By Tom Terzulli
The men’s tennis team has a sense of positivity, something that was hard to come by last season. The Rams come into the spring with lofty goals after a dismal 3-13 campaign just a year ago.
Head coach Michael Sowter, now in his second year, is desperate to rid his team of the stench of losing. “Last year was tough for the men’s tennis team, so my goal since arriving at Fordham has been to change the culture of the team,” he said. It seems to have worked thus far, as the Rams have already matched last year’s win total.
Last year’s campaign had plenty of lows and very few highs. The Rams suffered through five and six-game losing streaks, separated by only a 6-1 triumph over Yeshiva on March 22. The season started positively enough, with Fordham going 2-1 in its first three contests. The Rams took a close one 4-3 against St. Peter’s in the season opener and rolled past Adelphi 5-1 on Oct. 12. However, Fordham was completely and utterly dominated for the majority of the season. They scored a combined four points in their last nine defeats. There are seven possible points in a match, meaning that the Rams converted on four of a possible 63 point opportunities. It is safe to say that the Bronx was not a great place for men’s tennis last season.
Pol Giraldez finished his college career leading his team with seven victories and eight losses. Pedro Alonso, who is entering his senior season this spring, was up next with a 4-12 campaign.
“He brings a lot of experience to the team,” Sowter said of Alonso. “He’s definitely playing with more confidence.”
Sophomore Joseph Kavaloski is expected to take on a much bigger role this season after taking only one of his nine matches last year. Of the four players featured in the best doubles combinations, only one is still on the team, sophomore Harris Durkovic. He and Joey Brander went 2-3, while Giarldez and Max Peara posted a 2-4 record.
The obvious problem facing the Rams for the coming season is putting points on the board. Although they have already matched their win total from last year, there have been some early traces of scoring troubles. After jumping out to a 3-0 start, Fordham has dropped three straight, and in two of those, the Rams only registered one point. On the other hand, in the three victories, Fordham has scored five, five and seven. Which Rams team will we see for the rest of the spring: the same struggling team that defined last season or a squad that can match score for score with their opponents?
The four teams remaining on the schedule that topped Fordham last year are Marist, Wagner, Hofstra and Sacred Heart. Marist and Sacred Heart did not give up a single point to the Rams. The Rams gave Hofstra the toughest test in a 5-2 defeat. Yeshiva and Adelphi will also be on the schedule, representing Fordham’s two easiest wins in last year’s campaign.
Only time will tell which Fordham team we will see. Nevertheless, this year’s squad has a different attitude. It has a feeling of confidence in what they can accomplish. The question is how far those positive feelings will take them, but at any rate, the team is ready to do some winning.