LORETTO, Pa. (Jan. 14, 2013) – The Saint Francis U men's and women's tennis teams, led by third-year head coach Paul Tobin, are getting ready to start their indoor spring seasons against Navy on Jan 19th in Annapolis.

Both squads saw success in fall competition picking up 66 match wins, collectively, in both singles and doubles. In two seasons, Tobin has managed to elevate both programs from the bottom of the conference and into the Northeast Conference's top five. For the first time in SFU tennis history, the men's program finished fifth while the women tennis program finished fourth in 2012.

Freshman Washi Gervais (Longueuil, Quebec/College Stanislas) stood out in the fall receiving NEC rookie of the month and leading the men's team in overall wins posting a .636 record and earning a Flight win at the U.S. Open College Invitational and a finalist at the UPENN Invitational.  On the women side, freshman Rafaela Panizza (Jundiai, Brazil/) had a strong start in the fall posting a .550 record winning her flight at the Bucknell Invitational. Both squads are still very young with nine sophomores and three freshmen in starting positions.

Tobin has put together a very competitive schedule for the spring with the teams' indoor season opener at Navy on Jan 19. The women play their only home match of the year against Pittsburgh on Jan. 20. At the end of the month, both squads head to Niagara and Saint Bonaventure. February is another busy month with road trips to Bucknell, Lehigh, Saint Peter's, Sacred Heart and Holy Cross.

The outdoor season starts in early March at Lafayette, Hartford and Rider. Northeast Conference matches start on March 15 at Mount St. Mary's, Robert Morris and St. Francis Brooklyn. April is another full month on the road facing NEC foes Fairleigh Dickinson, Monmouth, Quinnipiac and Wagner as well as non-conference opponents La Salle, Villanova and Sienna.

The 2013 NEC Championships are set for April 18-22.

Tobin has had some setbacks losing two freshman starters on the men's side as well as one senior starter on the women's side. Despite these challenges, he is optimistic about spring competition as long as everyone stays healthy. He is even more optimistic for what next season brings having already signed three top men and two top women last fall.

“I am very impressed with our players. We worked hard in the fall and the results were there,” said Tobin. “Our spring season will only be successful if our players understand that winning is directly related to the degree of commitment they are willing to make. They are all still growing as players and their experience will pay off.”