Men's tennis set to begin 2019 season
ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University men's tennis team opens the 2019 season on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at the Lastinger Tenis Center. The Panthers are coming back from a 5-11 overall record but a ninth-place finish in the competitive SCIAC in 2018.
Sophomore Jacob Lee returns to the top of the lineup after going 6-9 last year and 2-5 in the conference as a freshman. Lee went 4-5 overall in doubles with partner, Brock DeHaven, and is expected to be a standout player again this season following his leadership he showed on the court as a freshman.
Junior Len Kamemoto will be one of the most experienced veterans of the group after 7-14 overall last season, playing mainly at the No. 2 spot in the lineup. He stepped up to the top of the lineup in the beginning of the season and went 1-1 after steadily holding the two spot going 5-9 in dual matches. Kamemoto as well went 7-12 overall in doubles with now senior Matthew Mead. The pair went 2-6 at the top of the line and 1-6 in conference.
Mead, along with Brock DeHaven, Igor Belineli and Eliot Gardner comprise one of the bigger senior classes in recent Chapman tennis history. Mead has been a constant in the doubles lineup over the last few years while Belineli has been a mainstay in the bottom half of the lineup. DeHaven filled the No. 3 spot in the lineup last year and has started the majority of matches in the middle of the singles lineup over the last two years.
With five of their six regular singles starters and their top-2 doubles teams back on the 2019 roster, the Panthers will look to continue building. The Panthers were recently picked to finish ninth in a poll of the conference coaches and will turn to the experience of last year infused with a few new faces to prove the poll wrong.
Chapman's schedule will again feature multiple nationally-ranked teams. The Panthers are slated to take on eight nationally-ranked teams from the first ITA ranking released in January.
The Panthers first game will be Tuesday, Feb. 5 at home vs Hope International at 1 p.m. but will then have a month-long break before hosting Christopher Newport on Mar. 7 for their next match. They open SCIAC play on Mar. 30 against Whittier.
By Karissa Davis & Steven Olveda
Sports Information Intern & Sports Information Director
Become a fan of Chapman Athletics on Facebook
Follow Chapman Athletics on Twitter @ChapmanSports
Post your #PantherPic to Instagram @ChapmanSports