Riding a strong spring break performance all the way back to Hanover, the Big Green men's tennis team is looking forward to another successful season.
Winning four out of five matches on the 12 day road trip, the team posted its best West Coast record in recent history. Dartmouth prevailed over Utah, San Diego, Weber State and the College of the Desert, losing only a tight 4-3 match to Drake.
The highlight of the trip came with team victories over national powerhouses San Diego and Utah. Holden Spaht '96, Eric Holzer '99 and Gabe Sauerhoff '99 earned wins over Utah at the three, four and five spots, respectively. The Big Green picked up its additional point by winning their two and three doubles matches.
Jim Rich '96, playing at the number one position, earned a hard-fought victory to go along with wins at four, five and six against the University of San Diego. Trailing 5-1 in the decisive third set, Rich rallied to win six straight points and take the set 7-5.
"Things just started to come together for me in that match," Rich said. "I hadn't really been playing match-tough tennis, but everything culminated in that match. I was hitting the ball well, and things finally went my way in the third set."
The strong play of the freshmen class was another positive aspect of the Big Green's trip. Playing at the five position, Gabe Sauerhoff went 9-0, while Eric Holzer, at the number four spot, lost only once. In addition, Austin Hawley had a strong showing at number six.
Keeping things in perspective, Sauerhoff was quick to add, "While going 4-1 was a great confidence booster, we've got to be careful not to get overconfident. Just one weekend slipup could wipe out our goal of an Ivy League title."
Also coming off a strong West Coast trip at the three position was Senior Captain Spaht. He points towards good team chemistry for future success this season.
"It's always tough with an individual sport to grasp the fact that we're in this for the team, too," Spaht said. "But once everyone starts cheering each other on in California after a tough ten week training period, things are put in better perspective."
This weekend the Big Green continues its non-league schedule against two competitive schools in their same region-- St. John's and Penn State.
Coach Charles Kinyon noted the importance of this weekend's match-ups.
"The past two years we've won the regional tournament and advanced to the NCAA's, but with such a tough road schedule it will be difficult to repeat those past accomplishments. Our goal is to make it back, and facing two tough schools from our region early on will give us a good idea where we stand," Kinyon said.
EITA conference play begins in two weeks for the Big Green, with a road trip to Penn and Columbia. Dartmouth will continue to look for big wins down low at the four, five and six positions from the younger players, combined with the solid leadership up front from the upperclassmen.
"We hope to continue to improve on our doubles play and get the one and two teams up to the caliber they're capable of," Rich said. "If we can continue to build on our successful play in California, I think we'll have a great season."
With strong senior leadership from Spaht and Rich and an impressive group of freshmen, the Big Green appear poised for another successful season on the courts.
