The New York University men's tennis team experienced plenty of ups and downs during the 2009-10 season.  But, a strong finish in the spring has provided optimism that the team will enjoy more consistent success this season.

Entering his fifth season as head coach, Horace Choy expects steady improvement from his team in the upcoming campaign.

The Violets played without expected No. 1 singles player Patrick Whitner for most of the season.   Stepping into that void admirably was Jason Sacher, who earned the club's only three No. 1 singles victories of the year.  With the experience of playing the opposition's best under his belt, Sacher returns for his senior year intent on finishing his career with a flourish.

Other key returnees for NYU this fall will be seniors Matt Gross, Alex Stoler and Alex Zara.

“Our upperclassmen are going to lead us,” said Choy.  “Last year was a growing year for Matt.  He really matured as the season went on.  He teamed with Alex Stoler as a doubles team and they were probably our most consistent performers last year.  Those two are people that our newcomers can look to for their work ethic and competitiveness.”

Sophomores Alexander Topchishvili, Vikram Nayar and Vivek Nayar also return to the NYU lineup.

The Violets open the season on Sept. 11 against the Stevens Institute of Technology.