Men’s tennis struggles up north

This past weekend, the men’s tennis team took the long bus ride up to Maine to take on the Colby Mules. The Cardinals hoped to reverse their fortunes from just a year ago when the visiting Mules came away with the 5-2 victory in seven very competitive matches. Going into the match, Wesleyan had a 0-2 record in NESCAC play. Six out of the 11 teams are ranked in the top 30 of Division III men’s tennis. Colby is currently not one of them, but the team has been ranked regularly in the recent past.

The Cardinals were hoping to pick up their first victory and give themselves a better chance at making the playoffs. Their wishes were not granted, however, as the Cards were defeated 8-1. The lone victory was a tough three-setter won by tri-captain Max Schenkein ’08: 6-2, 1-6, (10-7) at the number six singles.

After starting off the spring season with a couple of wins down in Florida, the squad has now dropped four consecutive matches, and the road does not seem to get any easier from here. This weekend the Cards will be traveling to face their Little Three rival, Williams, who are currently ranked number four in the country. The Ephs sport a 2-0 record in the NESCAC and will be looking to remain undefeated in conference play, which should give the Cards some extra motivation to take them down.

Although the odds will be against the Cards, they believe that as long as they play well, they have the chance to pull out a win against any team in the NESCAC.

“We have been practicing hard daily and we know that if we continue to keep it up and stick through and learn from the recent tough losses, we’ll be able to get on track and start rolling the train in the right direction,” said tri-captain Michael Frank ’08.

Then, on Sunday, they will travel to play Hamilton. The Continentals have also gotten off to a slow start in the NESCAC, sporting a 0-2 record. Despite all the traveling that the Cards will have to endure this weekend, it will be a good opportunity for them to snatch up a victory. Last year, Wesleyan easily defeated Hamilton, 7-0, and the Cards will look to make it three in a row and continue their dominance of the Continentals.

With springtime upon us, the climate is changing and hopefully the forecast can change for the Cards as well. If they can overcome the recent storms they have faced, they can continue to play competitively and ultimately get the morale boost that a win provides.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the team could book some tickets on the victory train a few times in the last five matches of the season? I am sure the seniors would enjoy it as they cruise towards the end of their Wesleyan careers.