2006 Season Summary

When the varsity tennis team organized itself several days before spring break, it was pretty clear that 2006 was going to be a challenging rebuilding season following a successful 14-2 year in 2005 and an overall 65-11 record since 2001. Nine veteran seniors were lost to graduation and one talented German exchange student retuned to his native land for his senior year. Over thirty-five students tried out for varsity and JV tennis and when the dust settled following a week of challenge matches, the 2006 varsity team found itself with two freshmen, four sophomores, four juniors, and three seniors. Five of the new varsity players were JV players last year, four were new students, and four returning students switched spring sports from last year.

 

Captain Erik Lanza ’06, who owned the #5 varsity spot during his junior year, was the only returning varsity player and he would have to not only provide leadership, but also take on the daunting task of playing in the #1 spot in singles and doubles.

Throughout the seven weeks of the regular season, the team remained focused on improvement; playing smart each match, forging team solidarity, and working hard to reach our goal of scratching out five victories. As of this summary, we have two 4-3 wins over Trinity-Pawling and Pomfret under our belts and we feel that we can be competitive in three of our final four tilts.

Enough cannot be said about captain Erik Lanza, who, as a senior and veteran player, was used to being on a winning team; Erik came to practice every day with the desire to help his younger teammates to become more competitive players. His maturity, dedication, and leadership were outstanding.

The underclassmen on the team who were tested in competition this past season have a better idea of what it will take to compete next year. They will work hard in the off season to improve all aspects of their games.