Men's tennis Coach Chuck Kinyon took a risk, and it paid off big for Dartmouth yesterday as the Big Green posted 5-2 victories against both the University of Vermont and Boston University.
Faced with two consecutive contests, Kinyon opted to split his lineup. Showcasing the depth of the Big Green, Kinyon picked different lineups for the two matches so his players could get playing time.
Still, neither UVM, nor BU were able to challenge the Big Green.
"It was a good opportunity for some guys to play at positions they normally don't play at, to see how they would respond to pressure," Kinyon said.
And respond they did. Against BU, with the Big Green up 3-2 and having lost the first sets of the two remaining matches, second singles Erich Holzer '99 and fifth singles Ervin Tu '97 stepped up their play. Both took the final sets of their matches to send Dartmouth on to a 5-2 victory.
Tu's 3-6, 7-6, 6-2 victory clinched it for the Big Green. "It wasn't pretty, but I was able to tough it out," Tu said.
Second singles Erich Holzer also put forth a huge effort as he posted a 6-7, 6-0, 7-6 win. Dartmouth had already clinched the match, but Holzer still hung in tough with a 7-5 win in the third set break.
Coach Kinyon was impressed with Holzer's win and the freshman himself. "I see very good things for him down the road," Kinyon said.
Other singles wins for the Big Green in their defeat of BU were third singles Gabe Sauerhoff '99 and fourth singles Avery Rueb '98. Rueb paired with Rob Simik '99 and Sauerhoff teamed with Austin Hawley '99 in victories that allowed the Dartmouth to capture the doubles point.
Earlier in the day, the Big Green also won with a comfortable 5-2 victory over UVM. Leading the way were first singles player Jim Rich '96 and second singles player Captain Holden Spaht '96.
Rich scored an easy 6-0, 6-1, and Spaht cruised to a 6-4, 6-0 win. Rich and Spaht also teamed at first doubles, recording an 8-0 triumph.
The second doubles team of Austin Hawley '99 and Greg Sainnoval '99 also won, clinching the doubles point for the Big Green. And in other singles action, Dartmouth's third singles Simik and sixth singles Jon Kim '99 were victorious.All in all it was a very successful day for the Big Green. The coaching staff was able to get a good look at a lot of players, competing under pressure.
The wins bode well for Dartmouth as they travel next week to Princeton to compete in the ECAC. This tournament will be the Big Green's first true test and will offer a good look at what to expect from them this year.
The UVM and BU victories were Dartmouth's first results of the year, giving the Big Green a record of 2-0.
