Continuing to stroll through its brief fall schedule, the men’s tennis team stunned the Springfield Maroon at home on Wednesday with a 7-2 team victory, placing the Cards at 1-0 in dual-match competition.

“This match was a great first test for us to work our way into the season, when we will have some tougher matches,” said senior tri-captain Max Schenkein ’08. “It also gave us time to figure out where each one of us will be playing in the lineup.”

The lineup looked close to perfect on Wednesday and may need little adjustment as the team went 5-1 in singles and 2-1 in doubles matches.

Matt O’Connell ’09 paced the Cards in singles and doubles competition. The spry junior started the day off right with a swift 6-2, 6-1 drubbing off his Springfield opponent at number two singles and returned later in the day alongside Jaafar Rizvi ’09 to put up another point for the team with an 8-3 victory at number two doubles.

Senior tri-captain Mike Frank ’08 praised O’Connell’s court mastery.

“If I had to summarize his performance with two words they would be: ‘all business,’” he said.

O’Connell’s power and placement have proved to be integral to the team’s success so far this season and his great example certainly rubbed off on the rest of the team throughout the afternoon.

Although senior tri-captain Pauri Pandian ’08 dropped the first singles match to a tough Springfield opponent, the rest of the Wesleyan singles players ran their respective tables. Frank turned in a 6-3, 6-2 victory at number three singles, Roy Chung ’09 fought past a tough second set to win 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 at number four singles. Meanwhile, Paul Gerdes ’09 and Alejandro Alvarado ’09 both dispatched their opponents 6-4, 6-2 and 6-3, 6-2, respectively.

“Even though we won the match 7-2, many of the matches required the guys to pull out some tough first sets,” Schenkein said.

Many of the Cards finished their first sets ahead, but not by much. Heading into set seconds with 6-3 and 6-4 first sets behind them, the team showed uncanny resilience in holding onto their leads and finishing strong. For Frank, Chung and Gerdes each game was a battle for each point, and the exhaustive speed of a tennis match tested their strength.

Chung, in particular, staved off a late rally by his opponent after he dropped his second set to hang on for the win in what was a rollercoaster of a match.

In the doubles world, Rizvi and O’Connell simply outplayed their counterparts at number one doubles, finishing with an 8-3 result. A loss by Pandian and Chung at number two doubles did not effect the eventual outcome of the day, as Schenkein and Matt Schaff ’11 capped the win for Wesleyan with a 8-2 dominating performance that saw senior and freshman create a unique and effective dynamic.

“The match went well, both Max and I were not broken throughout the set,” Schaff said. “We kept more balls in play and we were able to get to the net to finish points. [Max and I] made a great first showing and worked really well together. Overall I feel like [the Springfield match] was great for the team.”

Look for the Cards to be out in full force next Wednesday as they open up their home schedule against MIT at the Vine Street courts.

“We’re hoping to get a big supportive crowd to come out to the tennis courts and cheer on the team,” Frank said.