Men's Tennis Finishes Fall Pre-Conference Season
Matthew Barbosa
The Manchester University men’s tennis team finished up their fall pre-conference season with an overall record of 1-2. The team played on Tuesday, Sept. 18, against Bethel College with an overall 1-8 loss, with sophomore Isaac Miller claiming a singles victory for MU.
Miller explained that this fall season was much more experimental in the doubles lineups to get a feel for how different teammates are playing together. The matches against Bethel College were played by the doubles teams of Miller and Bailey Buhrt, Gavin Eads and Dalton Bailey, and Connor Eichenaeur and Samuel Hollingsworth.
This fall the tennis courts saw a bit of an upgrade with all-new nets and courts. “It is nice playing on new courts because they’re shiny,” Miller said. The men’s and women’s tennis teams had to practice at the high school for a week while waiting for their renovations.
Sunday’s game was the first time the Spartans had a chance to break in their new court and managed to pull out ahead. The team played against Franklin College, and managed to narrowly gain a win at 5-4. Doubles teams of Eichenaeur and Miller, Eads and Bailey, and Hollingsworth and Buhrt all came out on top with wins for a solid 3-0 lead for the day. Then Miller pulled out a victory in singles with a set of matches at 7-6 and 6-4, and Buhrt also claimed a victory in singles with a set of commanding matches at 6-3 and 6-2.
Miller and Eads commented on how this year is a year for exploring and rebuilding the team due to the four first-years replacing the 4 seniors that graduated last season. The coach of the men’s and women’s tennis teams, Wendy Hoffman, is also still young to the MU tennis team, as she is starting her second year coaching.