Boys tennis looked to start the season strong after defeating Hinsdale South High School in their first match of the year on April 5. As of May 11, the team is off to a 8-1 start, with five of the eight wins coming from conference opponents. The players are thrilled to be back on the court competing with both each other and other teams, varsity player Jack McLane ‘24 said. 

“Playing good competition is going to be a key factor in the amount of success we have this year,” McLane said. “Challenging ourselves against good teams early in the year will help us prepare for what is to come later in the season.”

The team is composed of 16 players this season, a large majority of them being juniors and seniors, although two freshmen also made the team. 

Doubles partners, McLane and Mason Mazzone ‘24, are confident that their chemistry will give them an advantage over other opponents throughout the season, Mazzone said. Both players have been building a valuable connection with each other both on and off the court for almost two years. 

“Having a reliable connection with your doubles partner is really important on the court,” Mazzone said. “Small things that may give us an upper hand mean everything to us especially when we are facing a challenging schedule.” 

LT competed in the Hinsdale Central High School Invitational on April 22 which featured some of the top teams in the state, one of those teams being conference rival and 2021-2022 State Champions Hinsdale Central. LT opened the invite with a win against Highland Park High School before the remainder of the invite was postponed due to a weather delay.

“I think we are an underrated team that can make some noise and catch some of the highly rated teams off-guard,” Connor Spellman ‘23 said. “As a team, we have been practicing well together and anticipate that will result in a successful season.” 

Varsity head coach David Robare is coaching his third season as varsity head coach after previously serving as both the JV and varsity assistant. 

“There is no substitute for match toughness, so we must compete against those top teams in order to do our best when it really counts,” Robare said. “If we continue to push each other in practice, we will be able to improve up and down the lineup. That ability to put focused effort into our practices is what allows us to be best prepared for teams we will face down the road.” 

LT concluded their regular season with a home meet against Nazareth Academy on May 17 and jumped into the State tournament which began two days later on May 19. All statistics listed were updated as of May 11.