BILLINGS, Mont. – A young Montana State University Billings men's tennis squad will look to provide fresh energy for the 2014-15 season, and help the Yellowjackets improve on last season's 4-9 finish.
 
In her first season, Becky King will begin her career as a head coach, looking to turn around a men's program that finished with a 2-4 record in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play a season ago. "We have a very young team, but we are very skilled and athletic," King commented on her team. "Our goal is for each of our players to play at the highest level they can, and they all need to have belief in themselves that they can compete in the RMAC."
 
One of the Yellowjackets' key returners is Brandon Beardsley, who teamed up with fellow returnee Josh Hedderig as the No. 1 team in doubles a season ago. "Brandon is in his third season with us, and he played one and two pretty consistently for us in doubles and singles last season," said King. "He is a hard worker who is motivated to do well."
 
Hedderig, another junior, is also slated to provide leadership as an upperclassman on this year's team. "Josh is another hard worker for us, and I can tell that both he and Brandon have made a lot of progress over the summer," said King. "Josh is coming off a little bit of a disappointing end to the season, but he will use that as a key tool to come off stronger this year."
 
Austin Kische and Daniil Gorkov are two more juniors who figure to compete for court time this season as well.
 
A key addition for the Yellowjackets is Santiago de la Rosa Mora, who transferred to MSUB from Colorado Christian University. "Santiago is in his second season playing, and coming to us from another RMAC school he has that experience already," commented King. "He is definitely someone who will give some depth to our ladder, and he is a fast-moving, agile player on the court."
 
Joining MSUB for his first collegiate season is freshman Robert Pike, who is a 2014 graduate of Bozeman High School. "Robbie is a year-round player, which is hard to find in Montana," King said. "He should have a huge year in terms of growth and experience, and we will rely on our older players to show him what tennis is like at the college level."
 
MSUB kicks off its fall season in and individual tournament in Denver this weekend, hosted by Metro State. The Yellowjackets are also slated to face three schools this fall, as part of a two-day event in Grand Junction, Colo., on Oct. 3-4. The 'Jackets will take on opponents Metro State and Colorado Christian on Day 1 of the event, and will face another RMAC team in Colorado Mesa on the second day.
 
"We ended in fifth place in conference last year which is definitely lower than where we wanted to be," King said. "That's the motivation for our guys to come out strong this year. I can already see the fire and the hard work they are putting into this season."