USD Men's Tennis 2005-2006

2 The University of San Diego men's tennis team is set to open the 2006 season after coming off of one of the most prolific seasons in USO history. The Toreros finished the 2005 season with an overall record of 16-7, ranking them 39 th in the nation. At season 's end , San Diego qualified for the NCAA Team Championships for the third consecutive season, a program first. For the 2006 season , head coach Tom Hagedorn will look to the leader– ship of his three seniors to guide the Toreros to another winning season . Senior Pierrick Ysern, a native of Paris, France, fin ished his junior cam– paign with an overall singles record of 15-4, ranking him 10 th nationally. Ysern advanced to the final round of the NCAA Singles Championship, another first for San Diego, where he was named the 2005 national runner-up. Mirza Koristovic, who finished 11 -10 in singles , and fellow senior Oscar Plotnik, who had a final record of 13-7, look to provide strength and power to the Torero lineup. "We have a really nice mix between the younger guys and the seniors ," commented Coach Hagedorn . "We have great senior leadership, espe– cially with an NCAA finalist returning . We have proven guys in players like [sophomore] Thomas Liversage and three brand new players who are going to make a big impact. "

2006 SEASON PREVIEW

Alongside Hagedorn , former Torero tennis player Robbie Blair makes his debut as the men's assistant coach. A native of Stellenbosch , South Africa , Blair was a four-year Torero for the men's program who finished 16-5 in singles and teamed with Thomas Liversage in doubles for a 15-8 mark for the 2005 season . "To have a player of [Robbie's] caliber will only help the program, " said Hagedorn of Blair. "[He] has helped our team move up the rankings the last four years as a player and he will continue to do so as the assistant coach . Robbie has a work ethic that is second to none." The Toreros enter the 2006 season ranked 37 th in the nation by the ITA and have a challenging schedule to ac– company their top-40 ranking . In their first match of the season , San Diego faces No. 5 UCLA, followed by No. 12 USC, No. 23 Texas Tech , and No. 28 Boise State, as well as powerhouses North Carolina, Rice , and Harvard. USO kicks off an eight-game home-stay on March 13 against UNC. A cross-town rivalry with San Diego State is scheduled for March 25 and the Toreros finish their 2006 campaign against UC Santa Barbara on April 28. "Our sights for this year are pretty high," says Hagedorn. "We have three seniors that want to go out on top. During their careers they have wins over some of the top programs in the nation including the Pac-10 champion Washington Huskies last year. The Torero men have not lost to a non– NCAA Tournament team in three years."

The Toreros have already proven themselves as contenders with some of the top tennis programs in the nation, and , as a result, know they can compete with the very best.