2015 San Diego Aviators season

On December 18, 2014, the Aviators announced that Fred Luddy and Jack McGrory, formerly minority owners, had acquired control of the team from Russell Geyser.[1] According to the team's website as of January 2015, Luddy became the majority owner, Geyser retained a minority stake, and team CEO Billy Berger acquired a minority interest in the team. Shelly Hall, who was the onetime general manager of the San Diego Friars and served in that position for the Aviators in 2014, was no longer listed as part of the team's staff.[2] As of March 2015, Geyser was no longer listed on the team's website as one of the team's minority owners.[3]

On December 29, 2014, the Aviators announced that the team would move its home matches to the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in nearby Carlsbad for the 2015 season.[4]

On January 6, 2015, the Aviators unveiled their new logo on their Facebook page.[5] In a significant change from the multicolored logo used in 2014, the new logo contains only thunderbird red and white.

On March 3, 2015, the Aviators announced that John Lloyd had been hired as the team's new head coach to replace 2014 WTT Coach of the Year David Macpherson, who had expressed a desire to coach in the Sacramento metropolitan area with the newly-relocated California Dream.[6] When Macpherson was later introduced as the Dream's new head coach, he said, "I’m very excited to be coaching in the city where I started my WTT career back in 1992."[7]

Since David Macpherson had long served as the coach for the Bryan brothers, it was inevitable that the twins would want to follow him just as they did when he was hired as the Aviators' head coach in 2014. Consequently, prior to the WTT draft on March 16, 2015, the Aviators traded Bob and Mike Bryan to the Dream for financial consideration. The Aviators did not protect 2014 WTT Female Most Valuable Player Daniela Hantuchová in the marquee portion of the draft. Madison Keys was assigned to the Aviators as a league-designated player, and they selected her as their only marquee draft pick. In the roster portion of the draft, the Aviators protected Raven Klaasen and Květa Peschke. They did not protect 2014 WTT Male Rookie of the Year Somdev Devvarman. The Aviators selected amateur Taylor Fritz and Chanelle Scheepers in the roster portion of the draft. Fritz was the only amateur player selected in the 2015 WTT draft.[8]

On June 26, 2015, the Aviators began listing Darija Jurak as a member of the team, and Květa Peschke was removed from the active roster. In posts on both Facebook[9] and Twitter,[10] Jurak was referred to as a member of the team. The Facebook post included a photograph of Jurak. The roster on the team's website no longer listed Peschke. Initially, no explanation was given by the Aviators for Peschke's departure from the team. The final reference to Peschke as a member of the Aviators was in a tweet on June 3, 2015, in which a photograph of her was included in a collage of pictures of the team.[11] Although an image of Peschke appeared in a tweet by the Aviators on June 3, team rosters released by WTT to the press on the previous day, listed Jurak and not Peschke as a member of the Aviators.[12] In a Facebook comment on July 6, 2015, the Aviators disclosed that Peschke was injured and unable to play for the team during the 2015 season.[13] Peschke is the final player still with the team who also played for the New York Sportimes prior to the franchise's move to San Diego. Pursuant to WTT Rule 308F, Peschke may be protected by the Aviators in the 2016 WTT Draft, since she was eligible for protection in 2015, and she was injured before the 2015 season and unable to play.[14]

On July 29, 2015, the Aviators added Daniel Nguyen to their roster as a substitute player.[15]

On June 29, 2015, the Aviators announced that James Blake would coach the team in its season-opening match on July 12, at home against the California Dream. Following that match, John Lloyd served as the Aviators coach for the remainder of the season.[16]

In the days leading up to the season opener, the Aviators hinted in social media posts that there was a surprise in store. Just hours before the opening match, the Aviators announced that Blake would not only coach the team, but he would also play.[17]

In what was the inaugural match for the Dream after the franchise's move from Texas and the first match for the Aviators on their new home court, San Diego prevailed with a 24–19 victory. Chanelle Scheepers opened the match by taking the women's singles and closed it by teaming with Darija Jurak for a set win in women's doubles. Blake failed to win the men's singles set (the only set the Aviators dropped), but he came back paired with Raven Klaasen for a solid win in men's doubles. Klaasen and Jurak took the mixed doubles.[18]

The Aviators started the season strong, winning three of their first four matches. However, they followed this with a five-match losing streak that was capped off by losses on consecutive evenings in a home-and-home series with the California Dream with whom they were contending for a playoff berth. In the second loss to the Dream, the Aviators took an 18–15 lead into the final set. But former Aviators Bob and Mike Bryan teamed up to take the final set of men's doubles, 5–1, for a 20–19 Dream victory.[19] The loss dropped the Aviators' record to 3 wins and 6 losses.

The Aviators ended their losing streak with their finest performance of the season. They swept all five sets on the road against the Springfield Lasers, the team that had beaten them in the previous season's Western Conference Championship Match. Amateur Taylor Fritz closed out the match with a 5–4 men's singles set win over John Isner after earlier teaming with Raven Klaasen for a 5–4 me's doubles set win over Isner and Andre Begemann. Klaasen and Darija Jurak got the Aviators started with a 5–4 mixed doubles set win. Chanelle Scheepers took the second set, 5–3, and teamed with Jurak in the fourth set of women's doubles for another 5–3 set win.[20]

The following evening, the Aviators were dominated by the Austin Aces, 25–8. They were shut out in both the women's singles and women's doubles sets. A bit more than two hours later, the Aviators were eliminated from playoff contention when the Dream completed its victory over the Philadelphia Freedoms.[21]

• John Lloyd, Coach (other than July 12 match)
• James Blake, Player-Coach (July 12 match only)
• Jim Ault, Assistant Coach
• Taylor Fritz
• Darija Jurak
• Madison Keys
• Raven Klaasen
• Daniel Nguyen[Roster 1]
• Květa Peschke (injured, did not play)[13]
• Chanelle Scheepers

• Fred Luddy, Principal Owner
• Billy Berger, Minority Owner and CEO
• Jack McGrory, Minority Owner

Notes: