Also returning are juniors Cillie Swart, Dalibor Snyder and William Lee. Lee is the best of this pack, leading the team in victories, with 21, last year. He put up solid wins at the end of the year, mostly at No. 5 singles, winning all of his matches versus Ivy opponents. Swart and Snyder mainly played doubles last year, but most likely will see more singles play this year. Sophomores Oli Choo and Ki-teh Kim also return.
Coach David Fish '72 also solidifies the future of the team with six promising freshmen. They are a tested bunch, too, all having been ranked in the top 100 in the under-18 United States rankings.
Most of them ought to be ready for top-notch college tennis. Ryan Browne, who was ranked No. 39 while in high school, is a star out of the competitive California tennis scene. Mark Riddell, of Florida, is a product of the Nick Bollettieri Academy, the prestigious tennis academy that has produced the likes of Andre Agassi and Anna Kournikova.
Among the other newcomers, Cliff Nguyen was one of the most dominant singles players in Pennsylvania, and Chris Chiou excelled in the Midwest, playing for a Nebraska high school. Rounding out the class of 2004 are George Turner and Bo Wiegand.
While the possibilities for the future of this team are numerous, the Crimson will get down to business immediately today and tomorrow when it hosts the Harvard Fall Invitational. Players from nationally ranked teams like Alabama will take part, as well as lower-tier squads such as MIT. Since the Beren Tennis Center opened in April, this weekend marks the first time the facility will be utilized in the autumn chill.
"I like the courts," Styperek said. "They play very slow. Just like me."
Styperek's levity and joviality is a great boost for the rest of the team. During his teammate's matches, expect to hear his shrill voice yelling a "way to go" or "yeah, baby" after an exciting point.
And if the Harvard men's tennis team can properly integrate its old and new faces into a rejuvenated Ivy powerhouse, expect those yells to get louder and more frequent.