The boys’ tennis team has defeated three top teams en route to its undefeated 4-0 record going into its non-league matchup against San Marino today at 3 p.m. See www.hwchronicle.com for all the details.
The squad is expecting to win its 18th consecutive Mission League title because the real competition comes from non-league schools in the postseason, Michael Genender ’15 said. In the first match of the year, the Wolverines, beat St. Francis 14-4.
The next three matches were against Westlake, University Irvine High School and Palos Verdes, all are historically tough non-league opponents.
Against Westlake, the boys won 12-6 at their home courts at Los Angeles Valley College.
The team also beat University Irvine High School by a score of 12-6, and the win was the first against that opponent in seven years. University Irvine High School has won four straight CIF championships and eliminated the Wolverines from the Southern California Regional Championships in the quarterfinals last year.
“University has been historically good in the last 10 years, but they have dropped off a little bit,” Genender said. “There are some other good teams like San Marino and Los Alamitos. Those are going to be tougher to beat than University.”
The boys dominated the match against Palos Verdes, winning on Palos Verdes’ home courts 14-4.
This year, the team is going to rely on role players that, although they do not have high national rankings, contribute to the team from various positions, Genender said.
Doubles teams and a definitive roster are yet to be set, but the singles players will be Genender, Jaird Meyer ’15 and Adam Sraberg ’17 with Stanley Morris ’18 possibly rotating in.
Genender was the number one ranked junior in Southern California last year, and will always be on the roster when he attends matches. There is more flexibility with the other players, and depending on the difficulty of any given opponent, the rotation may be changed so players can get more practice and experience.
The team captain is Genender, but he shares leadership responsibilities with Jacob Adler ’15, a doubles player. Managers Jack Price ’15 and Andrew Fischman ’15 also play a role in the teams chemistry, and may get to suit up and play against some weaker league opponents, Genender said.
