The Hopkins men’s tennis team earned the top seed in the Centennial Conference this past weekend, as the men notched victories against both Muhlenberg (9-0) and Mary Washington (9-0). The men subsequently improved their overall 15-2 record and their Centennial Conference undefeated record to 8-0. With only one regular season match remaining, the men hope to maintain their top seed.
Play began on Saturday morning when the men took on Muhlenberg. The points began racking up when sophomore David Greenbaum paired with freshman Nathan Law. The duo won third doubles over Mules Dylan Ander and Keith Beizer with a score of 8-4 to show for their efforts.
This victory was followed by another, as senior Jeff Kamei and sophomore Sam Weissler beat out Derrick Eng and Daniel Lakhman at first, a final score of 8-4.
The wins poured in quickly after that, as sophomore Edward Corty with the helps of junior Jeremy Schwartz closed doubled competition with a victory over Eric Chavis and Jason Teitelbaum at second, 8-4.
The men didn’t let up in singles play, and continued to demonstrate skill throughout their play. At first, senior Andy Hersh set the tone early during his 106th career singles match, breaking the school record for matches played. Hersh was victorious over Lakhman, 6-1, 6-3.
Weissler also helped start singles play off right, as he took a victory over Teitelbaum (6-1, 6-0) at second. This win was closely followed by yet another Hopkins conquest, as Schwartz beat out Chavis 6-1, 6-0 at third.
Corty also had a strong showing, as he recorded a perfect 6-0, 6-0 win over Ander at fourth. Law beat Beizer at fifth with a final score of 6-4, 6-0, and closing the match was Junio Joonas Karjalainen, defeating Eng at sixth with a score of 6-0, 6-1.
Play continued in the afternoon as the team took on the Mary Washington Eagles in non-conference play. Hersh and Kamei beat Evan Chalres and David Lunding-Johansson, 8-1, at third doubles, earning the first point of the match.
Following the victory, the sophomore duo of Tanner Brown and Erik Lim defeated Tuler Carey and Kaleb Nguyen 8-4 at first. Closing out doubles play were freshman Nicholas Garcia and sophomore Noah Joachim, who were victorious over Alex Blakhin and Sam Wichlin at second, 8-3.
The men continued to display strength in the final stretch of the day for singles play.
Singles competition began with Garcia, who beat out Will Apperson at sixth, 6-2, 6-1. Soon after, sophomore Ben Hwang snagged a win over Charles at third, with a score of 6-1, 6-2.
At fourth, Lim was victorious with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Lunding-Johansson, and Brown continued raking up the points with his 6-0, 6-1 cincher.
Hersh succeeded in his 80th win of his career at first, defeating Blakhin 6-3, 6-3. Hersh now ties David Maldow (2010) for the record.
To close singles play was Weissler, who also won at fifth over Nguyen, 6-2, 7-6 (4).
The men continue their hard work and dedication while hoping for the best results in future matches.
“It was quite nice to shut out both teams this Saturday. It shows how deep our team is and how our hard work has been paying off,” Lim said.
Lim continued to elaborate on the energy needed for the final leg of their season.
“Heading into the last couple of matches of the regular season, we feel confident. We still have to improve throughout the last stretch and push ourselves harder than before but it is what we have been waiting for all year. This year will be special —we all can feel it.”
The team hopes to continue their winning streak next Saturday, April 27th, when they host Washington College and NC Wesleyan. Come watch the men face Washington at 11:00 am and Wesleyan later in the day at 2:00 pm.
Washington College is currently 6-9 in their season, suffering a losing record of 3-4 in conference. Saturday’s match will be the first time the Jays and the Shoremen meet this season.
Wesleyan posts a similar record of 6-8 this season. The Cardinals are 4-3 in their conference, NESCAC.
Hopkins remains undefeated at home and in conference.
