Senior Sam McKay-Corkum (Rehoboth, Mass.) and freshman Vladislav Tolmachev (Perm, Russia) warm-up for their doubles match against Emerson on Apr. 13. The team played 1st doubles and won the game, 8-1. Photo credit: Timmy Greene
ENC’s men’s tennis team is trying to remain strong this season as they sit at 7th seed in the conference with only three conference games under their belt.
The team is 6-5 for the overall season and 1-2 in the conference. The men shutout Wentworth on Mar. 30 for a 7-0 win, but suffered a close loss to Gordon in a 4-5 decision two days later.
The men’s tennis team also lost in a 3-6 match against Roger Williams, the leading and undefeated team in the CCC. They bounced back in a sweeping win against non-conference opponent Emerson College during yesterday’s match.
But before conference play, the team kicked off the season during spring training at a tournament in Tampa, Fla. after years of playing in Hilton Head, S.C. The team played four matches, coming out of the tournament 2-2.
The tournament in Tampa unified the team with a positive outlook on their season.
“Our team is looking really strong this year and with all the hard work and dedication we put into spring break it is looking very promising. Tampa was beautiful and it was a really good bonding experience with the guys,” senior Tyler Perron (Plympton, Mass.) commented.
The team has been working closely and hopes that the sessions together will lead to a competitive and positive season.
“We do a lot of fun activities on and off the courts to build our chemistry and friendship,” junior Kevin Paterno (Buenos Aires, Argentina) said.
In Florida, the team often went to the beach directly after practices and games in order to help build camaraderie. The team has attempted to create a committed team that will hopefully follow through this season, in addition to committed friendships.
Ultimately, the team is optimistic as to where the rest of the season will take them. With a strong line-up, they hope that this year will be their opportunity to win the conference title, after only qualifying in the past few seasons.
“We have a very mature squad and added good talent with the new freshman. We’re hoping to go one step further and win the conference,” Paterno concluded.
The team’s next game is on Apr. 14 in a home match against non-conference opponent UMass Boston. Their next conference match is a home match on Apr. 16 against 3rd seed Nichols College.