TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

This year, you have a 5-4 doubles record and a 3-3 singles record. Which game do you enjoy more, playing by yourself, or playing with a teammate?
I like playing doubles a little more because I can feed off my partner. It’s a lot of fun playing with somebody and there’s a lot more intensity because it’s a lot shorter match.

Head coach Russ Crispell has served as head men’s tennis coach for the past 13 years, but is stepping down at the end of this year. How much has he meant to the success of the team as it transitioned to the Mid-American Conference?
Coach Crispell has done a lot with the team, even in the four years I’ve been here. We’ve gone from the bottom of the league to making it to the semis of the MAC Tournament last year. He’s the reason the team is where it is today and even though he is retiring at the end of this year, he is a big part of where the team is going to go.

This season, you have two assistants, Nick Zieziula and Onke Murdono, who both played under Coach Crispell. How have they been able to help the team this year?
Nick and Onke are a huge part of the team. They’ve played in the MAC. Nick is only one year out of playing and Onke is only six years out. They just know what it’s like to be in competition. You can relate to them. With Nick being close to our age, he can relate to some of the things we’re going through. They’re a huge part of what we’ve been able to accomplish so far this year and what we’re going to accomplish at the end of the year.

You are one of three New Yorkers and only four Americans on the team. Serving as a captain, how do you make sure that the international student-athletes on the team do feel at home at UB?
It definitely is a little different being one of only four Americans, but we all kind of stick together. We make sure that if they have any questions, they can come to us or any of our support staff. Over winter breaks or holidays, sometimes they can’t go home, so a lot of times they come to our homes for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We just invite them to go wherever just so they aren’t stuck on campus. We help them out whenever we can.

You walked onto the tennis team as a freshman after playing tennis at Queesnbury High School. What made you decide to make the commitment to collegiate tennis?
I played sports pretty much my whole life. I wanted to play a sport in college. I didn’t know if I wanted to play tennis or football, but I decided to play tennis. Pretty much, just listening to my parents and Coach Crispell, and at the time Nick (Zieziula) was a sophomore, they all helped me out with the transition and gave me the confidence to stay.

In high school, you were a star football player, earning Section II All-Star honors and serving as the team’s captain. What are some things you learned on the gridiron that have transferred over to tennis?
Just hard work. My coaches for both football and tennis always told me that good things happen when you work hard. I’ve kind of transferred everything, from working in the offseason for football segued right into tennis. It also helped me a lot with dealing with teammates. Tennis is more of an individual sport. In football, you rely on a lot of people. That helped me deal with looking over a big group of guys.

As a former high school football player, you’ve probably kept your eye on the UB football team. What do you think about the hiring of Turner Gill as head coach?
I’ve only met him a couple times, but he seems like a great guy. He’s real personable. If you say hi to him, he’ll come right up to you and ask who you are and what sport you play. He seems like a great guy. We’ll see what happens in the future.

Last year, you earned the school’s Chrissy Dickerson Unsung Hero Award at the Athletic Banquet. What did it mean to you to know that your teammates and the whole athletic family at UB appreciated your efforts that much?
It meant a lot. There are a lot of other athletes at UB that deserve that award, also. The fact that I was selected meant a lot to me, my teammates and my coaches. I thank them and my parents. They’re a big reason that I work as hard as I do.

You list Rocky IV as your favorite movie. What do you think about the plans for Sylvester Stallone to reprise his role as Rocky for a movie in 2007?
I don’t know. I think he should give me a call and maybe give me a role in one of his movies. Maybe Rocky VI, I could be in it.

What has been your favorite moment as a UB athlete?
Probably just watching our team grow in the MAC in the last four years. Last year, having such a great year, our senior captains, Nick (Zieziula), Josh (Liederman) and Randy (Rocchio), really led the team. Although we didn’t win the MAC, we finished better than we ever have. They kind of gave us a building block to start with. We’ll see where it goes this year.

“The 10 Questions With…” feature is compiled by Joe Guistina.