Love was in the air in Rhode Island this weekend, and the men's tennis team took full advantage.
The Jumbos began their fall season on Sunday by sweeping a doubleheader against Roger Williams and Salve Regina, winning both matches by 9-0 scores without losing a set and giving coach Jaime Kenney the first victories of her Tufts men's tennis career.
While the matches were not especially competitive, they served as a nice early season tune-up, gave non-starters playing time and the doubles teams a chance to work on their chemistry.
"I think we did a pretty good job keeping our focus regardless of the competition that was at hand," senior tri-captain Sam Laber said. "Especially at doubles, I think we made some pretty good steps."
The pairing of senior tri-captain Kai Victoria and junior Andrew Lutz looked tight in the No. 1 doubles slot, beating the top pairings from Roger Williams and Salve Regina 8-4 and 8-3, respectively. Sophomore Austin Blau also performed well in doubles with senior tri-captain Morrie Bossen.
"Austin is not by nature a doubles player, but I think he's made some pretty good strides in the recent weeks with his doubles game, in closing and finishing off points when Morrie's serving," Laber said.
In singles, the Jumbos did not drop more than three games in any single set, and against Salve Regina three players — sophomores Zach Ladwig and Jake Lazarus and junior Andrew McHugh — won by flawless 6-0, 6-0 scores. Lutz and junior Ben Barad were also impressive in the top two singles spots.
"[Lutz] played doubles and singles against Roger Williams and against Salve Regina in the same day, and he was able to keep his intensity and the level of his match play up the entire time," Victoria said. "Same thing with Ben Barad — he kept the level of his game really high. He didn't let the fact that we were playing weak competition get to his focus."
Ladwig has also made a good impression.
"Zach has improved a lot this summer," Laber said. "He's hitting a nice clean ball now. He's always had the talent, but I think he's really starting to come around."
The matches also offered a chance for Kenney to reinforce the aggressive style of doubles play that she has been preaching in practice.
"In the middle of my doubles match, she actually pulled me aside and said that I needed to play tighter to the net in order to put a lot more pressure on their first volleys when they were serving," Laber said. "Ben and I did a much better job pinching the net after she critiqued us on that, and it improved the way we returned serve."
In order to keep everyone fresh and to give backups match experience, Kenney made a decision to rotate in and out several players with minor injuries. Blau and Victoria each took breathers during singles at Salve Regina due to shoulder and hip issues, respectively, and Laber played only at Roger Williams due to a minor wrist injury.
Sophomore Pat Monaghan was the lone player to be shut down completely with a lingering back ailment, and while the severity is unclear, it seems likely that he will have to sit out the remainder of the fall.
"Pat is one of our strongest singles players, so we're really hoping he gets better," Victoria said. "We're going to need him."
Now, the Jumbos have a week to gear up for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regional Championships, for which they hope to be granted three singles and two doubles spots. The ITAs have a big impact on regional rankings, and although those rankings are not crucial to the success of the team, they can send a message to the competition.
"ITAs put your name out there." Victoria said. "It lets other teams know that you're a good team, that you're talented, before the spring season starts."
