Boys tennis team boasts newcomers and old faces in 2021
PV to take advantage of balanced team in 2021
Vasili Karalewich looks to hit the ball back towards his opponent. The boys tennis team will be competing for the first time since 2019, with the 2020 season being shut down due to COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 season to slip away from boys tennis head coach Ken DelSanto and his players. As the 2021 season approaches, DelSanto’s team is keen to take every opportunity they can get to compete this year.
“Any match could be our last match with how things have gone in previous seasons this year,” DelSanto said. “As the old saying goes, we will leave it all on the court [in] each match.”
The team finished with a record of 10-9 in the 2019 season, alongside a second place finish at the Comet Invitational Tournament. But with any tournaments looking unlikely to occur, Valley will shift its focus to its league matches.
“The importance of the regular season matches has increased and our focus needs to be on these games, as opposed to looking forward to any sort of tournament,” DelSanto said.
Having lost out on the opportunity to make their varsity debuts last year, Valley will have a considerable amount of newcomers ready to make their mark this season.
“We have a number of newcomers, since both the freshman and sophomores are both ‘new’ due to the cancellation of our season last year,” DelSanto said.
Sophomores Alex Rothenberg (first singles), Ethan Ganz (second singles), Jack Benson (doubles), Brendon Kim, and Aaron Ng are all poised to make their debuts this season after the cancellation of their freshman season.
These young players aren’t just playing to gain experience. DelSanto sees these newcomers as key assets to the team.
“We have a lot of players who are going to be first time varsity tennis players,” DelSanto said. “They are eager to begin their tennis careers here at PV after having to wait a year with missing their freshman season.”
Even having a plethora of young, hungry players ready to take the court, DelSanto knows that his senior players, including team captain Vasili Karalewich, will be instrumental in leading this young team.
“Lastly, a strength of ours is in our leadership. We have great senior doubles players in [Karalewich], Andrew [Scialdone], and Ben [Kahl] that will certainly lead this team on and off the court,” DelSanto said.
Going into a season plagued by COVID-19, DelSanto’s vision for the team is straightforward.
“Since this season is going to be far from normal, our goal is simply to put PV Tennis back on the map,” DelSanto said.
