Tennis team aces start to season
The men’s tennis team hopes an impressive start will lead to a seventh consecutive ODAC championship
With only two losses through fourteen singles matches, Michael Holt, ‘16, is playing for his third All-American honor. Photo courtesy of W&L Sports Info.
March 14, 2016
The Washington and Lee men’s tennis team is off to a hot start to the spring season, winning six of their first eight matches.
The Generals are doing more than just winning, they are decimating their opponents. Three of the six wins have been 9-0 shutouts, while two have been won 5-1 and 6-3. Tennis matches are composed of three doubles matches and six singles matches, giving a total of nine possible points.
The team is a perfect 3-0 in conference play. Against conference opponents this season, the Generals have not lost a singles or doubles match.
“We were very pleased to get wins over Christopher Newport and Cal Lutheran, but we would have liked to play better against the two top-15 teams in Johns Hopkins and Redlands,” Michael Holt, ‘16, said. “Our doubles let us down in these two matches, so we hope to improve in this area as the season progresses.”
Several impressive individual players have starred in the early goings of the tennis season. Holt leads the team with an overall singles record of 12-2. Close behind him is Will Bannister, ‘17, with a singles record of 10-2.
As a team sport, success in tennis depends on more than just individual performances.
“I think we’ve got a really focused and tight knit group of guys that are all working their tails off right now,” Brian Krouskos, ‘16, said. “It’s a pretty upperclassmen heavy group that knows what it takes to play at a high level and demonstrates leadership with the younger guys.”
The continued success has helped the Generals reach 31 in the national rankings for Division III schools. However, it hasn’t come without its complications. Finding the ideal pairings for doubles matches has given the team the most trouble, Holt said.
Despite that, the strong start to the season has left the team hopeful for the latter part of the year. Their eyes are set squarely on the ODAC Championship and making a run in the NCAA Tournament.
“I think this group has the potential to be top-20 if not higher, and we’d like to knock off some of our top non-conference opponents like Swarthmore and Carnegie Mellon,” Krouskos said.
The team travels to Shenandoah on March 15, where they’ll look to pick up yet another conference victory.
