COLLEGE DIVISION NOTEBOOK : Injuries Leave Chapman’s Tennis Team Reeling

From the beginning, Chapman College men’s tennis Coach Reddy Gustine knew the margin for success was slim this season. With only eight players to fill six starting spots, Gustine was depending on healthy bodies.

“Before the season, I said, ‘We have the talent--if everything falls into place--to make it to the nationals. But if we have one injury, we are in trouble,’ ” said Gustine, who is in his first season at Chapman. “And we’ve had more than one injury.

“I don’t think there’s been one time where we’ve had everybody healthy.”

Because of the injuries, the Panthers are reeling, going the entire month of March without a victory and losing their past seven matches. Chapman (3-9, 1-4 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn.) is ranked No. 10 in the latest NCAA Division II poll but is likely to fall out of the top 10 when the next rankings are announced.

Chapman’s legacy of success--the Panthers have qualified for every Division II national championship tournament since 1985--appears to be in danger.

Former Coach Terry Davis, who as a player helped Chapman to its first NCAA championship in 1985, resigned after the Panthers finished last among eight teams at the nationals last season. At the time, Davis said, he was concerned the program would falter because the college stopped offering tennis scholarships.

But Gustine, who coached Cal Baptist to a 27-0 record last year in his first season as a head coach, said that while recruiting is more difficult without scholarships, the team would have been competitive without the injuries.

The most crippling injury is the one to the elbow of junior Michael Zuercher, a returning All-American who was ranked No. 3 in the nation in singles in the preseason. Zuercher hasn’t played since losing to Jon Leach of USC in the quarterfinals of the Southern California Intercollegiate championships in early March.

In a match earlier in the tournament, Zuercher heard a pop in his elbow but continued playing because he wanted a chance to go against Leach, a freshman from Laguna Beach High School. It is unlikely that Zuercher will return this season, Gustine said.

The other injuries have been minor but persistent. Laurent Dropsy, a junior with two years’ experience, has been bothered by a back strain and his ranking has dropped from No. 20 in the preseason to No. 40. Eimei Ishida, a transfer from Saddleback’s state championship team, also has an elbow problem, and other players have or have had assorted maladies.

“Even (in) the first match, I had two kids with leg injuries--not serious enough to keep them from playing but serious enough to inhibit their play,” Gustine said.

Because of the strength of Chapman’s competition--the Panthers’ nine losses have been to four Division I teams and five nationally ranked Division II teams--it only dropped one place in the latest national rankings (from ninth to 10th), but losing has taken its toll in other ways.

“It’s frustrating for both the coaches and players to continue losing, but as Hemingway said, you have to treat winning and losing with the same face,” Gustine said. “It’s a learning experience. You win some, you lose some, but you can’t give up.”

“Don’t worry, we will be back.”

Add Panthers: Despite a nagging wrist injury, the most consistent player has been freshman Aris Vassiliou, who was the only Chapman player to win a match in a 5-1 loss to UC Riverside Tuesday. Vassiliou, who is among the top 10 players in Greece, defeated Kevin Klbunde, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, avenging a loss earlier this season.

They’re No. 2: There was little doubt the Chapman softball team would lose its No. 1 ranking when the second NCAA Division II poll was released Wednesday, but the Panthers didn’t fall far.

Portland State (12-2), which won the tournament and beat Chapman twice, moved into the top spot after being unranked in the first poll. Chapman (29-5) is No. 2. Three-time defending Division II champion Bakersfield (14-9), which was ranked second in the first poll, fell toNo. 17.

Chapman, which has yet to lose to a conference opponent and beat No. 12 Cal State Dominguez Hills twice Tuesday, plays host to Bakersfield at 5 p.m. Friday at Hart Park.

In her first 1,500-meter race since high school, Christ College Irvine sophomore Genevieve Graff finished sixth in a meet Saturday at Cal State Northridge. Her time of 4 minutes 43.73 seconds was three seconds off the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics national qualifying standard.

College Division Notes

The Chapman women’s volleyball team has added two players for this fall: Vicky Cavadias, who was a redshirt at San Diego State last season after playing for Grossmont’s 1989 state championship team, and Jody Narey, a San Clemente High graduate who was a two-time, second-team all-Orange Empire Conference selection for Saddleback College.