Tennis Postseason Recap

The 2019 season was a dynamic one for Rams Tennis. From a doubling in team size, to many new faces on the Varsity lineup, to medical issues with Head Coach Manna, nothing seemed to go as expected. However, through the slight chaos and uncertainty, the team was able to hew out quite a successful season, with hard-fought victories, multiple successes at Counties, and a bright future.

Omega’s preseason predictions were already in jeopardy by day one of the season, when a whopping 38 students, over double the turnout of previous years, showed up to try their hands on the court. Many new and returning members of the JV team were knocked out by fierce competition for spots, an entirely new climate for OP Racket. While no returning Varsity athletes lost their spots, many seniors new to the sport entirely and even freshmen new to high school joined the V-squad. Seniors Casey McKee, Jake Wright, and Jimmy Polcaro all made the cut for the first time this season, with both Wright and McKee new to the team. Freshman Arnav Chahal came out of nowhere, rising all the way to 1st Doubles immediately. Junior Andrew Stauffer was expected to make a showing but was unable to compete due to a wrist injury.

Exits by Jake Wright and Santiago Cortes during the season mixed things up further; the effective ladder ended up as follows: James Slowinski and James Polcaro at 3rd Doubles, Mark Werner and Casey McKee at 2nd Doubles, and Luke Bernstein and Arnav Chahal at 1st Doubles, with the singles ladder climbing up from Sebastian Gould at 4th to William Moran at 3rd to Nick Carnevale at 2nd and finally Drew St. Amant at 1st Singles. With a final record of 8-8 and a formidable showing at the Union County Tournament, the team was much renovated and much improved from last year.

The team would like to thank Head Coach Manna and Mr. Sinden, de facto varsity coach for the last few matches, for leading them through an excellent season.