Under the leadership of Coach Peter Robson and team captains Brian Chin '03 and Andy Tsai '03, the Lord Jeffs' success is the culmination of a consistent string of dominating performances on the court. Following a third place finish at the ECAC North Championships and a climactic 4-3 win over the Division I University of Hartford, the Lord Jeffs celebrated the end of their season on Oct. 1 with a crushing victory over Brandeis University. Clinching all six singles matches, and two out of three doubles games, the Lord Jeffs swept the competition 7-0 in the same dominating fashion that characterized their home debut.
"Fall's not really our main season," explained Chin. But despite brevity of the fall tennis season, one thing is certain. As Tsai, who's 3-0 at fourth singles, puts it, "It's been a pretty auspicious beginning."
The fall season, a prelude to the more intense 2003 spring season, proved to be an opportunity for the players to develop a strong sense of team unity as well as a chance for the freshmen to shine in their introduction to match play.
Danny Babkes '06, a nationally ranked USTA player, captured the number one singles position upon bursting onto the college tennis scene. He turned in a solid 2-1 record in singles play, ceding his one lost match point to the first seed of the University of Hartford.
Josh Rilla '06 also pulled through for the team. "I found out how good Division III was-there are some kids who are top of the nation." Despite any preseason jitters, Rilla braved fierce competitors and 130 m.p.h. serves at the second singles position to earn a record of 3-0 in his young college career.
"Josh and Danny are looking pretty tough-they've proven that they can fight through matches," said Tsai.
The depth of the team's talent lies beyond its top two seeds. Veteran Adam Leibsohn '03 has played a pivotal role both in securing points for the team as well as motivating and unifying his teammates during competitions. At third singles, with a record of 2-1, his experience and consistency were rivaled only by his energetic spirit. "Adam's fire continues to fuel the team," said Tsai.
"He's the heart and soul of our team," added Babkes.
Returning player Arpan Podduturi '05 has stepped into the spotlight this fall, taking on the challenges at fifth singles. At sixth singles, Mark Rettig '05 has followed up his successful rookie season with a solid sophomore performance. Both players have made hefty contributions to the team, having won all three of their matches this year in straight sets. "Max and Arpan have definitely stepped it up this year," remarked Tsai.
The team intends to improve their record in doubles play. "We're going to have to work on developing our doubles strategies. We need to be more aggressive," said Tsai. At second doubles, Chin and Liebsohn are the only veteran team. With the freshmen duo of Rilla and Babkes playing first doubles and the newly matched pair of Podduturi and Tsai at third, the Lord Jeffs are still adapting.
"Our players demonstrated unrivaled toughness," remarked Tsai. "We carried ourselves like champions."
If the men's tennis team can maintain their focus and confidence through the off season, the much anticipated spring season will prove to be quite exciting indeed.