The Billikens drew a No.10 seed and will take on the Richmond Spiders in the first round. The winner will advance to play Xavier in the quarterfinals. Head coach Jonathan Zych has had to make do with a young cast of players this season after losing key players from last year’s team, such as Jake Hendrie, P.J. Hendrie, James McArthur and Ken Nordheim. Together, the quartet combined for 42 of the Billikens’ singles wins and saw action in 25 doubles victories.
In order to survive, freshmen needed to step up and carry the team. They did, and the Billikens are still standing.
Freshman Patrick Kella, a St. Louis area native, led the team in wins and posted the best record in doubles play. Nishaad Balachandran, a fellow freshman, put up a solid win-loss record as well, with a 9-13 record. He also teamed up with junior Dave Welkener to lead the team in doubles victories. Joe Flanagan, a freshman from Australia, picked up eight singles victories as well.
It has not been all freshmen who have led the Billikens this season. Junior Dave Welkener, the most experienced player on the team, earned a solid seven victories to complement his winning doubles record. Bobby Kidera, a sophomore, performed well in limited action, posting a 4-4 singles record.
What is not reflected in the standings is the passion, commitment and energy that the players bring to the court every time they compete or practice.
“These guys are very excited to play every practice and every match. They have fun, but they have been giving it all and hanging in there this year,” head coach Zych said.
The Billikens will face some stiff competition on their home court this weekend. The 2010 A-10 Championship runner up George Washington, owner of the No. 1 seed in the tournament, has been favored all year and performed accordingly. Their resume includes a victory over nationally ranked St. John’s. George Washington and SLU would both need to advance to the championships to face off.
Before the Billikens can be thinking championship round, they need to get past No. 2 seed Xavier. The Musketeers and the Billikens met earlier this season, with Xavier pulling out a dominating win. The Musketeers shut out SLU, winning by a margin of 7-0.
Regardless of the outcome, the Billikens have put together a strong season given their youth, compiling a 6-9 record. The benefits and excitement of having an event such as the A-10 Championships here in St. Louis brings positive attention to the program.
“St. Louis is beautiful, so is Forest Park. We have a great school and great students. I love to show it off, show the A-10 how great St. Louis is,” Zych said.
