Posted by Andrew Shi
On Saturday, the men's tennis team starts up their regular spring season with a match against Union College. They had participated in several Invites during the fall, the last of which was in early November at Bates College.
The results of the Bates Invite were spread out, with Miles Ransom '15, winning the C Singles and reaching the Semifinals. Other players fell early in the Invite though.
Now, after more than three months off of the courts, the tennis team prepares to battle for a winning season. According to NCAA rules, official team practices are not allowed in the off-season, and players have had to train on their own. Currently the team has started to practice rigorously at the Saratoga's regional YMCA Wilton branch.
"We are a very different team, with a lot of young talent. I think we are finding our identity as a team and that will be a very important process for us. We have talent, so that has the potential to be a strength, but it is a talent that needs to be nurtured or it could amount to nothing. That is what we are devoting a lot of time to doing this spring," Coach Simms said.
This year two freshmen join the nine member team, which also has four sophomores, bringing the total count of underclassmen to six.
As for the Saturday match against Union, Coach Simms said it " should be a good way for the team to get used to a college match before the tougher competition the following weekend against Vassar. We have to take Union seriously as an opponent, but we have done well against them the past few years."
The match is 5 p.m. at Union College.