Eric Toth enters his third season as the head coach of the Xavier University Men's and Women's tennis teams, coming off highly successful seasons once again in leading both programs. On the heels of seasons which saw the men return to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year and the women post 17 wins, the 2009-10 editions look potentially strong. After tallying a 17-8 record and earning its second straight Atlantic 10 title and return trip to the NCAA tournament, the men's team returns four singles and doubles starters from last year's squad. Second team All-Conference selections, co-captain Chris Herrlinger and Bobby Deye, as well as co-captain J.T. Torbeck and Brian Starr return for Toth, who earned A-10 Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive year in 2009. The women's team returns four singles and three doubles starters, including co-captains Jill Ducro and Kaitlyn Zinn, from a team that went a respectable 17-9 in 2009 and finished fourth in last season's Atlantic 10 tournament. Toth is quite confident that both teams can experience similar succuess equal to what last year's squads accomplished. "The make-up of each team will have a somewhat different look than to what we have had the last couple of years," Toth said. "With that being said, I believe that both teams will have successful seasons and be in position to compete for Atlantic 10 titles in April. "Having the success we want to have will be a great challenge for both teams. There are several teams within the A-10 that will be working hard to achieve the very same success." Toth attended the University of Cincinnati and was a two-year co-captain on the men's tennis team there as well as the team MVP for the 1991 and `92 seasons. He excelled on the doubles court, earning ITA Region IV final rankings of sixth in 1993 and 12th in 1992. Toth ranks in the top ten in all-time victories at UC. Upon exhausting his eligibility, Toth served as the team's volunteer assistant coach during the 1994 season while completing his degree in secondary education. Toth was a top-ranked junior in the greater Cincinnati area and played his high school tennis at Elder High School. He was a four-year varsity starter at Elder and was a runner-up in the 1988 3A State Doubles Tournament. Outside of his work with the Musketeer tennis programs, Toth remains visible throughout the tennis community as a teaching professional and volunteer. Toth has served on the Midwest Region IV coaches committee for the 2008 and 2009 seasons and will fill that same role for a third season in the newly formed Ohio Valley Region 12. He serves as the Director of Tennis at the Ridge Club and is a staff professional at Eastern Hills Indoor Tennis Club. Additionally, Toth assumes many volunteer responsibilities throughout the area and currently serves as board member for the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Association. He is also a member of the USPTA, the largest organization of tennis teaching professionals. |
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