The Tigers' season has just begun—and they’ve hit the ground running. After sweeping conference opponent Earlham 9-0 on Wednesday, they’ve moved to 4-1 overall for the season so far.
“I think we were able to sweep because we all played disciplined tennis," said junior doubles player John Daseke. "I don’t think we necessarily played our best tennis as a team, but we stuck to our game plan and were more disciplined than [Earlham]."
Daseke and his partner, junior Patrick Farrell, make up the No. 2 doubles team for the Tigers. They defeated their competitors 8-0.
“I thought I served very well and was happy with how aggressive I was playing," said Farrell of his play. "I'm confident that I can keep up my level."
Daseke added: “Pat and I did the right things. We were on the same page and got a solid win at No. 2 doubles.”
Juniors Harold Martin and Nate Wallace, the No. 3 doubles team, won 8-4, while the No. 1 doubles team—made up of senior Alec Kaczkowski and junior Dan Rodefeld—won 8-6.
“Our team got off to a hot start in doubles, taking all three matches, and I think the momentum carried over into our singles play,” Martin said. “We remained disciplined in our singles play, which was important against a team who has some big hitters.”
The singles portion of the teams also performed well, with No. 4 singles player Matt Santen cleaning up another victory.
“I think the key was the fact that we started hot and swept the doubles portion of the match. We've been focusing a lot on starting off matches with an increased amount of energy and I thought we did that,” Santen said.
The Tigers have a tough couple matches coming up. Granted, they get a little break before them—their next competition is March 5 against University of Chicago.
“We play one of the best teams in the country next Saturday when we play Chicago,” Santen said. “We're going to have to play better than we did yesterday if we want to win—but the season just began so I think we're on the right track.”
“We need to fine tune our doubles a little bit and establish our presence earlier in matches," Martin added, "but we should be fine with a full week of practice next week.