Men's Tennis Hosts Fall Invitational

While the focus of the tennis world is shifting away from New York after the end of the U.S. Open, the focus of the Cornell tennis community will shift right here at home this weekend. Ithaca’s own Reis Tennis Center will play host to the Cornell Fall Outdoor Invitational today through Sunday.
The tournament will feature six schools in addition to Cornell, including Amherst, Lehigh and Middlebury.
With the vast majority of its roster — 13 of the 15 players — returning for the 2008-09 season , the Red also has a new coach in David Geatz. Geatz, who previously coached for the University of Minnesota since 1988, takes over a team led by seniors Kyle Doppelt (who played in the top singles slot) and Joshua Goldstein (Ivy League honorable mention in singles and doubles). Looking to build on breakout years will be sophomore Jeremy Feldman, named Ivy League Rookie of the Year, and junior Jonathan Fife.[img_assist|nid=31645|title=Pelt-ing the opposition|desc=Senior Kyle Doppelt returns as the Red’s top singles player, leading the men into their Fall Outdoor Invitational.|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0]
In contrast to the seasoned experience on the men’s side, the women’s tennis team fields a far younger team, with nearly half the roster just arriving on East Hill a few weeks ago. Additionally, the men’s coach from last year, Barry Schoonmaker, is stepping in as the interim coach for the women’s team. While the team is relatively untested, the transition to Schoonmaker shouldn’t be as extreme as a completely unfamiliar coach. Veterans such as Ruxandra Dumitrescu, Tamara John and Melissa Orteza return to try and build on solid campaigns.