With 15 seniors lost to graduation in 2007, youth will be served on the courts for the Riverside Brookfield tennis team this spring. In fact, the Bulldogs might as well be called “Young Guns” considering they are clearly shooting for the Metro Suburban Conference title armed with two sophomores, a freshman and two juniors manning the top three singles spots and No. 1 doubles team, respectively.
“We lost 15 seniors, but we have several good returning players at key positions,” said fourth-year RB head coach Brennan Denny. “Our first goal is to win the Metro Suburban [Conference], and then hopefully, get a singles player or a doubles team in the sectional.”
RB, which went 11-9 last year, hopes to overtake conference defending champion Fenton. After splitting their two dual matches during last year’s regular season, the Bison nipped the Bulldogs by a single point to capture the conference tournament title.
This spring, sophomore Charles Suhajda takes over the No. 1 singles spot for RB. An extremely athletic player with a great feel for the game, Suhajda battled highly regarded Pat Clark of Glenbard South before ultimately losing in his opening match this season.
The Raiders knocked off RB 6-0 in the non-conference meeting.
“Glenbard South has as deep a team as I’ve ever seen [at Glenbard South],” Denny said. “Charlie hung in there well against Pat Clark. It’s just a matter of learning how to close the deal.”
Two brothers, sophomore Alex Wilson and freshman Brad Wilson, will hold down the No. 2 and No. 3 singles positions.
“Alex is a talented kid who played a majority of his matches at the varsity level last season,” Denny said. “Brad is a consistent hitter who can bang a lot of balls, but he needs to develop that kill shot.”
Kevin Piersialla and Jason Piersialla, another talented tandem of tennis brothers, are slotted as the Bulldogs’ No. 1 doubles combination. Last year, Kevin Piersialla played doubles with Matt Patton, while Jason Piersialla teamed up with Ales Lanzhotsky at second doubles for RB.
“Kevin and Jason played doubles together as freshmen,” noted Denny. “Because they’re brothers, they have a natural chemistry.”
While the Bulldogs have an impressive array of young talent, seniors Jeff Kutschke, Danny Gonzalez and Rob Sedivy provide much-needed experience and versatility. Kutschke and Gonzalez are penciled in as the second doubles team for Denny. Sedivy will join Justin Gurga at No. 3 doubles.
“We can hang in there with people,” Denny said. “The goal is turning the corner and being able to upset some teams that come in with some advantages. Hopefully, we can get a couple of confidence builders with matches and grow as a team during the season.”