Tennis trounces the competition in first matches of season

Author: Martin Breu

The men's tennis team sent a clear message to their competitors this weekend: 'we're back!' The Panthers showed up in top form with dominating wins over NYU, Brandeis, Connecticut College and Bates.

Saturday was a triple-header for the Panthers, as they faced NYU, Brandeis and Connecticut College. The Panthers defeated NYU and Brandeis 9-0, and dropped only a single game to defeat Connecticut College 8-1. Tri-captain Conrad Olson '09 described Saturday's matches as "sort of a warmup" during which the whole team roster of 13 singles players got to play.

On Sunday, the Panthers faced a much tougher opponent in Bates College; Bates was ranked in the Top 25 Division-III schools in the nation going into the weekend. Instead of shying from the challenge, the Panthers rose to the occasion with a perfect victory over the Bobcats at 9-0. This feat was made even more impressive by the fact that the Panthers accomplished the victory without even losing a single set across the nine games.

Olson pointed to the doubles victory of tri-captain Andrew Thomson '10 and talented first-year David Farrah '12 as the standout game in the match against Bates. Thomson and Farrah faced off against the number one Bates doubles team, who finished the fall season ranked fourth nationally, and dispatched them with ease, winning 8-1. Thomson said that Olson deserved credit for "[leading] the team with his on court determination" against the top Bates player in his singles match. The Panthers will face Bates again later this season in the NESCAC tournament.

While congratulating their team on some great matches, the captains emphasized that there was still a lot of work to be done before the team is ready for the championships.

Thomson stressed that "we have a very tough road ahead [of us]" this season, and that the team would "have to continue to improve to be successful."

The Panthers are looking forward to their spring break trip to California where they will get to play top-ranked competitors like Claremont McKenna (#3) and Santa Cruz (#6).