January 17, 2024
Season Preview: Ready to Ace the '24 GSAC Season
By Francisco Claudio
There is no doubt about the level of talent, work ethic, and competitiveness of both Westcliff tennis programs.
The results speak for themselves as both programs swept past their conference opponents to lift the GSAC titles last spring and then went on to win three of the four titles at the ITA West Regionals.
Most recently the ITA released their NAIA Team Rankings and the men moved up to No. 6, while the women improved to No. 12, in the nation.
At the top are Head Coach Ross Duncan and Assistant Coach Michael Longanecker who have developed a winning culture and their approach toward each individual has helped bring out the best in them, at the most important moments.
Well, this upcoming season promises to be another positive one with many of last year's members returning and with the addition of new strong players.
"The team dynamic is very strong," Longanecker said. "They are all great teammates with each other and friends off the court and outside of the classroom. It's like a family here. "These players have also been working hard over the break and competing back home. They are hungry and ready to take on another great season.
"We have some new players that have recently joined our squad. Some are Division I transfers with a lot of college experience, and some are first-time transfers who have not played a college match yet. We are looking forward to seeing what kind of impact they can have on our lineup. I expect some added depth in the roster and variety in matchups."
The men are led by their veteran and experienced captains, Max Mueller and Felix Veyhle who are part of the original recruits for the first Warriors tennis team.
The women have Anna Ruiz Masip and Elena Gunfaus as their captains who were selected because of their past experience. Both are four-year veterans and have come to Westcliff as grad students.
"Both teams have incredibly talented rosters," Longanecker said. "Even though the men's roster has seen its top player from last year transfer to New Mexico, we have also gained three other DI players in his place for this season.
"It's hard to say where they will play in the lineup, but the depth that the men's team has is great. Similarly, the women's team gained a number of highly talented players. The women had their All-Conference players return this year, just as the men did, so their level is really quite high. I think the rankings speak for themselves."
The men's team will have their first match on Thursday, January 18th, when they visit UC Irvine. On the 20th the Warriors will visit Biola University as they prepare for what's to come in February.
"For the men's team, we are looking forward to ITA Indoor Nationals in Kansas in just a few short weeks," Longanecker said. "Feb 2-4 will see some exciting play among the top 8 teams in the country."
The Warriors made it to this tournament after their success last season, their play at nationals, and in the ITA.
A couple of the men improved their ITA Collegiate tennis rankings and could move up even higher with some positive results.
In singles Veyhle is ranked No. 15, Angel Guerrero No. 17, and Mueller No. 24.
Even more impressive, the doubles pair of Mueller and Veyhle are the No. 10 ranked team in the ITA.
But don't worry the women shine just as bright.
The ladies will have their first match on Saturday, January 27th, when they visit CSU Fullerton.
"For the women, we are looking forward to a rematch with Xavier University who we lost to in the second round of Nationals in May of 2023," Longanecker said. "This time we will visit them for a trip to New Orleans and hope to get them on their own home courts."
Almost all of the returners for the women received a ranking in the most recent ITA announcement.
In singles, Ruiz Masip is No. 13, Gunfaus is No. 31, Emilse Ruiz is No. 34, Kanon Sorakubo is No. 35, and Alessia Radu is No. 41.
And even more impressive the doubles pair of Gunfaus and Ruiz Masip are No. 8 in the ITA.
It is evident that the level of tennis this year will be just as high, if not higher than last year. These are championship-level programs that are ready to score and ace in the upcoming season.
"We expect to take home another GSAC conference title this season," Longanecker said. "We have the best men's and women's rosters in the conference. We know this puts a target on our back, but we are prepared for it."
Men's Team:
Ali Erkan Bebek - Karlsruhe, Germany
Victor Severo Castro - Novo Hamburgo, Brazil
Victor Chaix - Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
Borna Devald - Zagreb, Croatia
Adrien Gagniere - Bourg les Valence, France
Karlo Krolo - Split, Croatia
Maxence Kupfert - Nice, France
Angel Guerrero Melgar - Marbella, Spain
Max Mueller - Ludwigsburg, Germany
Dominik Petrisic - Füssen, Germany
Matthew Shaw - Baton Rouge, LA
Felix Veyhle - Ludwigsburg, Germany,
Daisuke Yanase - Fukuoka, Japan
Women's Team:
Elena Gunfaus Sola - Terrassa, Spain
Justina Haver Chang - Tulsa, OK
Anna Ruiz Masip - Terrassa, Spain
Hana Moss - Los Angeles, CA
Alessia Radu - Mijas, Spain
Emilse Ruiz - Bella Vista, Argentina
Kanon Sorakubo - Minamisatuma, Japan
Shayee Sherif - Huntington Beach, CA
Loïs Tsui - Amsterdam, Netherlands