Men's Tennis Slams Past CAC Rivals Wesley and W&L

By SARAH ALVAREZ

On Saturday, the No. 12 University of Mary Washington men’s tennis team took on No. eight Washington and Lee University and Capital Athletic Conference rival Wesley College in a double header at the UMW Indoor Tennis Center.

The day of matches resulted in impressive victories leading to a renewed sense of team confidence and boosted morale after a rocky streak of matches at the ITA Indoor National Championship and in California.

The day began with a sweep in doubles against the Washington and Lee Generals. With three of three courts finishing points well the Eagles managed a convincing win early in the match.

A new doubles team, among other factors, contributed to this success as freshman Andrew Frisk and junior Evan Goff came out strong in the beginning of their sets scoring points off impressive serves in addition to returning volleys with impeccable accuracy.

Effective communication for doubles is key; Frisk and Goff’s early win proved their exceptional execution of this important skill.
“We both were enjoying ourselves out on the court and being very positive in our self talk, which is key to playing well in tennis,” Goff said.

Fellow teammate junior Eric Sundstrom commented on his teammate’s performance with an optimistic attitude.

“They finish points well at the net,” Sundstrom said. “They gel well together.”

This pair’s success was not unique. The rest of the Eagles, on courts one and three, finished strong with 8-1 and 8-3 victories respectively.
Early successes helped to ignite a momentum that would lead them, later in the day, to repeat this same outcome.

Sophomore Bryce Parrish noted his teammates’ quick start in doubles and predicted their eventual victory in the remaining single sets.
“There is a great energy today,” Parrish said. “It will help propel us into singles with momentum.”

The Generals, a noted Eagles rival, came back with determination for singles after their defeat early in the day. However, despite the Generals’ efforts the Eagles managed to keep the Generals from a win by taking four of six courts into victory. The day’s earlier momentum proved strong enough to help the team top the Generals 7-2.

“It was a great feeling to be able to have a tough fought 7-2 win over Washington and Lee,” Goff said. “All the guys are working extremely hard so when you get a nice win over a quality team it feels good.”

After a strong start to the double header, the Eagles continued their earlier streak of strong tennis to take on the Wesley College Wolverines in a Capital Athletic Conference match. The Eagles swept in doubles with 8-0 victories across courts one through three.

Capitalizing on the day’s energy and momentum the Eagles once again showed little could stop them in their 5-1 performances in singles, only allowing for one Wolverine point by default. The 8-1 victory for the Eagles left the team with a heightened spirit for the remainder of the season.

These two wins help the Eagles gain strong ground and momentum for some of their upcoming matches against Swarthmore College and Haverford College on Saturday and Sunday respectively.