Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 13, 1995 TAG: 9504130038
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Those who favor a positive outlook, though, would point out that the two veteran players at the top of the lineup make for a nice foundation on which to build a new team.
You could do a lot worse than top-seeded Robert Gibb and No. 2 Jeff Varner to swing a racket for you. Throw in Aaron Marshall at No. 4, who skipped last year's state runner-up season after playing as a sophomore, and the Indians will be able to whack it with a lot of teams.
``We've got some potential here,'' said Gibb, 17-4 and a top-30 player in the Mid-Atlantic Tennis Association age 16-and-under rankings last year.
Louie Belt, the Bluefield W.Va.-born former Virginia Tech player who took the Indians' helm a year ago, offers nary a gloomy word.
``If they work hard and want it, they can get better and get back to the state tournament,'' he said. ``We aren't as talented as we were last year, though. That was a super team. It could improve just by going out and playing.''
Blacksburg split its first four matches of the current season, beating Graham and North Cross and losing the Group AAA power Cave Spring and defending AA champion Salem. The Spartans beat Blacksburg 5-4 in last year's championship match after splitting with the Indians during the regular year.
``I'm glad we've lost already,'' Belt said. ``That'll keep any complacency from setting in.''
Varner, a senior, has been in the top six all four seasons. A year ago, he won 15 of 16 matches. Brent Powell moved into the starting rotation for the first time this year after playing on the fringes last year.
David Reynolds and Shane Warner are also first timers in the rotation. Reynolds is a transfer student from Jackson, Miss.
Gibb and Reynolds are teamed at the No. 1 doubles, Varner is playing with Marshall at No. 2, and Powell and Warner are the third team.
Elsewhere in New River Valley boys' tennis:
Pulaski County looks like a team that won't have a stable lineup. Mitch Gilmore, the current first seed, Matt Gardner and Doug Freeman are all capable of holding down the top spot. Freeman won his first three matches.
The bottom of the lineup is looking equally volatile with current residents Jeremiah Montgomery, Brook Ely and Jeremiah Seagle. More settled is the doubles rotation with Gardner and Freeman at No. 1, Gilmore and Montgomery at No. 2 and Ely, Seagle and Mike Turner rotating at the third doubles team.
Christiansburg is under the direction of alumnus and former Blue Demon player Chris McHose, who is taking over from Jack Williams. McHose is two years removed from player status and is now an undergraduate at Radford University.
When McHose fills out his scorebook, the first name that goes in is his brother Jesse, the No. 1 seed as a junior.
Places 3 through 6 are held down by Mike Elander, Joel Brown, Kevin Bush. and Nathan Altice. That lineup could change, depending on the uncertain status of Richie Poff at the second seed.
Radford is in its first year as a Group A team and it appears the Bobcats can look forward to some productive years to come.
The primary cause for optimism is a trio of freshmen, all of whom are in the top six. The pick of the class is Ben Nester, who is at No. 3 for now. Classmates include Ravi Tayal at the fifth seed and Will Farmer at No. 6.
Up top, Ravi's older brother Rajiv Tayal is the ace of the team and Adam Funk is the second seed. Rob Speirs fills out the lineup at No. 4.
``I feel pretty good about things,'' veteran coach Larry Mannon said. ``I feel pretty good about the present and the future, too.''
Floyd County is likely to object to the Bobcats' designs on the crown of the Three River District and should have the team to back up its position.
The defending Group A Region C runner-up, the Buffaloes and their coach, Jack Neff, had to reorganize after players who occupied seeds 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 last year were lost to graduation, injury and other health problems.
Neff has worked some young players into the mix such as sophomore Jeremy Midkiff at No. 2 and freshman Ganon Bender at the third seed. Another 10th grader, Timmy Yates, is holding down the sixth seed, so it is reasonable to assume that the battle between Radford and the Buffs is just being joined.
For veteran leadership, Neff is counting on seniors Dustin Yates and Volker Neumann. Yates is the No. 1 seed as long as his game and a knee surgically-repaired after last football season holds up.
Giles has an infusion of young talent. Heading the list of prospects are the Bowling brothers, including sophomore Russell at No. 1. Alas, Russell's brother Evan is too young (he's an eighth-grader) to help the varsity this year, but he's practicing with the team.
Nary a senior is in a lineup that features 6-foot-4 junior Ryan Heck at No. 2, and fellow juniors Jonathan St. Leger at No. 3, and L.J. Goad at No. 4. The bottom of the lineup has been rounded out by some combination of Stuart Davis, Jeremy Bradley and B.J. Williams, sophomores all.
First-year coach Greg Brown is trying tennis for the first time after having worked with football, baseball and basketball. He and his team should grow together.
Another first year coach, Donna Perry of Auburn, is no rookie. She already has 10 years experience coaching both boys and girls at Coeburn.
She'll need all her skills to figure out ways to avoid problems caused by having just six players on the team. The Eagles have already had to concede some matches in team competition because players were absent.
With everybody present and accounted for, 1 through 6 goes Scott Blevins, Jon Reed, Jason Gill, Kris Norman, Jack Angert and Derek Bobbitt. Reed and Gill, Blevins and Norman, and Angert and Bobbitt are the doubles partnerships.
At Narrows, expectations are high because of a team top-heavy with three seniors and three juniors.
The anchors are three-year top seed Jay Webb and No. 2 Jason Spangler, who also form the first doubles team. The rest of the team that consists of Jimmy Cornwall, Cliff Lester, Brian Garrett, and Satul Patel is going to have to pull together if the Green Wave is to challenge for the Mountain Empire District title.
Narrows so far is off to a slow start, but the potential is there for good second half of the season, which would be a nice way to send off coach Steve Bienstock, who departs after this year.
by CNB