Sept. 24, 2008

Pocatello, ID -- The Idaho State tennis squads don't have their first competitions until January 2009, but they hit the courts to open practice this week with one thing in mind: improvement.

"We didn't do as well last year as we had hoped," said head coach Bobby Goeltz, who is beginning his 20th year with Idaho State. "We need to make changes and improvements in each player's game. You need to get better at what you do, but you also need to make changes and add some things to your game."

The top men's player in recent years, Marc Pijoan, will serve as Goeltz's graduate assistant coach this season. His graduation leaves a void at the top, and Goeltz expects Javier Royo and Danel Barrenechea, the No. 2 and 3 players last year, to step up and close that gap. Goeltz also expects significant contributions from junior college transfer Ross Dechant and incoming freshman Dan Buckingham.

On the women's side, the top three players from 2008, Lisel Lewis, Stephanie Roldan and Sophie Dang, all return to give the Bengals significant experience. Therese Karlsson, a junior college transfer from Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas, will add depth to the lineup, and Claudia Gonzales, a transfer from Alcorn State, must sit out a year due to NCAA transfer rules but will provide significant help in practice.

Goeltz, however, is less focused on individual performances, instead concerning himself with the overall efforts of the team.

"I want the team to compete better this year," Goeltz said. "A win at No. 1 is the same as a win at No. 6. We need everybody to improve and compete, and we'll see what happens."