Sept. 24, 2008

WACO, Texas - Baylor men's tennis held it first annual Alumni Match on Saturday at the Baylor Tennis Center on the Turner Athletic Complex. An impressive number of alumni attended the event.

"What a blast. Seeing so many former greats competing on our courts together was special for all of us. We are already making plans for next year," said Baylor head coach Matt Knoll.

Prior to the beginning of the competition, all participants gathered in a circle. Coach Knoll had everyone introduce himself and tell his most memorable moment while at Baylor. In addition, the alumni updated everyone on where they currently lived and what profession they had chosen to pursue.

The festivities began with doubles and good-natured bantering was abundant. Current Bears Attila Bucko and Jordan Rux were paired against Benedikt Dorsch and Matija Zgaga. On court two, the alumni tandem of Reiner Neurohr and Johan Jooste toiled against Denes Lukacs and Marc Bruche. Court three saw Dominik Mueller and Julian Bley taking on Csongor Bibza and Jon Reckewey.

In singles, Lukacs and Dorsch squared off against each other while Mueller and Zgaga played on court two. Rux took on Jooste on court three and Bucko faced off against Neurohr. At court five, Bley played against an alternating tandem of Vladimir Portnov and Jason Gould while Bruche squared off against Brandon Birmingham and Bibza.

Barry McLaren and Johannes Michalsky served as head and assistant coach of the alumni squad, respectively. In addition, Lars Poerschke was on hand but couldn't play due to injury.

Those alumni taking time out of their busy schedules to attend and play included:
Benedikt Dorsch - Professional tennis player, currently ranked No. 159 on ATP.
Matija Zgaga - Will graduate in December with a degree in computer science.
Reiner Neurohr - Financial analyst, Continental Airlines.
Johan Jooste - Software engineer for Oracle.
Csongor Bibza - Senior Account Manager with Vantage Companies.
Jon Recekwey - Head tennis professional at Lincoln (NE) Racket Club.
Vladimir Portnov - Finishing his bachelor's degree at Baylor, will graduate May 2009.
Jason Gould - Financial advisor, Spectrum Financial Group.
Brandon Birmingham - Lead prosecutor in Dallas County DA office.
Barry McLaren - Coach on the professional tour.
Johannes Michalsky - Due diligence officer for FirstCity Capital Corporation in Brazil.