Amara Aguilar
They call him "Big Jon." His doubles partner is "Morty."
Both will play in integral role on the UC Irvine men's tennis team
this season.
UCI sophomore Jon Endrikat and freshman Brian Morton were ranked 27th
nationally in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's fall rankings for
doubles.
"Our games actually really complement each other," Morton said. "Jon
is really consistent, has solid returns and keeps the ball low. I like to
step up and put the ball away. Our games really work well together."
In singles, Endrikat is ranked No. 74 nationally by the ITA. At
6-foot-4, 160 pounds, it might not seem like he can do much damage on the
court, but that would be a misconception.
"He is a very good athlete for kind of a tall, lanky guy, but he's an
extremely tough competitor," UCI Coach Steve Clark said. "That's usually
the first thing people say is that they are amazed at how well he
competes."
Endrikat will play No. 2 singles, behind junior transfer Carl Lumsden.
Before coming to UCI, Lumsden attended Georgia State.
"He is a top 10 player from Sweden," Clark said. "He's mainly a
baseliner, but he has a tremendous game and is very competitive."
Playing No. 3 singles will be junior Sean O'Connor, a transfer from
Baylor University.
"He's been an immediate infusion of intensity," Clark said. "He's very
fit, very intense, very focused, just a great guy."
Rounding out the singles players are No. 4 Dontia Haynes, No. 5 Greg
Biorkman and at No. 6 will be Morton.
Haynes has a sprained ankle so is questionable for the Anteaters'
first match.
"We are not sure if he'll be able to play," Clark said. "That would be
a big loss for us. He's in the middle of our lineup and has an all-court
game, serve and volley, and is very aggressive."
In addition to Haynes, Morton will be the only other freshman playing
singles when the season starts. Although Morton is recognized most for
his dominance as a doubles player, Clark said he believes Morton will
also be a solid singles player.
"He was arguably one of the best, if not the best doubles player in
the country as a junior," Clark said. "I also believe that he can be a
very prominent singles player in the college ranks. He just needs to work
on patience and a few things like that because probably shot for shot
he's one of the most talented guys you'll see. He's got everything."
Also on UCI's roster are junior Renouk Wijemanne, who played in the
Davis Cup for Sri Lanka, and sophomore Wkwesi Williams from Texas.
