Men’s Tennis got off to an impressive start to the 2021–2022 season last week, sweeping Wagner College, 7–0. The match took place on Staten Island at the College of Staten Island tennis courts, where Wagner will be playing all of their home contests. 

The Rams did not lose one set in singles, making them an astonishing 12–0 in set play to begin the fall season. Dominance on the road is not something Fordham has shown in past years, so winning every match in straight sets bodes well for this team moving forward. While Wagner is no powerhouse, sitting at a mere 1–2 on the season after picking up just one win of five matches in the shortened COVID-19 season last year, division one tennis is division one tennis. No matches are walkovers. Considering all the transitions the Rams have dealt with during the offseason, starting the fall schedule with such a commanding win has to bolster their confidence as they tackle more formidable opponents.

They were slated to play at home against Franklin Pierce University the day after their dominant win at Wagner but the match was called off. 

The Rams are without two of their best recruits this year, both due to NCAA rules. Freshman Pierre Boullenger will be transferring to the University of California, Santa Barbara in the fall and he must not play in any matches at Fordham to preserve his spring eligibility. Junior Giorgio Soemarno has also been ruled out for the entirety of the 2021-2022 season due to an NCAA academic rule. Fordham being able to handle Wagner without these two is a great sign.

Just yesterday, Fordham faced Adelphi University at home. The top 25 DII squad came to the Bronx with energy and enthusiasm but Fordham brought some fire of their own and held off the Panthers to win 5–2. The Rams continued their impressive singles play, only dropping one singles match to Gabriel Balestero. Balestero is a powerful graduate student out of São Paulo, Brazil who finished tied for the team lead in singles wins last year with six. The Rams continued their outstanding play against a formidable DII school and will look to carry this momentum into the Marist Invitational this upcoming weekend.

New women’s head coach and Director of Tennis Mike Sowter remains the interim head coach while the search for a new leader continues. All signs point to the decision being made very soon.