Whitman tennis’ recent wins against the University of Puget Sound and Whitworth University raised its win streak to six following a loss to Lewis-Clark State. The team easily won its two matches this weekend by scores of 9-0 and 8-1, respectively.
As the season progresses, the men look to add to their past victories with help from stellar individual performances. The top singles player for the team, sophomore Colton Malesovas, is currently ranked 11th in the nation in the singles position and doubles player junior Steven Roston is the most recent recipient of the Student Athlete of the Week award.
The team has swept through the competition with relative ease and few surprises from the opposing teams. The team only dropped one game against Whitworth to its top doubles team. After the win against Whitworth, the team moved up the national rankings to 13th in the country.
“Though the results weren’t unexpected, it’s always gratifying to get the win [against Whitworth]. It was especially nice to play at home on our outdoor courts,” said Assistant Coach Conor Holton-Burke.
The team is currently 6-1 on the season, despite its success. Every single win is important in driving the team closer to a return to the national championships. Furthermore, every game prepares the players for the tougher matches which are sure to come.
“The conference matches are a poor barometer for how we’re looking as a team, but we’ve been working incredibly hard both on the court and in the weight room the past couple weeks, and I think we’re ready to compete well over spring break,” said Holton-Burke.
Although the team is heading for the tropical weather of Hawaii, the members of the tennis team will continue working hard as they compete with high-level competition on the island on their annual trip.
“We’ll be spending spring break playing six nationally ranked DIII teams [#4 CMS, #10 Wash U, #11 UC Santa Cruz, #17 Pomona-Pitzer, #20 UT-Tyler, #27 Whittier] to go with ranked opponents from DII [#5 Hawaii Pacific, #44 BYU-Hawaii] and DI [#57 Idaho] in Santa Cruz and Hawaii. These are the two weeks we’ve been training for all semester, and to say that we’re excited would be a colossal understatement,” said Holton-Burke.
The team seeks to continue its success with goals of winning its sixth straight NWC title and surpassing its highest national ranking of 8th last year.
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