Two weeks ago, the Wesleyan men’s tennis team looked beaten. After starting the season off strong, a 9-0 spanking from visiting Bates College on Oct. 7 left the Cards with a 1-2 record with three matches to go and in serious need of quality wins.

“[The Bates loss] is a tough pill to swallow,” said senior captain Max Schenkein ’08, following the match. “We are eager and ready to close the fall season on a high note by giving three strong efforts in our last three matches.”

Bad weather forced the team to cancel their final match at Colby-Sawyer College, but the Cardinals slaughtered The Coast Guard Academy 8-1 in New London, Connecticut, on Oct. 10 and returned home two days later to push past visiting Babson College 5-4. In a two-day span, the men’s tennis team transformed from a team on the verge of deflating, to a team with a winning record in the fall for the first time since 2005.

“I think we showed this fall that we have the potential to hang with any team, including in the NESCAC. Hopefully this winter we can stay focused on our games enough to come out strong next spring,” said Matt O’Connell ’09, whose 6-0 win in the second set of the match against a Bates opponent (who was a finalist for Northeast DIII singles player of the year) proved a highlight of the fall.

Though the season is over, the energetic turn around of this team in such a short period of time and at such a crucial point in their schedule is remarkable. Calm confidence in the Coast Guard match and a sense of urgency in the Babson match catapulted the Cards from losers to winners this fall.

With the bitter taste of 0-9 versus Bates still fresh in their mouths, the team did not allow frustration to get the better of them against Coast Guard. Instead, the players channeled their emotions and talents into a smothering win. Although not every match proved a cakewalk, the team played with a gusto that they had lacked in previous weeks.

The day began with all three doubles teams winning their matches. At number one doubles, O’Connell and Jaafar Rizvi ’09 took their 8-game pro-set 8-5. On the adjacent court, number two doubles duo Alejandro Alvarado ’09 and Roy Chung ’09 won 8-3 while Schenkein and Matt Schaff ’11 held down the number three doubles with an 8-2 victory.

Later in the afternoon, Wesleyan’s singles players followed doubles with similar success. O’Connell took on Coast Guards number one and, in a marathon match that has become characteristic of O’Connell style, won 7-6, 3-6, 6-4. Chung had a long match as well at number two singles, highlighted by a 20 game third set, and hung on to win 6-1, 5-7, 11-9. At number three singles, Mike Frank ’08 turned in the most dominant performance of the day, winning 6-1, 6-0. Not to be out done by Frank, the rest of the singles players didn’t drop a set as Rizvi won 6-4, 6-4 at number four, Schenkein won 6-1, 6-4 at number five, and Alvarado won 6-3, 6-1 at number six.

Such a thorough win allowed the team to forget Bates and focus solely on winning the matches ahead of them.

Last Friday, when most everyone had deserted campus for home-cooked meals and clean laundry, the team faced Babson indoors at the Freeman Athletic Center Field House. Playing inside creates a different set of challenges for a team; the air is humid, the surface is quicker, and every noise echoes clearly around the bubble. Frustration, elation, and tenacity are highlighted in this closed environment that feels more like a cage than a court. What better place for the cards to put their season on the line?

Sporting their new red uniforms against the green shirts from Babson, the Cards went to work in the doubles bracket. At number one, Rizvi and O’Connell played a close match that went back and forth throughout. At a crucial point, the tandem was down 4-3 with Rizvi serving. With a variety of curving and powerful styles on his serves, Rizvi sparked an easy game win and tied the match. Babson’s number one player had a ferocious, yet erratic first serve and a change-up of a second serve, which allowed Rizvi and O’Connell to capitalize on second serve points. However, Babson broke O’Connell’s serve to go up 7-6 and ended up winning 8-6.

At number two doubles, captain Pauri Pandian ’08 and Alvarado played a match that outlasted the other four being played in the field house. Up 7-6, the duo dropped two straight and were in a 7-8 hole. Pandian came through in the clutch with several booming serves to tie the match 8-8 and force a tiebreak. Pandian and Alvarado played to their emotional and physical limit but ultimately dropped the match 8-9 with a tiebreak score of 7-2.

At number three doubles, Schenkein and Shaff provided powerful service against potent net play from Babson. Though the first few games went back and forth, Babson won the match 8-4.

Wesleyan was facing great adversity midway through the doubles and singles matches, both from their opponent Babson, and from the potential for a losing season. With their backs against the wall, the Cards prevailed.

O’Connell responded to the power-serving of Babson’s number one with a 6-3, 7-5 win. Pandian won at number two singles 6-2, 6-3. Playing in his first match in weeks due to a shoulder injury, Paul Gerdes ’09 won convincingly 7-5, 6-3 at number three singles. Chung won number four singles 6-0, 6-3. Frank dropped a tough match 2-6, 6-2, 9-11, while Rizvi brought home the win for the Cards with a 6-0, 6-3 win at number six singles.

When the dual-match finally ended late into Friday night, the birds had won 5-4 in a match that was more a test of cajones than talent. After the triumph, celebration ensued.

“I think the Babson match really summed up our fall,” Schenkein said. “We dug ourselves a big hole in doubles against them and the singles guys really stepped up big to help us win the match.”

With a final record of 3-2 in dual-match competition, the team can look to the spring and NESCAC competition with a real confidence not only in each player’s talent but their ability to fight, which ultimately is more important. However, the team did not upset any of the teams ranked above them, a feat necessary for success in the NESCAC season.

“Our season wasn’t too up or down,” Rizvi said. “We won all of the matches we were supposed to and lost to the teams that were ranked higher than us.”

The ability to take down stiffer competition is one the team must work on during the long winter months in the field house.

“We are going to work real hard this winter to condition ourselves and lift weights so we can come out firing in the Spring,” Schenkein said.

Adding to the Cards confidence will be the return of Gerdes and Miles Krieger ’10 to the regular rotation. Both sustained long-term injuries this fall and were unavailable for most matches.

“Not having Paul and Miles hurt us a lot, since they both definitely would have contributed to the team in our big matches this fall,” Rizvi said. “Hopefully they’ll be better soon and ready in the spring as our results will decide if we make the NESCAC tournament.”

Clearly, as it does for every sport on campus, the desire for NESCAC wins is driving this Wesleyan team to get better in the winter and dominate come March.

“I know Pauri, Mike and I want to end our careers on a high note,” Schenkein said. “And I’m definitely looking forward to kicking Amherst’s ass in the spring.”