Romeoville, Ill. - There is a void in the Lewis University men's tennis team's line-up left by the graduation of Uno Lapimaa (Tallinn, Estonia/Audentese), but head men's tennis coach Brett Bridel is eager to see which one – or how many of his student-athletes – will rise to the occasion.
 
Lapimaa, the two-time GLVC Player of the Year, finished his career with 213 wins (113 singles; 100 doubles) in four seasons.  He played a key role in helping the Flyers to two NCAA regional appearances, highlighted by Lewis' 19-win campaign in 2011-12, which saw them advance to the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament and ranked as high as No. 29 in the country.
 
“It is going to be a strange feeling not having Uno lead our team into competition,” Bridel said. “He has been the best player in the GLVC and in the Midwest Region for the past three seasons
 
“We could always count on his win in every match.”
 
The 2013 Flyers are a young squad, as they feature five players with less than two years of collegiate experience.
 
Jesse Hardacre (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine's) (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine's), the lone senior on the squad, won 20 matches in both singles and doubles last season. In three years, Hardacre owns a career-record of 55-33 in singles play and 48-33 in doubles action.
 
“It was great to have Jesse playing at a high level again last year,” Bridel said. “We will need him to build off that experience and play his best tennis this season. 
 
“He is very motivated and has been performing at a high level in practices this semester.”
 
The Flyers' run to the NCAA Regional Tournament and runner-up finish in the GLVC Tournament was aided by the addition of sophomores Erik Aunapuu (Tallinn, Estonia/Audentese Spordigumnaasiumi) (Tallinn, Estonia/Audentese Spordigumnaasiumi) and Armand Levandi (Tallinn, Estonia/Audentese Spordigumnaasiumi) (Tallinn, Estonia/Audentese Spordigumnaasiumi) to the squad in the spring.
 
Aunapuu, who competed primarily at No. 2 singles, totaled a singles record of 22-2 and a combined mark of 20-4 on his way to GLVC Freshman of the Year honors. At No. 3 singles, Levandi was 20-4 overall, while owning a combined doubles record of 22-2.
 
“Both Armand and Erik produced immediately for us last season and they were crucial to our success,” Bridel said. “We will need both of them to step up and be leaders and continue to execute on the court.”
 
The lone returner remaining for the Flyers is sophomore John Richert (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike) (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike). Last season, Richert was 5-15 in singles play and a combined 14-13 in doubles action.
 
“John has made great strides in doubles (play) and (he) will need to play well for us to secure all the important doubles points,” Bridel said. “He is a tall guy, with a big serve and can cover a lot of the net.”
 
Bridel's newcomers include junior Philip Kuenzi (Manitowoc, Wis./Roncalli) (Manitowoc, Wis./Roncalli/Creighton) and Florian Etienne (Paris, France/Jean de la Fontaine) (Paris, France/Jean de la Fontaine/Shorter). Kuenzi is a transfer from Creighton, while Etienne comes to Romeoville via Shorter College.
 
“Both of these guys have really good hands and nice tennis strokes,” Bridel said of his transfers.
 
While Bridel would like to make a return to the NCAA Regional Tournament, he knows that a worthwhile collegiate experience is crucial for the development of his squad.
 
“A successful season for us will be measured by who we are becoming because of collegiate tennis,” Bridel said. “No matter how far we go as a team, if we use collegiate tennis to strengthen character, we will have a successful season.”
 
Lewis opens the 2013 spring campaign on Friday (Feb. 22), as the Flyers host Michigan Tech. First serve is set for 9 PM at Challenge Fitness in Lockport, Ill.