Jaden Stainforth ‘27
Staff Writer
As another school year begins, the Holy Cross Men’s and Women’s Tennis squads embark on another epic campaign for glory. While both squads focus more on the spring season, success in the fall is no less sought after and valuable. Previewing the year ahead Margaret Winiecki ’29, expresses confidence in the team, stating that this year’s squad is “looking very talented” and that everyone is “super pumped to start competing.” Both teams have already hit the ground running with the men’s unit achieving a clean sweep against Wheaton College (MA) and the women’s quad .
Over the weekend, the men found nothing short of success. Jack Prokopis ’28 secured his first college singles victory for the Crusaders, Will Donnelly ’28 won his singles match whilst conceding no points to his opponent, and Aayush Jhaveri ’29 and Colton Parker ’29 both held off their opponents in their respective singles matches handedly. Lucas Bikkesbakker ’28 fought his way to victory all the way to the end, drawing his opponent 1-1 by the second match and clinching victory with a tight 16-14 match at the end. Rounding out the singles matches, Matt Carlson ’27, who is fresh off an All-Patriot League second team campaign last year, won both the No. 1 and No. 2 singles matches for the squad. Carlson ’27 has an opportunity to forge his name into program history this year as he needs 13 more singles victories and 11 more doubles wins to lead the program in both categories. The men’s squad face Iona University next here on the Hill on Friday September 18th at 3pm.
After Iona, the men’s squad have a host of invitationals on their slate for the rest of the fall season. On September 26th and 27th, they host various schools at the Holy Cross Invitational. They head to West Point, New York the weekend of October 2nd for the Army Invitational hosted by the US Military Academy. After that, they drive a little under an hour to Cambridge on October 9th and 10th to participate in the ITA New England Men’s Regional, where they face teams from all over the region. Finally, to round out their fall campaign, they head back to West Point for the Patriot League ITA Masters Qualifier tournament.
Teddy Callery ’27 shares the same sentiment with Margeret ’29, asserting that the team has a “ton of talent and experience” this year and that they could be “dangerous… for the rest of the Patriot League. In addition, Callery ’27 states that one of the men’s squad’s greatest strengths this year is their closeness and chemistry. He feels that their tight bond as a squad allows them to better “game plan and feel prepared going to big matches.”
The women’s squad have an even busier schedule, having already competed in the Bryant Invitational on September 12th and 13th. Like the men, they face Iona on Friday September 18th. Afterwards, they take on Assumption University on the 25th of September, and then they head to New Haven, Conn. for the ITA New England Women’s Regional. The women will host their invitational on the Hill on the 17th and 18th of October, a few weeks after the men. Finally, they join the men’s squad, travelling to West Point for the Patriot’s ITA Masters Qualifier at Army.
This fall both teams have multiple opportunities to face teams from all over the region, once at their respective ITA Regionals, then at their respective invitationals on the Hill, and finally at the ITA Masters Qualifier, where they will all contend for automatic qualification sports in the national ITA Conference Masters Championships in early November in Rome, GA. If they can secure a spot here, they’ll have the opportunity to fight for qualification for the NCAA Singles and/or Doubles Championships. While it’s certainly a long road ahead, men’s and women’s Holy Cross tennis seem ready and hungry for success, and all is to play for at each match, tournament, and invitational this fall.
Featured Image Courtesy of Holy Cross Athletics
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