2002-03 Season Review

May 27, 2003

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Wake Forest capped off a another great season that featured 14 wins, a fourth place finish in the ACC and a top 30 ranking with a third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, where the Demon Deacons advanced to the second round. Seventh year head coach Jeff Zinn directed Wake Forest past No. 46 Brown in the first round for the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament win in four tries (all in the Zinn era).

With upset wins over 10th-ranked Minnesota (Feb. 15 in Richmond) and No. 14 Georgia Tech (Mar. 30 in Atlanta), Wake Forest was led by four seniors (David Bere, Trent Brendon, Brian Murphy and Mike Murray) who have rewritten the Demon Deacon record books in their four years. Struggling through injuries to their two juniors (Andrew Simpson - broken foot and David Loewenthal - high ankle sprain), Wake got help from sophomore Derrick Spice and freshman Brett Ross.

David Loewenthal qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship for the second year in a row

David Loewenthal, nationally ranked in singles and doubles all season, finished the season ranked 59th in singles and 51st in doubles (with Trent Brendon). Loewenthal qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship for the second straight year. He lost in the first round, but did not go quietly, taking eighth-ranked and eighth-seeded David Martin from Stanford three sets before falling.

The Demon Deacons finished fourth in the ACC with a 5-3 conference record. It marks first time in 26 years that Wake Forest has put together three consecutive top four finishes in the league. Earning the four seed at the ACC Championships in Raleigh, N.C., the Deacs blanked No. 37 Virginia 4-0 in the quarterfinals and fell 4-0 to top-seeded, ninth-ranked and eventual ACC Champions Duke in the semifinals.

David Bere led the team with 35 singles wins on the year and is now the all-time winningest singles player in school history

David Bere and David Loewenthal were named all-conference for the second year in a row. Ber? was an automatic selection after winning the No. 3 singles flight with a 5-0 record against league foes and Loewenthal, who went 3-4 at No. 1 singles in conference play and 4-3 at No. 1 doubles, was picked by the ACC coaches.

Bere, a senior from Midland, Mich., shattered the 15-year-old school record for career singles victories early in the season. He is the all-time winningest singles player in school history with 106 career wins. Bere led the team with 35 this year, just one shy of tying the school's single-season record of 36 set last year by Derrick Spice and also led the squad with 15 dual match singles wins.

Trent Brendon is the all-time winningest doubles player in Wake Forest men's tennis history

Trent Brendon, a senior from Victorville, Calif., broke the school record for career doubles victories against South Carolina on April 9. He is the all-time winningest doubles player in school history with 92 career doubles wins and is second on the school's career singles victories list with 99 career singles wins. Brendon and Loewenthal led the team with 25 doubles victories each this season. Leading the squad with a 7-1 ACC singles record, Brendon was second on the team with 14 dual singles victories.

Mike Murray leaves Wake Forest holding the No. 3 spots on both the career singles and career doubles wins lists

Mike Murray, a senior from Clearwater, Fla., picked up 28 singles wins on the year and 22 doubles victories. He went 6-2 in ACC singles play, including a 4-0 mark at No. 5. Murray is ranked third on both the school's career singles and doubles victories lists.

Brett Ross won 30 singles matches to go with 21 doubles wins in his first year

Brett Ross, a freshman from Roswell, Ga., made an immediate impact for the Deacons in his first year. Tallying 30 singles victories on the season and 21 doubles wins, Ross led the team with a 6-2 ACC doubles mark.

Derrick Spice won 12 dual singles matches, playing mostly at No. 2 for the Deacs

Despite a slow start in the fall, sophomore Derrick Spice put together 19 wins in both singles and doubles the year after capturing ACC Rookie of the Year honors.

Brian Murphy clinched the Deacons' 4-3 upset over #14 Georgia Tech with straight set singles win

Andrew Simpson and Brian Murphy both played integral parts in the Demon Deacons' success in 2003. Murphy, a senior from Thomasville, N.C., stepped up to fill in at No. 6 singles March 30 at Georgia Tech when Wake Forest's top player David Loewenthal was out with a high ankle sprain. Murphy, who had only seen action in three dual matches during his four years at Wake Forest, sealed the upset 4-3 victory over the 14th-ranked Yellow Jackets with a straight set singles win.

Andrew Simpson battled back from early season injury to provide huge lift for doubles play

Simpson, a junior from Raleigh, N.C., started the spring playing No. 3 doubles before suffering a broken bone in his foot three matches into the season and forcing him to miss the next two months of action. He returned for the last week of the regular season and went 4-2 at No. 3 doubles with Loewenthal, including a 2-0 mark at the ACC Championships.

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