With it being the first match of the season, men’s tennis didn’t need any more motivation to play well. But Marian University gave them just that.
After handing DePauw their first official loss of last season, the Knights were nearly shut out in the fall opener, as the Tigers won the match 8-1 on their home court Wednesday evening.
“It was good to get some revenge,” said senior Alec Kaczkowski. “For the first match of the season, it’s good to see everyone out there competing and playing hard like this.”
DePauw was led by Kaczkowski and junior Patrick Farrell, both who provided a spark for the team in multiple matches. While Kaczkowski won #1 singles and #1 doubles with junior Dan Rodefeld, Farrell held his own with victories in #2 singles and #2 doubles with freshman Matthew Quammen.
Though they made it look easy, the two upperclassmen’s transition between matches not only took skill, but a flexible mentality as well.
“I got down early in both sets on account of a lot of errors,” explained Farrell. “Doubles to singles is totally different… You really need to forget a loss in doubles going into singles, or ride the momentum into singles if you won in doubles.”
Kaczkowski agreed, also noting a key difference between the two types of play.
"You have to be ready to go (in) intense the whole in doubles while singles (is) more of a sustained calm intensity,” said Kackowski.
Marian’s only victory of the match came from senior Jack Hiatt, who defeated DePauw junior Harold Martin at four singles, 6-0, 6,2 for his third consecutive win of the season.
But while it seemed like a blowout, it could’ve be a very different match for the Tigers.
“Marian is a very well-coached (program) and (has) a lot of great guys on the team,” said head coach Scott Riggle. “(The match) wasn’t as decisive as the score said. There were a lot of matches that we could’ve lost and (it) would’ve been a completely different story.”
Despite the victory, the match also exposed flaws in the team’s accuracy with shots, especially with serving, something Riggle thinks will improve as the season progresses.
“We seem to have the kind of guys on our team that are really dedicated (to getting) better everyday,” said Riggle.
The Tigers will now head into their biggest home match(es) of the season in the DePauw Invitational, a tournament that in the past has brought in Ohio Dominican, Grand Valley State and Indianapolis.
While it’s still early, the weekend will give the team even more of a sense of where they need to be in preparation for the rest of the fall and into the spring season.
“We haven’t played that many matches yet so guys are still getting the feel for it,” said Farrell. “As long as we can improve our consistency, our fitness will take care of the rest.”