The Fresno State men̢۪s tennis team will kick off the second part of their season in 2008 at home against Cal Poly.

Fourth-year head coach Jay Udwadia has served up yet another challenging schedule, much like the one from a year ago where the Bulldogs faced 11 top 35 teams.

“I believe the multiple ranked opponents I scheduled say a lot about what I think about the players on our team,â€Â Udwadia said. “It is going to be a tough season, but I have high expectations and scheduled these games to not only play, but win.â€Â

The Bulldogs will face this grueling schedule with a young but deep team, Udwadia said.

This year̢۪s squad features three freshmen, four sophomores, two juniors and no seniors.

The nine players will be competing for six singles positions and three doubles teams.

“The biggest strength of the team is clearly the depth in which we’re solid at every position and leave no holes in the lineup,â€Â sophomore singles player Taylor Leiby said.

The Bulldogs have 14 home matches remaining this season and hope to have support from the fans, Udwadia said.

The importance of having fans and especially students out at the matches is not overlooked either.

“Home court advantage is important in all sports and the support from the fans definitely gives our young team a boost when playing,â€Â sophomore singles player Mirko Zapletal said. “We feed off the energy.â€Â

The Bulldogs played in October and November and are coming off a strong start to the season.

The preseason rankings have the Bulldogs ranked 69th in the nation, while standout junior Rudolf Siwy earned a national ranking of 92 in the country.

“We expect Rudy only to get better along with our other five returning players,â€Â Udwadia said. “However, there are a few freshmen that will make an immediate impact as well.â€Â

Freshman Martin Nilsson just joined the team and will fit right in, Udwadia said.

Nilsson, a native of Eslov, Sweden, was the runner up in the under-18 Swedish Nationals.

Along with Nilsson, a few other freshmen to keep an eye out for are Denny Fafek and Siddharth Alapati.

Both Fafek and Alapati finished the fall strong and have bright futures on the team, Udwadia said.

“I don’t see a problem with a team that has freshmen and specifically underclassmen making a difference right away,â€Â Leiby said. “We will not be losing anyone at the end of the season and our depth truly offsets the age factor.â€Â

The optimistic group seemed to have a similar mindset for finishing the season with a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship and getting as deep into the NCAA tournament as possible.

“It’s not too much to ask for,â€Â Udwadia said of his goals for this year’s team. “These guys are talented, have background experience and this team may be young, but they’re ready to go.â€Â

After hosting Cal Poly, the Bulldogs will hit the road for a four-game road trip. They will return home in February for a six-game homestand.