Men's tennis team rides wave of success with strong senior leaders

9-0 wins, as spectacular as they may be for the winning side, inevitably get old after a while and especially on paper. Any and all readers will not be surprised to hear the Panthers yet again swept a powerless Skidmore team last weekend, led by their usual starting lineups. Andy Peters ’11, Andrew Lee ’10, Andrew Thomson ’10, Alec Parower ’13, Peter Odell ’10, and Eliot Jia ’10 led the way in singles play, none winning a game by less than a 6-3 margin. In doubles play, each Middlebury duo impressed as expected. So to what can we attribute such unparalleled, all-around success?

The team’s ability to garner impressive results throughout this year warrants a closer look at the powerful program into which Middlebury Tennis has transformed. Like any recipe for success, Middlebury men’s tennis has found a perfect storm of collective work ethic, team chemistry, and a learning environment.

Similarly, senior leadership has started and remains a linchpin as the Panthers gear up for the final push of the season.

“It has been an amazing experience to be in the lineup — especially as a first-year starter — with so many upperclassmen,” said Parower, or “Meat” as he is affectionately called by his teammates. “They have been very supportive. All of us want to win, but the seniors really set the tone.”

Just one example is Chris Mason ’10.

“He has had a tremendous impact this year,” said Will Oberrender ’10. “He was a great roommate in California and a strong leader on the team.”

Indeed, the team camaraderie at the upperclassman level has been nothing short of contagious.

The Panthers are also pleased to witness the continued progression of Andy Peters ’11, who takes a lead-by-example approach.

“He works out six hours a day on the court and in the gym,” said Odell. “He went from playing at number four singles for us last year to being ranked in the top five in the country.” 

This leap simply does not occur. It is willed. Peters’ extra efforts have combined with senior leadership to provide younger benefactors with spectacular tutorship.

At the helm of the powerhouse that is the tennis team stands Head Coach Dave Schwarz, whose ability to extract potential from his players has proven strong.

“He has been a great influence over the last four years, and not only in being a great tennis coach,” said Lee. “He goes out of his way to help with any issue, tries to help us have fun out there, and really looks to include everyone in the program.”

Added Thomson, “Dave taught me how to be a tougher competitor. While he works us hard on the court, he is also willing to help us in all aspects of our lives when we need it most. He has made me a better person in the past four years. I want to thank him for that.”

Parower, too, knows the value of Schwarz’s unwavering persistence. “Dave does a good job at keeping us in line,” he said. “He constantly tells us that although it is an honor to be number one in the country, schools are always extra hungry to beat us.”

For this last reason, and because of an increasingly tougher schedule, Lee foresees some “absolute wars” from here on out, and the rest of the squad can sense the moment at hand.

“This next month is going to be crazy,” said Mason. “We have our biggest regular season weekend coming up, followed by NESCACs and then (hopefully) NCAAs. I think the team is feeling confident right now, but there are several other teams inside (most notably Amherst) and outside the NESCAC that have really picked up their play. We have some strong momentum right now, but we’re going to have to raise our level even more if we want to keep that going through the most important matches of the year.”

Middlebury visits Amherst this Saturday in a NESCAC clash of the titans, followed by Sunday matches at rival Williams.