Jan. 13, 2005

WACO, Texas - The 2004 NCAA Championship Baylor men's tennis team begins the spring portion of its 2004-05 season this weekend as the Bears travel to the Sherwood Classic in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Baylor enters its first-spring tournament ranked No. 1 by the International Tennis Association and hopes to start 2005 with a strong showing. Seniors Benjamin Becker and Benedikt Dorsch return to the squad after sitting out during fall play. Becker is the reigning 2004 NCAA Singles Champion and Dorsch finished the season with the No. 1 singles ranking by ITA.

As for newcomers, freshman Lars Poerschke went 13-4 during the fall earning the No. 1 ranking in the central region and ranks 11th nationally in singles play. Sophomore Matija Zgaga was also impressive during the fall receiving regional and national honors. Zgaga ranks 6th in the region and is No. 45 in the ITA national rankings.

Poershcke and Zgaga played doubles together during the fall gaining early recognition for their outstanding performances. The duo won the ITA Central Regional tournament in Austin and advanced to the quarterfinals at the ITA Indoor Championship before facing defeat. The pair went 6-1 overall and is currently the 7th-ranked doubles team in the country.

Action starts Friday for the Bears and results will be posted on the Baylor web site after all the matches of the day have been completed.