Men’s Tennis Is A Falcon Team on the Rise
The FLC men's tennis team may be barely recognizable in 2016, as they will look to improve on their 2015 record of 3-8. The lone returnee is Kevin Conley, last year's #2 singles player who will likely land in the #6 or #7 spot in 2016. Also returning from the 2014 team and hoping to crack the top six is Bill Bagnas. Head coach Patrick Rutz is particularly excited about his #1 player, Sean Alves (Casa Roble HS), who is currently ranked #4 in Northern California. Alves initially went to St. Mary's College (NCAA Div I) on an athletic scholarship, but decided that wasn't for him and landed at FLC. Prajna Ta, a freshman from Folsom HS, will likely pair with Alves on the #1 doubles team. Max Hennessy (Del Oro HS, Loomis) is another one of coach Rutz' three recruits who played #1 at their respective high schools. Hennessy will play in the 3rd or 4th singles spot and on the #2 doubles team. As for leadership, Rutz has named Conley and freshman Cisco Garcia as his team captains and looks for them to provide leadership, accountability, and focus.
The men will open with four home matches (again, weather permitting) starting with Cabrillo on Friday before heading to Modesto on President's Weekend for a tournament. American River once again appears to be the favorite to win the Big 8 championship, but the Falcons look ready to make an impact. As with the women, a top 3 finish in conference will put the team in the Norther California playoffs for the first time in school history.