On Saturday, a surging men’s tennis team ended the regular season with two wins over NC Wesleyan and Washington College in split-squad matches, extending its impressive win streak to eight consecutive matches. The Jays remained undefeated in the Centennial Conference and have now won an inconceivable 74 consecutive conference matches. Hopkins goes into the postseason with an overall record of 16-4 and a 9-0 conference record.
The Jays prevailed against Washington in a conference match, giving up just one singles match. Freshman Michael Buxbaum and junior Edward Corty played together for the very first time at first doubles but quickly found their groove, giving Hopkins its first point with an 8-2 win. Freshman Jeff Mackenzie and sophomore Nathan Law controlled their match from the start, winning 8-1 at third.
“Jeff and I were able to control the net and poach away a lot of the opponents’ ground strokes,” Law said.
Seniors German Gonzalez and Jeremy Schwartz remained strong in a close match, taking a 9-7 win at second.
In the singles bracket, the Jays fed off of each other as every player looked to give up as few games as possible. At first, Buxbaum won the match, dropping just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 victory. Law, meanwhile, swept his opponent with just 12 games at sixth.
“I was just very focused and locked in for singles," Law said. "My serve was clicking, my forehand was moving him around and my footwork was getting me everywhere."
Corty matched him with another 6-0, 6-0 win at second. The Jays kept their feet on the pedal as Mackenzie lost just one game in each set to win his match at third. At fourth, sophomore Chris Jou suffered again from a nagging shoulder injury and took a tough 6-2, 6-2 loss.
“Because of this, my opponent was able to take advantage and attack," Jour said. "I found it hard to win the match without my serve."
Senior Joonas Karjalainen felt disoriented as he began his match at fifth, realizing that he was playing in the last match of his college career.
“My opponent was playing me the right way strategically: looping balls on my backhand and making me hit backhands above shoulder height,” Karjalainen said.
He came back in the second and third sets by playing more aggressively. He won the match 3-6, 6-4, 10-2 to end the day’s matches, the regular season and his career with a hard-earned victory.
In Fredericksburg, Va., the Jays earned two quick points with easy wins at first and third doubles, as sophomore Nicholas Garcia and junior Noah Joachim overwhelmed their opponents with an 8-2 win at first, while freshman Emerson Walsh and junior Sam Weissler won 8-3 at third. Hopkins took a step back with a difficult 8-4 loss at second by freshmen Jeremy Dubin and Erik Lim but quickly recovered.
The Jays were dominant in the singles bracket, losing just one match at third as Garcia fell just a few games short in a 6-3, 6-4 loss. Junior Ben Hwang was unsparing in a 6-3, 6-1 victory at first. Dubin edged out in a comeback three-set 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-6) victory at second. At fourth, Lim needed just 13 games in a 6-1, 6-0 win. At fifth and sixth respectively, Weissler won 6-1, 6-2 and Joachim dominated with a 6-2, 6-0 win, giving the Jays a 7-2 victory in the non-conference matchup.
The season has been an absolute success. The Jays have affirmed their presence as a soaring powerhouse with their performance. According to Mackenzie, their effort in each and every practice proved to be crucial, with players striving to push each other to improve.
“The team bonded really well, and I think that'll be a big plus for us going into the postseason,” Mackenzie said.
Carrying an eight-match win streak, the Jays have high hopes to continue to thrive in the postseason.
“It is really important to be playing our best tennis toward the end of the season going into playoffs," Jou said. "Hopefully we will be able to take all this momentum and do well in playoffs."
The Jays have clinched the top seed in the Centennial Conference Championship, in which they look to earn a ninth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
"We have potentially the best team that we’ve ever had, so if things go our way, I believe we have a shot at winning the title,” Karjalainen said.
Filled with confidence, they are eager to begin the postseason on May 3 in the Centennial Conference Championship.
