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Men's Tennis

May 17, 2010
Cyclones end season at nationals

For their sixth consecutive season the Cyclone men's tennis team competed at the NJCAA Division I tournament May 9-14, this time finishing in 24th place.

"Finishing 24th doesn’t tell the whole story because there are at least a hundred schools that competed to qualify for nationals," said coach Bill Finn. "We played at least as well as we have all year, won some games and looked decent.”

The entire team was at the competition, held in Plano, Texas, but six athletes played. Running the courts in humid 80-degree weather, top players and Reavis grads Terrence Gamboa and Marco Reynoso played well enough to contend in the consolation semi-finals, earning points for the team. Cyclone tennis players were in awe of the talent in Texas, and gained solid experience for next year, Finn said.

Looking ahead, Finn expects Gamboa to return along with Alex Zavala (Oak Lawn), Pete Danos (Richards) and Tony Mendez (Eisenhower). Finn has again recruited top players from area high schools and predicts a good team, possibly better than this year.

April 26, 2010
Team effort propels Cyclones to national tourney

Call them a dynasty because the men’s tennis team is off to the NJCAA tournament for their sixth consecutive year after placing second in the NJCAA Region IV state tournament the weekend of April 23-24.

There was a team effort, including some breakout matches that earned key points for the Cyclones, who finished one point ahead of Oakton Community College. Marco Reynoso (Reavis) was third singles champion, and also ended his season with a nod to the All-Region IV first team and All-Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference first team. Sophomore Justin Marquardt (Reavis) was named to the All-Conference second team. The unsung hero for the Cyclones was Antonio Mendez (Eisenhower) who stepped up his game and earned points in his singles and doubles matches.

"Everyone brought their A-game in the tournament. No other team could say that every guy on their team won at least one match for a point. That was huge for us," said coach Bill Finn.

The regular season had some ups and downs for the Cyclones, who finished 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the conference. There are high standards for this team—four consecutive regional titles and two runner-up spots the past two years. According to Finn, the competition is getting stronger.

"When the regular season ended, we were playing at least fourth best in the region. I knew we had good athletes on the team, but we struggled mid-season. We changed the lineup a little bit and ended how we anticipated,” Finn said. “It was a good season, and we’re excited to go to nationals. It’ll be tough in nationals, but a great experience for these guys to represent our region. They’ll be competing against the best junior college tennis players in the country."

The whole team heads to Plano, Texas for the NJCAA tournament May 9-14.

April 19, 2010
Cyclones outplay Scots

The Cyclones faced one of their toughest competitors this season, narrowly outplaying McHenry County College 5-4 on April 16.

This year’s conference is very competitive and the Cyclones needed this win to stay close to the top teams. The number five player Alex Zavala (Oak Lawn) and number six player Tony Mendez (Eisenhower) each had big wins in their singles matches. They also won together at doubles.

April 14, 2010
Cyclones fall short against Raiders

Only two players could grab wins for the Cyclones in their 7-2 loss to Oakton April 13.

Reavis grads Justin Marquardt and Marco Reynoso were the sole winners in their singles matches. “We faced a very good team, but not a great team,” said coach Bill Finn. “As a team we did not compete to win this match. We were very flat and timid and made a ton of unforced errors. We led at each position at one point or another, but just didn’t have the heart to finish off matches and win them.”

March 24, 2010
Cyclones outplay the Pioneers

In their first match up this season, the Cyclones overpowered Prairie State College 7-2 on March 23. Terrence Gamboa (Reavis), Peter Danos (Richards) and Alex Zavala (Oak Lawn) each had strong singles wins. Danos and Marco Reynoso (Reavis) had an exceptional win in their doubles match.

March 22, 2010
Nothing but aces for the 2010 men’s tennis team

With three of the top tennis players from area high schools, some experienced recruits and an All-Region returning player, the 2010 team is looking to top its competition again this season.

In 2009 the consistently talented Cyclones finished in second place in the Region IV tournament earning a berth to the NJCAA national championship where they have competed the last few years. This year they expect nothing less.

"We have an unbelievable group, and I think we’ll be the top team again. We should be fighting for first place in the conference,” said coach Bill Finn. “Last year was the only year we didn’t win the Region IV title, but looking at the team the first week of practice, I know we’ll be good."

Sophomore and team captain Justin Marquardt (Reavis) is the lone returner, bringing with him the skills from an undefeated record in the region last year and nod to the 2009 All-Region second team. He looks to be solid as the number two player, Finn said. Two additional top players on the team are also the oldest at 25. Both Terrence Gamboa and Marco Reynoso, both from Reavis, are expected to bring their maturity and skills to the court. Gamboa should be the team’s number one player while Reynoso is third. Freshmen Peter Danos (Richards), Antonio Mendez (Eisenhower) and Alex Zavala (Oak Lawn) were each the top player at their high schools and are all now Cyclones. Rounding out the bunch are Eisenhower grads Ahmed Noamany, Elias Rangel and Ricardo Rodriguez.

"The team looks pretty good. Who knows what the other schools are doing, but I’m very optimistic about our season," Finn said.