coming against the eventual state champion.

“He has a real high upside and his growth is going to be fun to watch.”

Gill is the younger brother of WSU women's tennis player Sharon Gill and a graduate of Assumption College High School in Windsor, Ont. Gill, who is the tallest player on the team at 6-8, participated in the Canadian indoor nationals, finishing in the top 10, and finished in fourth place at the Ontario provincial championships.

“Aman's fun to work with because I have never had to deal with a player that serves at the trajectory he does. He is a hard worker and has really improved since the fall.”

FitzGerald recorded 78 wins during his time at Grosse Ile High School and was a three-time first team All-State selection. FitzGerald was a state-semifinalist at No. 1 singles in both 2008 and 2009.

Joseph, a graduate of Northville High School, earned three varsity letters and three state final appearances for the Mustangs. Joseph was also selected to the Division 1 All-State squad.

“As freshmen, both Michael and Melvin have come in and worked as hard as anybody on the court and in the weight room. They are two of the fastest players on the team and may be the most athletic. These two guys are going to be right in the mix.”

When Fisher was a member of the Warriors in 2005-06, he posted a record of 5-6 in No. 4 singles and a 4-7 mark in No. 2 doubles.

“Matt comes in and I think he will bring some maturity to the team. He can do everything pretty well. He was one of the strongest doubles players and he will be competing for one of the top six spots.”