Seniors Eric McKean and Dave Ryan of the men’s tennis team have been friends for over seven years and Sigma Nu brothers for three, but not since their freshman year of high school have they been side-by-side on the court.

Friends since their days playing junior tennis, the duo first played doubles together at the California state championships in 2000. They haven’t played as a tandem since.

That was until this past weekend, when Ryan and McKean teamed up for the invitational doubles contest at the Pacific-10 Conference Championships. In their last chance as Cardinal seniors, they made an outstanding run to the finals before falling to Washington’s Derek Drabble and Andy Kuharszky.

“We played really solid, and it helped to know each other so well because we were comfortable with each other in stressful moments,” Ryan said. “It was pretty special to go out together, doing as well as we did.”

Pairing up for their final chance at a Pac-10 title, the duo also made a lasting impression on assistant coach David Hodge.

“Eric and Dave did great,” Hodge said. “They beat a very good Cal team, they beat a very good USC team — they competed really well.”

McKean, this year’s team captain, played at almost every spot on the Cardinal’s (8-16, 2-5 Pac-10) lineup this season. At various times, he played No.2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 singles, enjoying the most success at No. 4. His singles record overall for this season is 12-21; in dual matches, he went 7-16.

In individual tournament play, McKean’s overall record is 5-4, including a run to the Round of 16 of the ITA Northwest Regionals last Fall. In doubles, he has teamed with a number of other players at both the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the lineup. Partnering with sophomore Jeff Zeller, he defeated the 2006 Pac-10 doubles champions, Mathieu Dehaine and Jeremy Drean of UCLA, earlier in the season.

Ryan is quick to praise his longtime friend, noting his improved aggressiveness in four years with the Cardinal.

“He’s playing a bigger game now,” Ryan said. “He’s been able to play a more imposing game, dictating with his serve and groundstrokes.”

Another on-court attribute that helps McKean is his competitiveness.

“Eric never is okay with losing,” Ryan added. “And regardless of the overall match situation, everyone on the team knows he wants to win as bad as ever.”

Ryan himself came to the Cardinal as a true walk-on in his sophomore year. Three years later, he has competed for the Cardinal in singles at the No. 5 and No. 6 slots. His dual match record is 2-7, but both of his wins clinched team victories for Stanford. And in the invitational singles tournament at the Pac-10 championships last weekend, he stormed to the quarterfinals before being taken out by eventual champion Jason McNaughton of Southern California.

Citing both their accomplishments, Hodge had words of praise for the team’s seniors.

“Eric has done so much for us the last four years, on the court and off the court,” he said. “And Dave came in as a true walk-on, which is really hard to do — but he worked really hard, and he’s become a really legitimate Division-I tennis player.”

While good players and teammates, Ryan and McKean are even better friends. Off the court, McKean said Ryan’s best personality trait is his sense of humor.

“Dave is very witty and is the complete opposite of a ‘fun-vacuum,’ as we say on the team,” the senior joked.

With their Stanford careers nearing an end, the end of the Cardinal’s season has been a time for reflection and regrets. Among the latter would be Stanford’s failed NCAA bid this year.

“I wish I would have won an NCAA title,” McKean said. “But I know the guys will give it a good run next year.”

Ryan, though, has no regrets, having simply enjoyed the time he spent with McKean and other teammates.

“[The past few years have] helped me get better at focusing on what I’m doing while I’m doing it; and not having class bothering me on the court or tennis bothering me in class, I learned to get the most out of each one of those things,” he said.

This past weekend’s run to a Pac-10 doubles title is just one of those experiences that McKean will also cherish.

“It was quite fitting to end my tennis career with Dave,” McKean said. “It was a blast getting to the finals, and I’ll never forget that last tournament.”