Courtsey of Brian Beard

The men’s tennis team (15–3; 7–3 NESCAC) has been on a winning streak as the Polar Bears  approach the end of their regular season. Snagging a win against Colby (6–8; 1–7 NESCAC) last Thursday and two more against MIT (9–8) and Nichols College (9–1) over the weekend, the Polar Bears have improved their record as they head into the NESCAC championship on May 3 and 4.

The Polar Bears have had an explosive regular season thus far, currently ranking ninth in NCAA Division III. After falling to Hamilton (15–4; 5–4 NESCAC) and Amherst (11–5; 7–2 NESCAC) on April 12 and 13, Aden Dorros ’27  emphasized  the team’s focus on bringing back early-season success and momentum.

“The energy heading into the Colby match was really about re-centering ourselves and as a team getting back to the energy and competitiveness that we want to bring to every match,” Dorros said.“I think for me, it was about just trying to be the best teammate I can be and bring as much energy to practice as possible and as much energy to the match as possible so that everyone’s getting to that state of having a fun time playing.”

Kiran Garapati ’28 explained how the team tried to bring its A-game for the challenging three- match week.

“We really tried to dig deep, reflect and come out super hungry for a strong week, especially with the midweek match [against Colby]. It was the first time for a lot of us, so [it was] definitely a change of pace. We just wanted to go out there and play up to our fullest,” Garapati said.

Bowdoin played through windy conditions at Colby but was able to effectively adapt to the weather. Garapati took a straight-set singles win for the College, and the rest of the team dominated the singles matches, winning five out of the six to secure a 5–2 overall win.

Returning home for a doubleheader on Saturday, the team brought back the loud, fighting energy that marked the Colby match. Taking on MIT in the morning and Nichols in the afternoon, the day ended in back-to-back victories for the team.

Bowdoin swept the doubles against MIT, winning all three matches. Dorros reflected on playing to his own personal strengths and targeting MIT’s weaknesses.

“MIT is a really good team, especially in singles. They have a very strong singles lineup and a lot of talent on their team,” Dorros said. “As a doubles player, I was looking to take advantage of their lack of experience and just be aggressive and put a lot of pressure onto them, play on top of the net and hit as many volleys as possible.”

The Polar Bears also found a stronghold in the singles matches, once again winning five out of the six for a final score of 6–1. This energy was carried into the afternoon, where the Polar Bears ended their week by defeating Nichols College 7–0.

Saturday’s doubleheader honored the team’s current seniors and past alumni. Garapati described how the team’s celebrations contributed to its success on the court.

“It was a super fun day—we all had a ton of energy. It’s easy to get hyped up for those kinds of matches,” Garapati said.

In addition to the team’s energy and the warm, sunny conditions contrasting a windy match at Colby earlier in the week, the support from alumni and family members was valuable to many players, including Dorros.

“I don’t think it can be understated how impactful the alumni and the parents and family members that came and watched were,” Dorros said. “The impact that they had was just incredible. We love having them there. It’s an honor and a pleasure to play in front of them.”

As the Polar Bears close out their regular season and look towards NESCAC playoffs, their ambitions are high.

“We’re just trying to build on ourselves, to stay hungry for those tough weekends that we’re going to have coming up,” Garapati said. “Our team motto has always been [that] we want to peak in May,… so we’re really trying to live up to that.”

Dorros shared similar sentiments, confident about the energy that the team will bring to championships regardless of what the final outcome is.

“It’s easy to get nervous thinking about it already, but this team has put in a lot of hard work,” Dorros said. “The seniors have really built such a great culture, and everyone has put in so much work and so much effort that I know, regardless of how things turn out, [I’m] going to look back on this year with fond memories. This team’s just been such a bundle of joy and energy.”