APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University men’s tennis coach Steve Francour knows his Vikings will be better this spring, but he isn’t sure is his team will take a small step or a great leap forward.
“After the fall preparations and what I see now, the confidence level and the understandings of their game is much better,” said Francour, who is starting his second season with the Lawrence men’s team. “We have a couple of new guys that are going to make a difference for us as well. It’s all good so far.”
The Vikings open the season Friday night at Fox Cities Racquet Club when they host UW-La Crosse. Lawrence finished with a 4-13 record a season ago as Francour took the reins of the program after coaching for more than two decades at UW-Oshkosh. With only one player lost to graduation from last season, the Vikings return a young (no seniors) but experienced team.
“I like the returning players that we have,” Francour said. “For a lot of them last year was their first go-round playing competitive matches. They had been on the team, but they didn’t play a lot of matches.”
Leading the returning players is Appleton native David Jumes, who posted the best singles record on the team at 14-7. The sophomore reached the semifinals of the Midwest Conference Championships at No. 2 and will move up to No. 1 this season.
“David had an outstanding year last year,” Francour said. “I can just tell that he gets stuff a little bit more this year. He knows what he need to.”
Francour added that Jumes has a quality all-court game. He can hit with players from the baseline or he can attack the net.
“He is good playing defensively. He’s good playing offense, and he can transition between the two. He’s just an instinctual player,” Francour said. “Some kids have to think their way through some things. David doesn’t. He just plays. It’s impressive what he does.”
The Vikings also return starters Brian DeCorte, Mitch Kasprzyk, Adam Busch and Ethan Perushek from a season ago. The Vikings also will get hockey standout Blake Roubos back after his season is complete next month. DeCorte was the starter at No. 1 last year but will likely play No. 3 this season. Kasprzyk, Busch and Perushek were all starters in the final three singles positions last season, and Roubos was a regular in doubles.
Lawrence also has four freshmen players, led by Japanese student Sotaro Kurahashi. Kurahashi is a student at Waseda University and is attending Lawrence for one year. Francour already has Kurahashi penciled in as the starter at No. 2 singles.
Fellow rookie player Ben Tomhave is Kurahashi’s roommate, and that bond has made Kurahashi’s transition to the team much easier.
“They have a super great connection,” Francour said of Kurahashi and Tomhave. “If there’s anything that is said that Sotaro doesn’t get, he goes to Ben. Ben knows how to say it where Sotaro understands. Having Ben as the roommate and interpreter has been great.”
Kurahashi, who will team with Jumes at No. 1 doubles, is the third Waseda student to play tennis for the Vikings, joining Yasushi Kobayashi in 2010 and Shota Nakada in 2012. Joining Kurahashi and Tomhave as rookies are Izaya Turenne and Bill Schuman.
This season is the first campaign without divisional play in the Midwest Conference. For many years, the teams had been split into North and South divisions with the top two teams in each division playing for the league championship. Lawrence will now play the other nine teams in the league and the top four will make the team tournament. Singles and doubles championships will be contested as in the past.
Grinnell, Carroll, Lake Forest and Monmouth look to be the favorites this year, but Francour hopes the Vikings can battle for one of those coveted four spots.
“We will be improved, but I don’t know if we will be improved enough to get in the top four,” Francour said. “We will see, but we will be much better than we were last year.”