Ravens' roster a bit short on experience

Waterford tennis coach Ken Wade bristles whenever he hears the word "favorite" used in conjunction with his team.

Although his Ravens, armed with three-time state champion Calvin Bennett, are less than a year removed from winning the state championship for the second consecutive year, Wade isn't about to start shopping for "three-peat" rings and T-shirts.

According to him, the Ravens have miles to go before they can start talking title.

"We're a strong team, but we have a lot of work to do between now and the tournament," says Wade. "We lost three of our four doubles players from last year, and we're still trying to figure out the best way to compensate for that."

Although the Ravens boast one of the top one-two punches in 2A, the rest of the roster is painfully short on experience — a fact that opens the door for rivals Rowland Hall and Manti to overtake the defending champs.

"In a lot of ways, we're in a similar position to where we were at this point last year," says Wade. "We've got Calvin at first singles, but we're still trying to build up the rest of our team."

In addition to Bennett, who is considered by many to be the top player in Utah, the Ravens bring back Daniel Reichert, a junior who will likely play second singles after bringing home the state title at that position in 2006.

Although both Bennett's and Reichert's names are written in stone, the rest of the Ravens' depth chart is in a constant state of flux. Junior Chris Chang, for example, has been playing at the third singles spot as of late but could end up at first doubles before all is said and done.

"Most of our roster is still pretty unsettled right now," says Wade. "We're trying to decide who is best suited to play where."

Sophomore standout Andrew Munoz-Butterfield will doubtlessly be a major factor in the team's title run regardless of where he ultimately ends up playing, as will senior Kyle Robins. Munoz-Butterfield and Robins have spent most of their time at first doubles, but both players have the versatility to play wherever they're needed.

The tandem of Andy Larsen and David Lee has played well at second doubles, but one or both of them could end up elsewhere before the Ravens' roster is finalized.

"I'm pretty happy with the way that we've been playing so far," says Wade. "We lost an early match to Manti, but the same thing happened last year before we went on to win the state championship. Maybe it will work out the same way this year."

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E-mail: tquinn@desnews.com