The men’s tennis team packed in another win last Wednesday, defeating Connecticut College in convincing fashion by a score of 6-1. The Cards began the match by taking two out of the three doubles matches to win the doubles point. The two wins were brought in by the power serving game of Matt O’Connell ’09 and Jack Rooney ’07 at number two doubles, who were victorious 8-1, and a pair of lefties, Max Schenkein ’08 and Alejandro Alvarado ’09, at the third spot.
In singles, freshmen Paul Gerdes, Graham Immerman, and Alvarado corked easy wins in straight sets winning 6-1, 6-0; 6-1, 6-4; and 6-2, 6-2, respectively. As always, dependable sophomore Mike Frank rolled in a win at number three, dismantling his opponent 6-2, 6-0.
Unfortunately, the easy win was cut short by a 5-2 loss to Bowdoin on Saturday. Rooney and Pauri Pandian ’08 started the match with a 7-9 loss at second doubles.
One of the barriers the team had to overcome was shifting the lineup around with the absence of Tallen Todorovich ’07. With the talented junior out of the lineup, the Cards relied on their freshman class to step in and fill the void. The Cards have looked to their freshmen for dependable play all season, with Todorovich and other starters missing several matches due to injury or other circumstances.
“Watching these guys playing at Bowdoin, it was amazing to view the progression and improvement in our play as a whole, from doubles to singles, especially the freshmen, who have stepped right in and played some of the toughest teams in NESCAC,” said Max Schenkein ’08. “This team is moving in the right direction and will be a force in the next few years.”
The only two players to win their singles matches against Bowdoin on Saturday were two freshmen, O’Connell and Gerdes. O’Connell, who has seen increased playing time the second half of the season, has stepped up his play as of late. Since being called upon to play second doubles in his start against Vassar on April 2, he has posted a 6-0 record in doubles and singles. He played a long match on Saturday, as he split sets with his opponent 3-6, 6-4 before finally winning his match in a super tie-breaker, 10-3. Gerdes, a regular starter in singles, also bagged an easy 6-1, 6-0 win.
“All the freshmen starters have really learned how to pull through the last-minute changes in the lineup,” Gerdes said. “The changes have provided youngsters on the team the opportunity to show the team’s extensive talent.”
The Cardinals will face their toughest test to date in Williams on Tuesday at 3:30 before heading up to Williamstown for the NESCAC Championship over the weekend.
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