Captain Alasdair McClintic ’13 won in straight sets, as Boys Varsity Tennis ran away with a 5-2 victory against Taft last Saturday. McClintic had phenomenal ball placement, which he often used to pull his opponent up to the net and then win the point with strong up-the-line shots. He found the right shots to go for and succeeded to hit winners, which resulted in a 6-1, 6-3 conquest. At number two singles, James Heaney ’14 played consistently, outhitting his Taft opponent and patiently waiting for him to make the first mistake. Heaney dominated 6-0, 6-2. Malachi Price ’13 beat his opponent in an exciting 6-4, 6-4 match at the third seed. At the fourth seed, Alec Buck ’13 was playing more defensively by staying mostly at the baseline. His technique granted him a smooth 6-1, 6-4 victory. Quinn Daly ’13 played strongly at the fifth seed, charging the net at every opportunity and put the ball away with ease. He snagged the win in 6-1, 6-4. Daly said, “I could definitely improve on my volleys and first-serve consistency. My weakness is probably not being able to keep long rallies going from behind the baseline. My strength during the match was my forehand and being able to move my opponent around the court using it.” Like in last week’s match against Loomis, Trey Jennings ’12 had a close match that resulted in three sets. Jennings was not playing his finest tennis even in the first set, but once he lost the lead in the second, it was hard for him to take control of the match again. He lost by a mere three points, with the outcome in Taft’s favor at 6-3, 3-6, 7-6. “All three doubles matches were pretty rough, but we pulled it together in our singles games which is what matters most in the end,” said Price. The third doubles pair of Buck and Jennings won quickly with a score of 8-2 whereas the number two pair of Price and Daly struggled to finish against two strong opponents. “All doubles had trouble finishing points and keeping up a consistent level. Our volleys and net play were shaky at times and we really need to play cutthroat doubles and shut down our opponents hard and early,” said Price. The number one doubles team, composed of McClintic and Heaney, was ahead 5-2 until the Taft team made a comeback and stole a 9-7 win. Andover will face Groton at home on Saturday.
