With the snow finally melting, the men’s tennis spring season is underway. After a one-game stint in Elmira, the Lakers spent their spring break in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
The team struggled in the three contest, dropping two of them. While Stevenson University and Edgewood College defeated Oswego State by a combined score of 13-5, the competition was unlike anything they have seen in the SUNYAC.
“It’s so much different,” senior Justin Scuderi said. “We played Edgewood, one of the best Div. III schools, and we definitely don’t play kids that high competition that often, so it was a good experience. I got a lot better from it.”
Oswego State challenged itself in its out-of-conference play intentionally to improve its play. The benefits from playing tougher competition have already showed themselves, as the Lakers defeated Utica College 6-3 on March 31. In the six individual matches that Oswego State won, the Lakers were dominant, as they did not drop a single set. All three doubles units for the Lakers won their matches. Oswego State was led by its first doubles team of Christopher Gayvert and Daniel Maslowski, who defeated L.J. Nuzzo and Austin McGrain 8-3. Both Gayvert and Maslowski would go on to win their respective singles matches in straight sets. Gayvert won the first singles by a score of 6-0, 6-1, while Maslowski won the fourth singles.
Prior to the spring break trip, Oswego State defeated Elmira College on March 9, a team it knows quite well. They have played each other every season since 2004, including twice this season. Back on March 9, the Lakers won 6-3 with a strong performance from Alex Mintz, who won the second doubles match with Gayvert as well as the fifth singles in a dominant fashion by a score of 6-0, 6-1. This was the first contest the Lakers competed in since Oct. 5. The team used the fall matches as somewhat of a preseason and way to gauge the final lineups moving into the spring.
“It separates the first to fourth singles from the five and six because a lot of kids don’t play over winter break,” Scuderi said. “They have to practice at home on their own time. Coach isn’t there to tell us ‘you have to play today.’”
Despite the large winter break, the Lakers showed up in the first match of the spring. They defeated Elmira College 6-3, and lineup was slotted well in terms of the singles, as Scuderi alluded to. Mintz was the fifth singles and defeated Frank Endieveri III 6-0, 6-1. The doubles pairs won all three matches and showed good chemistry, something head coach Shane Evans believes the fall season helped with.
“Usually, we use the fall matches to get a feel for teams in terms of doubles and chemistry on the team,” Evans said. “[There’s uncertainty] when you add a lot of new players to the roster, whether or not you’re going to play better higher up in the lineup, lower or who’s going to play better at first, second or third doubles. We always use those fall matches to get a feel for where the lineup needs to be for the spring.”
The team brought in five new members to the team, three freshmen and two transfers. With the team consisting of 10 players total and half the roster new to the team, the fall games were vital for chemistry and getting the new players integrated into the team and the culture of Oswego State tennis. In two of the last three games, Brian Emigholz and Vlad Djuraskovic have played together as the number one doubles pair. Despite losing both of those matches, they played very well against the tough competition in Edgewood College and Stevenson University. The duo meshes well, and they have a good balance of experience and talent. With Emigholz playing in his fourth and final collegiate season, he is able to act as a steady force during competition.
“[As a freshman,] being put in the starting lineup, I was kind of nervous,” Emigholz said. “I think the biggest thing is just to make sure they relax and aren’t too anxious in matches.”
Graphic by Shea McCarthy | The Oswegonian
