March 8 , 2005

Sports

MCC’s Jibron Almos goes for the ace as Matt Schnelle covers the net against Pima in men’s tennis.

Photo by Benjamin Buettner

Men’s tennis falls to Pima; ‘team’s season going great’

Dalton Walker
Mesa Legend

MCC Men’s Tennis lost 7-2 to Pima Community College Feb. 22 at home. The Thunderbirds have three wins and two losses on the season.
Currently the Thunderbirds are ranked twelfth in the nation in NJCAA Division I.
Coach Rebecca Opoien commented on her team’s season thus far. “The season is going great so far, but we want to start the second half better,” Opoien said.
MCC field’s seven players, but only Matt Schelle is returning from last year’s team, which finished twelfth in the national tournament. MCC has reached the national tournament each of the last four seasons.
Schelle, a 6-foot-4-inch sophomore hailing from Colorado, and according to Opoien, is a Division I prospect. “Brad’s a big server with great hands,” Opoien said. “He’s definitely a Division I player.”
Opoien has her eyes on a larger prize this season. Men’s Tennis has their eye on a fifth straight regional title. She is ready for the regional tournament and the possibility of playing in Plano, Texas, the host this year’s national tournament to finally do some damage.
“We have yet to make an impact at nationals,” Opoien said.