Washington College Men’s and Women’s Tennis Season Preview

Women’s Tennis Season Preview
CHESTERTOWN, Md. – After just missing the Centennial Conference Tournament a season ago, the Washington College women’s tennis team looks to return to the conference tournament for the fifth time in six years with the return of five players from last year’s squad and the addition of four freshman under third-year head coach Oliver Reynolds.

There are no seniors on this year team, but three juniors are on this season’s squad. Ella Samer (Boise, Idaho/Boise) had a strong sophomore season as she earned All-Centennial Conference honors in both singles (second team) and doubles (honorable mention) as she was the Team Most Valuable Player. She went 12-6 in singles, including a 9-6 mark at No. 2 singles, and 12-7 in doubles, going 10-5 at No. 1 doubles. In September at the Swarthmore Invitational, she went 3-0 in singles. Sarah Bruno (Haddon Township, N.J./Haddon Township) posted a winning record in doubles, 10-7, including winning three of four at No. 1 doubles. Rounding out the junior class is Riley Katzman (Huntington Bay, N.Y./Our Lady of Mercy Academy) who also posted a winning mark in doubles at 8-6.

The sophomore class consists of Alisha White (Silver Spring, Md./John F. Kennedy) and Cecilia Cress (Winchester, Va./Millbrook). White played No. 1 singles in every match for the Shorewomen last season and competed at No. 1 doubles, winning 10-of-15 in doubles. White earned all-conference honorable mention in doubles. In the fall, she went 2-0 at the Swarthmore Invitational in singles. Cress played primarily at No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles a season ago. In the fall, she went 2-0 at the Swarthmore Invitational.

Four freshman grace the squad for this season and they are Irene Meng (Surrey, B.C., Canada/Pacific Academy), Bin Ngyuen (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam/International Ho Chi Minh City American Academy), Marin Vander Schaaf (Westhampton Beach, N.Y./Westhampton Beach) and Alexa Venturato (Stephens City, Va./Sherando).

Assisting Reynolds this season is Clay Allen who is also in his third season with the team. The Shorewomen open their season on February 28 with a 5 p.m. home match against Wilkes.

Schedule Breakdown
Total Matches: 18 (eight home, six away, four neutral)
Season and Home Opener: February 28 v. Wilkes (5 p.m.)
Centennial Opener: March 24 v. Ursinus (4 p.m.)
Centennial Home Opponents: Ursinus (3/24), Bryn Mawr (4/1), Franklin & Marshall (4/11), Dickinson (4/18), McDaniel (4/22)
Centennial Away Opponents: Muhlenberg (3/28), Gettysburg (4/4), #24 Swarthmore (4/7), Haverford (4/15), #15 Johns Hopkins (4/25)
Non-Conference Home Opponents: Wilkes (2/28), Randolph-Macon (2/29), Salisbury (3/6)
Non-Conference Away Opponents: Goucher (3/25)
Non-Conference Neutral Opponents: Baldwin-Wallace (3/9 @ Orlando, Fla.), Oneonta and Transylvania (3/10 @ Orlando, Fla.), Carthage (3/13 @ Orlando, Fla.)

Men’s Tennis Season Preview

This spring the Washington College men’s tennis team seeks to reach its third Centennial Conference Tournament in the past four years and 11th time overall since the tournament commenced in 2006 under third-year head coach Oliver Reynolds. With four freshman joining five returners, the Shoremen are hopeful they can make that return after having to sit out last season.

Reynolds’ third squad has two seniors and they are Mitchell Evans (Koloa, Hawaii/Kaua’i) and August Meriot (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson). Meriot, the Team MVP last spring, went 10-5 in singles and 8-7 at doubles, as he played mostly at No. 3 and 4 singles and No. 3 doubles. At the Marlin Invitational in September, Meriot won a pair of singles matches. Evans went 9-8 in doubles last season for the Shoremen, seeing the most action at No. 3 doubles. He had a strong fall, including going 4-0 in singles and 3-1 in doubles at the invitational.

The three juniors on the Shoremen this season are Koby Bonta (Towson, Md./Loch Raven), Kyle Hickey (Lexington, Mass./Lauren Springs School [Calif.]) and Andrew Smith (Bellmore, N.Y./John F. Kennedy). Bonta, an All-Centennial honorable mention selection in singles in 2018, won eight matches in singles and doubles each last season playing primarily at No. 4 and 5 singles and No. 2 doubles. Hickey won 12 matches combined between singles and doubles as he played primarily at No. 2 and No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles. Smith, the Team’s Most Improved Player a season ago, played No. 1 doubles and mostly at No. 5 and 6 singles as he won a total of 11 matches.

The men’s team has no sophomores for this campaign.

Four freshman are on the team this season and they are Paul Eisenmagen (Rekawinkel, Austria/BG/BRG Purkersdorf), Christian Gruyon (Bronx, N.Y./Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy), Andrew Province (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) and Landon Strober (Millstone, N.J./Allentown). Province had a strong fall, going 8-0, 6-0 in singles and 2-0 in doubles, at the Marlin Invitational in September. Stober went 3-1 in singles, Gruyon went 4-2 in singles and Eisenmagen won a pair of singles matches.

Assisting Reynolds this season is Clay Allen who is also in his third season with the team. The Shorewomen open their season on February 28 with a 2:30 p.m. home match versus Stevenson and at 8 p.m. against Wilkes.

Schedule Breakdown
Total Matches: 19 (10 home, six away, three neutral)
Season and Home Opener: February 28 v. Stevenson (2:30 p.m.) and Wilkes (8 p.m.)
Centennial Opener: March 28 at Muhlenberg (1 p.m.)
Centennial Home Opponents: Haverford (3/31), Franklin & Marshall (4/11), Dickinson (4/18) and Johns Hopkins (4/25)
Centennial Away Opponents: Muhlenberg (3/28), Gettysburg (4/4), McDaniel (4/8), #33 Swarthmore (4/14), Ursinus (4/25)
Non-Conference Home Opponents: Stevenson (2/28), Wilkes (2/28), Randolph-Macon (2/29), Salisbury (3/6), Endicott (3/16), Virginia Wesleyan (4/19)
Non-Conference Away Opponents: Goucher (3/25)
Non-Conference Neutral Opponents: Oneonta and Transylvania (3/10 @ Orlando, Fla.), Carthage (3/13 @ Orlando, Fla.)