Results of tennis championships to make LCC stronger for spring
Even though Laredo Community College was unable to reclaim the top singles and doubles titles at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Small College Bowl Championships held this past weekend in Mobile, Ala., the effort will only help to strengthen the LCC men's tennis program for the spring 2010 season, said head tennis coach Jaime Donjuan.
LCC
tennis sophomore Cledson Carvalho, who last year won the singles and doubles
title at the ITA-sanctioned tournament, finished in second place this year in
singles after losing in the finals by two sets, 7-5 and 6-3, to Damian Hume of
Collin County Community College on Saturday, Oct. 17. Hume went on to win the
Super Bowl singles title, too.
In doubles, Carvalho and freshman Felipe Baptista ended in third place on Friday, Oct. 16. They lost to a duo from Fresno City College during the semifinal round in two sets, 6-4 and 6-1, before winning their match for third place against a duo from Seminole Community College in three sets, 6-1, 1-6 and 10-7.
The experience of playing at the championships in Alabama has confirmed a concern Donjuan had suspected all along this fall.
"It all points to the fact that the team needs to work harder to be at the level it needs to be to win its sixth consecutive national title in the spring," Donjuan said. "Is it achievable? Yes, it is with a lot of training."
Donjuan said that he also will need to do some recruiting to bring at least two new players to the team without a scholarship.
"Part of my recruitment process to ensure I am bringing the best players possible to the men's team is that our student-athletes need to work hard to earn their scholarship," Donjuan said. "None of my tennis standouts have automatically received a scholarship. Even LCC’s top player of all time, Moacir Santos, and our current No. 1 player, Cledson Carvalho, had to prove themselves during their first semester at LCC that they deserved a scholarship.
"My philosophy is that our student-athletes must prove they want to get an education. They must be good students and good role models in the community. They also must demonstrate they want to be the best they can be as tennis players with good work ethics."
About his current No. 1 player, Donjuan feels that Carvalho does have the potential to win the national tournament next year.
"(Carvalho) is going to need to do a lot more training. He's going to need to adapt to new strategies. I'm confident that if he's able to meet these goals, he'll be ready in the spring to become the No. 1 player in the nation," Donjuan said.
Action continues
The LCC Palomino men's and women's tennis teams continue action on the courts on Friday, Oct. 23 when they host Incarnate Word University in a scrimmage, which begins at 1 p.m. at the LCC H.E. Butt Tennis Courts. Admission is free and open to the campus body and public.
This will be the Palominos’ final match before they return to the courts in the spring.
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