Coming off three straight victories over M.I.T., Connecticut College and Tufts this past weekend, the men's tennis team improved their record to 8-2. The No. 13-ranked Polar Bears will look to continue their winning streak this weekend as they head into difficult NESCAC competition. The team is hosting No. 9-ranked Amherst (14-7 overall, 0-0 NESCAC) this Saturday.
The Polar Bears began their winning streak with a home match against No. 27 ranked M.I.T. on Friday afternoon. After clinching two of the three doubles points, Bowdoin finished off the match in singles with a 6-3 victory.
"The team realizes that we have to play better than we did this weekend in order to beat the top NESCAC teams," said junior Stephen Sullivan. "However, I feel like we have a lot of momentum right now. We have a big match this weekend against Amherst; hopefully the success continues."
The match was more competitive than the team would have liked, but it overcame the hurdles that M.I.T. presented. Sullivan and Nicolas Fenichell '12 combined for three wins on the day, teaming up at No. 2 doubles and clinching victories in their individual matches at the top of the lineup.
Next, the Polar Bears traveled to Tufts (3-5 overall, 0-2 NESCAC) to take on the unranked Jumbos. Bowdoin dispensed of Tufts easily in an 8-1 victory. The team led Tufts 2-1 after doubles and cruised through singles play without dropping a single match.
To end the weekend, Bowdoin traveled to Connecticut College (3-5 overall, 0-2 NESCAC) on Sunday. Bowdoin expected to defeat the Camels easily, but trailed 2-1 after doubles. Bowdoin bounced back from the deficit by winning all six singles positions without dropping a set. However, concern for the doubles lineup lingers heading into the match this weekend against Amherst.
"Doubles is going to be the key heading into this weekend's match," said senior captain Tyler Anderson. "If we can prove to ourselves that we can compete against Amherst in doubles, our confidence will grow tremendously. Our doubles performance this past weekend was a learning experience for our younger players and hopefully it will help us in the long run."
Despite competing in 21 matches this season, Amherst has yet to face a NESCAC opponent. Meanwhile, Bowdoin has faced three NESCAC opponents and has had plenty of preparation. The outcome of this match will have implications down the road as each of these teams vies to ascend to the top of the conference. As of right now, Middlebury, Amherst, Williams and Bowdoin are ranked No. 1, 9, 12, and 13 in the country, respectively. Men's tennis is very strong in the NESCAC in terms of depth, therefore Bowdoin's ability to compete against a top-ranked program like Amherst is vital.