After competing in the Lehigh Annual Invitational this past weekend, the Lehigh men’s tennis team is preparing for the next set of matches to round out their fall season.
The team will compete at the ITA Regionals in Philadelphia from Oct. 7 through Oct. 10.
As part of the Lehigh Invitational at the Ulrich Varsity Tennis Courts, the team competed against Colgate, Villanova and Fairfield. The team as a whole split singles 4-4 against Colgate, beat Villanova 5-3 and lost to Fairfield 3-5. In the doubles matches, Lehigh lost 1-3 to both Colgate and Villanova, but beat Fairfield 4-0, overall pulling together 18 total victories on the weekend.
Junior Jordan Paul, who won all three of his singles matches, said in reflecting on the invitational, he feels the team needs to bring more energy to the court for the ITA Regionals. He said he thinks the energy will be higher if the team creates an “electric chain,” which he said refers to everyone playing on adjacent courts and cheering one another on.
“It really just pushes everyone to be better and everyone plays better tennis,” Paul said. “Going forward the biggest takeaway is really just all of us cheering each other on no matter what the result is and keeping all the energy up.”
Senior Jeremy Learner said he relies on his teammates for energy, and hopes the team can come together for the next tournament. In the number one doubles spot, Learner and freshman Wyeth Anzilotti picked up a 6-3 win against Patriot League rival Colgate.
“Having our teammates supporting each other on the court is a big thing,” Learner said. “Doubles is about bringing energy onto the court.”
As a senior, Learner said he is looking to work extra hard this season to make his last competitive season of tennis the best it can be.
Sophomore Marc Blekhman, who won the Patriot League Rookie of the Year award last year, did not play in the Lehigh Invitational due to injury but said he is resting up to play in the ITA Regionals. He said his main goal is building trust in his teammates and going into future matches with high intensity.
“We’re all just going to take it day by day, week by week, just focusing on those little things and making sure we’re doing all the little things,” Blekhman said.
Blekhman said the team is ready to compete in the ITA Regionals and the lessons they learn will help them prepare for their upcoming spring season.
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