Captain and first seed Chase Denholm ’18 won both of the sets in his match, 6-3 and 6-1.
Andover Boys Tennis won both its matches against Buckingham Browne and Nichols (BB&N) 7-0 at home on Wednesday in the first match of the season. Due to rain, the team played on indoor courts in the Snyder Center instead of outdoor courts.
The team’s season record now stands at 1-0.
Andover began their match strong, winning all the doubles matches as well as the top singles matches, according to third seed Aidan Burt ’21.
Captain and first seed Chase Denholm ’18 added, “We did a good job establishing momentum by getting the doubles point. We also had a little advantage, since we are more familiar with the courts in [the] Snyder [Center].”
Denholm played his match over two sets, winning them scores of 6-3 and 6-1 respectively.
Head Coach Gregory Wilkin and Mac Katkavich ’21 mentioned that the depth of the team played a part in Andover’s success against the historically challenging BB&N team.
“The BB&N match is always a tough season opener. Last season they went 13-1 and [their last season’s players were] all back, but we have some good depth,” said Wilkin.
Katkavich added, “We definitely have great depth. The bottom half of the team is very even, which makes a lot of competition on the team while having a strong team against other opponents.”
Wilkin remarked on the performances of some of Andover’s newer players.
Wilkin said, “I’m particularly pleased with how well Hayden Gura [’20] is hitting the ball. I think he and newcomer [Burt] will be significant contributors in both singles and doubles.”
Gura added, “In our doubles match, [Burt’s] volleys were on point. Every time he had a ball on top of the net, he’d make it in.”
Nash Johnson ’20 also applauded Sean Kralik ’19 and Adam Mofid ’20 for their performances in the match.
“Everyone played great in doubles against BB&N, especially [Kralik], who was ripping some monster backhands, and [Mofid], who was hustling to every ball at three doubles. Every player in the lineup won their individual matches as well, allowing for a clean sweep,” said Johnson.
The team will play against Taft at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, where it hopes to work on consistency and continue a strong doubles showing, according to Wilkin and Denholm.
“Taft will be a tough match on Saturday as well. They are always strong in doubles, and we have been focusing on doubles in the early season. If we play our matches in the new Snyder Center, it may help us, since we have quickly fitted our styles of play to that very grippy new surface,” said Wilkin.
Denholm added, “I think we all just need to work on consistency and fine tuning our shots a little bit. We have a lot of depth on the team, so I think it could be a good season for us if we continue to improve on the little things.”
