As a tennis player, Jake Greenman has played – and favored – doubles his whole life.

Saturday, May 13, 2000

As a tennis player, Jake Greenman has played – and favored – doubles his whole life.

For years, his partner, Zak Ulwelling, has been entrenched as the No. 1 singles player on, first, the Austin Packers and, now, the Riverland Blue Devils.

But in terms of postseasons, neither college freshman has competed beyond a high school or college section tournament.

Until now.

Beginning Tuesday and continuing through Saturday, these two postseason neophytes and four more Blue Devils – after having repaired to Tyler, Texas – will employ their plot to parry their way to a national championship.

"I don’t know what’s in store for me, I guess I’ll find out," Ulwelling said. "Either way, the ride is going to end.

"I’m going to play my game and see what they can do."

His playing partner came across as less diplomatic.

"I’m going down there trying to win this thing," Greenman said. "I expect to do well.

"No doubt in my mind I can win matches down there."

In a sense, Ulwelling and Co. are licking their chops at the prospect of playing whatever it is the Division III National Junior College men’s tennis championships have to offer.

Ulwelling said he rarely works as hard in a match as he does playing his teammates in practice.

Fellow Austin high grad Josh Bendickson echoed that sentiment.

"Some of the competition around here hasn’t been great," he said. "I guessing it’s going to be pretty tough in Texas."

That’s just fine by Beau Hartman.

The sophomore is the only one of the seven Blue Devils that didn’t have a tennis history entering college.

But, like Ulwelling, Hartman is a sucker for competition of any kind.

He took to tennis quickly under first-year coach Suzy Hebrink, who just returned from guiding the Riverland women’s tennis team to nationals in Tucson, Ariz.

"I always wanted to try a different sport," said Hartman. "I thought it would be nice to find a coach to teach me the technical parts of tennis and that’s what Suzy has done."

As a two-year starting point guard with Riverland basketball, Hartman played with Ulwelling under his wing.

The roles have reversed now.

"Even though I’m the sophomore," Hartman said, "I’m following the lead of all the other players."

Hartman likes the Blue Devils chances.

"I expect we’ll do very well," he said. "We’ll keep up with the rest of them."

Hebrink said she expected about a dozen teams to be competing for the nation crown at the only level of junior college that doesn’t allow for athletic scholarships.

"When I played it was Divisions I through III playing in nationals," Hebrink said. "It’s nice now that we get to play other players that don’t get paid to play."

Ahh, but can the Blue Devils make the competition pay?

"We’re unsure of ourselves," Ulwelling said. "We haven’t been pushed yet …

"My main goal is to hit the ball to the right spots. It doesn’t matter what he does on the other side.

"That’s the only thing I’m thinking about."

Riverland’s Lineup – Singles

No. 1 – Zak Ulwelling of Austin

No. 2 – Jeremy Peterson of Blue Earth

No. 3 – Josh Bendickson of Austin

No. 4 – Jake Greenman of Austin

No. 5 – Beau Hartman of Wells

No. 6 – Shane Fett of Trimont

Doubles

No. 1 – Ulwelling and Greenman

No. 2 – Peterson and Bendickson

No. 3 – Hartman and Jeremy Jones of Wells