On the men's side, two good teams swapped partners. Matt Fuerbringer and Casey Jennings called it quits after seven years together and nice success. They won at least one tournament each year for five straight seasons between 2004 and 2008. Their best '09 finish was third though and they saw the need for a change.
It remains to be seen whether any of these players has traded up. It will all come down to chemistry, the factor that you can't assess on paper. But here is the skinny on what they each bring to the table.
Brad Keenan and Nick Lucena had a bit more success last season, placing second once and third five times. But they saw their winnings decrease by $20,000 last season so the swap was on.
Matt and Nick
At 6'8", Matt Fuerbringer brings a good block and a solid offense. Last year he was 9th in blocks with 1.41 per game and tied for sixth in hitting percentage at .434. Lucena is 6'1" and was ranked sixth in digs per game last season with 5.04. That's about a half dig per game less than Fuerby's old partner, but there is much to be said for chemistry. If these two have it or can find it, we'll be seeing a lot of them.
Casey and Brad
The 6'3" Jennings ranked first in digs per game last season with 5.65. His new big man will continue to bring the blocking and hitting that he needs, but Keenan will also add a pretty nasty serve. Keenan was second in aces last season with .80 per game and fifth in blocks per game with 1.46. These two will be solid and if they find that elusive X factor together, they can rival the top teams.
