The end of each match inches senior Jose Manuel Munoz closer to the end of his Marquette career. As the only senior on the team, he has an even bigger opportunity to make his mark on Marquette tennis.
And as the only senior, his teammates look to Munoz as a leader and said he has accepted the responsibility happily.
Not only has he accepted the role, he has excelled.
Freshman Dan Mamalat said Munoz’s commitment to the team is evident, and his dedication to making his senior year memorable makes him stand out as a leader.
Munoz, a Mexico City native, has a singles record of 3-2 and a doubles record of 4-1 this spring season and looks to continue that success in matches against Michigan State and Notre Dame this weekend.
This is Munoz’s second year on the team, and even though he has grown comfortable with the Marquette environment over that period, he said “it is definitely different culture-wise on and off the court.”
Before Marquette, Munoz spent two years at San Diego and was a national champion in Mexico, where he was ranked in the top 10 for juniors from 2002-’06 and earned a Bronze medal in the National Olympics for singles.
In any country, that kind of success proves he knows how to win.
“When he first came here, he was a little nervous coming to matches,” junior Jonathan Schwerin said, “but now you can see that he’s so comfortable in his matches and just a lot more confident in his play.”
Prior to Marquette, Munoz focused his attention on singles. This year he has played more doubles, and success has come for him and his partner, Schwerin.
Schwerin said one reason why the duo has done well is Munoz’s improved “match toughness” and his consistency and aggression when it comes to serving, which makes it easy for him to get the next ball over.
Previous doubles success came with freshman Logon Collins in the fall, where he added four wins to his record, and the 2009-’10 season with junior Drake Kakar and the now-graduated Mark Rutherford.
In his first year as a Golden Eagle, Munoz had a dual record in singles of 5-0. This success transferred to the 2010 fall season when he upset Ohio State’s Steven Williams, who is ranked No. 99 nationally.
Mamalat and Schwerin agree Munoz’s serve is key to his success, which is spurred by his dedication to putting in work before and after practice.
So far, Munoz’s work ethic has helped the men’s team to a 4-1 start to the season. He said this team has the potential to go far in the NCAA Tournament.
“Level-wise, we are there; we just have to prove it with results,” Munoz said.
With more than half the season to go, there is still plenty of time for Munoz to add to his winning legacy.
