After a week-long hiatus, and with only two team matches remaining until the conclusion of the fall season, four members of the men’s tennis team traveled to Williamstown, Mass. to represent the Cardinals against a myriad New England opponents.
The ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) Tournament, which took place from Friday, Sept. 28 until Sunday, Sept. 30 at Williams College, is an opportunity for individuals rather than teams to compete, and affords top regional players the chance to face off against each other without affecting their team record.
The four Cardinals chosen to make the trip up to Williamstown were senior tri-captain Jeff Legunn ’13, sophomore Stephen Monk ’15, and freshmen Zach Brint and Michael King. Legunn and Monk competed in the singles draw of the tournament, while Brint and King made up the tandem that would compete on Wesleyan’s behalf in the doubles portion.
In singles, Wesleyan’s #1 seed Legunn fought hard in his first match and took the second set 7-6 after dropping the first. Ultimately, he fell to his opponent from Connecticut College 4-6, 7-6, (8-10) after losing his super tiebreaker. Monk, the Cardinals’ #2 seed, faltered against his Middlebury opponent 1-6, 3-6. The doubles team of Brint and King fared better, as they won their initial match to a pair from UMass Boston, 9-7. In the next round of play, Brint and King lost to a formidable and familiar Williams College foe, 3-8. Though by no means satisfied with the results at the ITA Tournament, the Cardinals view the doubles victory by the pair of freshmen as a sign of things to come.
Wesleyan resumes its regular schedule this Friday when they take on Babson College for the last dual match of the fall season. For many, the match represents a chance to get back to playing competitively after a long period of simply training.
“We look forward to returning to the dual match schedule against Babson this Friday,” tri-captain Michael Glen ’13 said. “We’ve been training hard these last two weeks and are ready to see tangible results for the hard work we’ve been putting in.”
The team hopes to end their season on a positive note, and a win against Babson would ensure just that.