Men's tennis star shines for the Bombers – The Ithacan

Ivan Kisic, a freshman student-athlete on the Ithaca College men's tennis team, exploded onto the scene when he took home the B Singles title at the St. Lawrence University Fall Classic on September 8. No other Bomber has claimed a Singles title. title at this tournament since then 2016when Minos Stavrakas and Nathan Wolf won the A and C flights respectively.

When I first came here, my motive was to win every match, Kisic said. I feel pretty determined to win. I don't like losing. I'm more focused on self-confidence and just pushing through.

Kisic possesses a wide range of skills on the pitch, which has allowed him to make an immediate impact for the Bombers. After his performance at the St. Lawrence Fall Classic, Kisic was mentioned Liberty League Men's Tennis Rookie of the Week. Sophomore doubles partner Emiliano Pedrero described the steady and energetic playing style that set Kisic apart from the rest.

He has a really big serve, Pedrero said. It is quite tall and accelerates very well. Also its consistency. Once the match starts, he can play long points at a pretty high level. Just the way he plays, he plays aggressively but consistently, which is the hardest part.

Head coach Tom Rishcoff has further developed the rookies' broad mix of strengths on the field.

“I think he's very dynamic,” Rishcoff said. I don't think there are many holes in his game. He's kind of an all-court player. So he has a great serve, a great forehand, his backhand is consistent and he can play the net quite well.

It is rare to see a freshman student-athlete enter a program with this type of success. According to Kisic and those close to him, his impressive start to the season can be attributed to his time spent at Emilio Sanchez Academy, a high school in Naples, Florida.

Founded in 1998 by tennis legends Emilio Sanchez Vicario and Sergio Casal Emilio Sánchez Academy has positioned itself as an elite tennis school producing professional and collegiate players every year. As a junior in high school, Kisic developed most as a player and as a person on this sprawling, tennis-court-filled campus.

Training with a number of players who are all similar in level to you is fun and competitive, Kisic said.

Kisics high school coach Oscar Rodriguez described the development of young athletes at the academy in a letter to The Ithacan.

In 2021, he started playing on the high school team and I think that type of competition and those games helped improve his character as a player and the way he competed, Rodriguez said in the letter. He could be a leader and became a player who was difficult to beat.

The countless hours spent on the tennis court in high school prove worthwhile for the rookie, giving him an edge and a strong sense of self-confidence that not many other freshman athletes experience.

He's a natural fighter on the court, Rishcoff said. He is competitive. He looks very comfortable when he plays.

Originally committed to playing tennis at Division 1 Sacred Heart University, Kisic decided to change course and become a bomber in late May.

The coach here at Ithaca was very simplistic, Kisic said. He made it easy for me. It seemed like he really wanted me, so that's why I ultimately chose Ithaca.

Rishcoff said Kisic was not originally on his recruit radar. But after watching him play at a showcase in Florida, the coach made an effort to maintain contact with Ivan through his recruiting process.

“I saw his ability,” Rishcoff said. I thought he had a high ceiling in his game.

Recruiting high-level players is crucial for college coaches looking to make an impact in the Liberty League. According to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Bombers coaches saw three of their teams ranked in the national top 40 by the end of the 2024 spring season. But landing a recruit with Division 1 talent like Kisic was no easy task.

“I think in recruiting you kind of try to create your own luck,” Rishcoff said.

Establishing and maintaining contact with high school coaches and players is critical for any college head coach during recruiting, which is usually a year-round effort. However, Rishcoff had not established a connection with the Emilio Sanchez Academy coaches and players before seeing Kisic play for the first time.

It wasn't like I had him on my list or anything like that, Rishcoff said. He is an academy player from Florida. So it was an event I went to, a showcase in Florida. I met him there and saw him on the player sheet.

Because tennis is an international sport, talent exists in places far beyond the typical recruiting atmosphere seen in other sports at the Division 3 level. Seven of the teams of ten players are from hometowns outside the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, and three are from other countries.

“I try to keep good contacts with coaches from different areas,” Rishcoff said. California, Florida, everywhere, just to help try to bring the best to the school.

Kisic's success at the St. Lawrence tournament has given him the opportunity to represent his team as the No. 1 singles player in the upcoming matches; in the Lions tournament on September 13 and 14, Kisic was included as the No. 1 singles player on the Bombers depth chart. However, this role is hotly contested by teammate Gijs Fidler, a sophomore who received the award Second Team All-Liberty League awards after spring 2024.

As the season progresses, iron will continue to sharpen the iron between the two.

We play a lot of practice sets together, Kisic said. I think we have to keep playing sets throughout the season to determine who will be number 1.

However, this competition on the field does not seem to affect the chemistry of the group.

When I play, they definitely give me the confidence to continue, Kisic said. I deal with [my teammates] almost every day.

The close bond evident in this year's team offers a promising path for the future.

This year, [the culture is] super positive, Pedroro said. Were excited. Were mentally rejuvenated. We worked twice as hard as last year. There is more responsibility. There are more compromises from everyone. This also applies to a team that actually pursues a goal.

In the most recent tournament this season, held from September 2729, the Northeast ITA Regional, Kisic and Pedrero scored an impressive victory over former Bomber and First Team All-Liberty League player Nicolas Luis 24, who now plays for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in a doubles match to advance to the round of 16. In singles, Kisic posted a 4-1 record for the 2024 fall season.

While hopes are high, only time will tell if Ivan Kisic and the revamped South Hill team can build on their success from the St. Lawrence Fall Classic and the Northeast ITA Regionals.

“We graduated four players last year, so I think we were just trying to find our identity,” Rishcoff said. It's going to be a fun season. I think we have a lot of young talent, so I want to build from there.