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Volume CXXXII, Number 19 |
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Tennis serves from Hawaii to NY
MIKE BALULESCU
STAFF WRITER
Although Colin Joyner '03 lacks the monogrammed sweaters and pearl-clad girlfriends of most tennis stars, this talented senior co-captain is once again poised to lead the men's tennis team to the top of the heap in Division III competition. Along with co-captain August Felker '03, Joyner hopes to improve on last year's phenomenal 17-3 finish, and capitalize on the talent and maturity of this year's squad.
The outlook for the Polar Bears so far is very optimistic. After shutting out Wesleyan in the March 8 season opener, the team traveled to sunny Hawaii for spring break matches against several Division II competitors.
Although the Polar Bears lost three out of their four matches in Hawaii, they bounced back and swept Kenyon College and the University of Rochester last weekend at a tournament in Rochester, New York. Although the bustling upstate city of Rochester did not provide the sunny skies and balmy respite of Hawaii, the men's team persevered and battled through two tough matches to win 4-3 and 5-2 against Kenyon and Rochester, respectively.
According to Joyner, the team's biggest asset this year will be maturity. "We didn't graduate anyone last year, and we don't have any freshman this year, so we are playing with exactly the same team two years in a row," said Joyner. "The only difference this year is [senior] Nick MacLean, who was away in Scotland last spring."
The Polar Bears were ranked a lofty sixth in the nation during the more subdued fall season, and expectations are deservedly high. "The team chemistry is already there," said Joyner, "and with the return of Nick, I think we look very strong."
Seniors Felker, Joyner, and MacLean will be backed by seven underclassmen this spring, including Concord-Carlisle's own Barrett Lawson '05.
The next two weeks will be huge for the men's tennis team, as they have four home matches in a row against NESCAC rivals Trinity College, Tufts University, Middlebury College, and Colby College. The Polar Bears will take on Trinity tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. Tennis, anyone?
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