Boys’ Tennis Excited to be Back on the Court

The boys’ tennis team is looking forward to its first matches of the season. On Apr. 1, Varsity A will travel to St. Paul’s while Varsity B will head to Thayer Academy.

Varsity A’s schedule this year features ten dual matches against other New England prep schools—two of which are against Andover—the New England Team Tournament and the New England Individual Tournament.

Varsity A finished with four wins and four losses last year. Senior SP Agata felt that the team had played well, but fell short of its team goal. “Last season was solid. We had some good wins along the way but sadly weren’t able to win another New England title,” he said.

"We have a lot of potential. I’m just excited to start playing matches and enjoy the season with the team.”

Many new faces filled the team’s roster this year as the 2015-2016 Varsity A and B teams lost nine out of its sixteen players. Lower Luca Cantone, who did not make the cut for the tennis team last year, expressed excitement about the opportunity to play this year. “This is my first competitive sport at Exeter, so I don’t really know what to expect, but I am hopeful and ready [to] stretch myself as an athlete and win some matches for Exeter,” he said.

Cantone mentioned that he has been practicing more in preparation for the season. “I had the chance to tune up my form and hit over break, and I feel as prepared as I ever have been,” he said.

Prep Carsten Bressel felt that although the team had graduated many strong players, a talented group of underclassmen and returning players would compensate. “By losing a lot of the best guys, the chemistry of the team has been altered. There is some quality young blood that will hopefully make up for the members that have left,” he said.

Agata agreed that a diverse range of experienced and newer players gives the team potential to play very well this season. “Losing players is always hard and we may have some bumps in the road, but I think that we will still be able to have a successful season. There are a couple seniors, like Cam Gruss and Sergio [Escobar] on our team with a lot of experience as well as some talented underclassmen.”

Although the team is a bit rusty as it’s the start of the season, they’re excited to practice and get in shape. “It’s been a while for most of us, and we have to get back in the grind. Hopefully as the snow clears, we will get some quality time in,” Bressel said.

Agata expressed optimism for the near future. “Our season hasn’t started yet. We are still preparing for our first match. We have a lot of potential. I’m just excited to start playing matches and enjoy the season with the team,” he said.

Bresell, too, was enthusiastic about the season. “Playing matches, for all of us, is really an exhilarating experience that can’t really be replicated anywhere else. I am looking forward to an incredible season with some great teammates.”

The varsity’s first game of the season is this Saturday, Apr. 1, against St. Paul’s. For the past two seasons, Exeter’s game against St. Paul’s has been cancelled due to the weather, so hopefully this is the year that the two times finally get to play each other.