Young Hempfield boys tennis team has brighter future
With nine of the players on the Hempfield boys tennis team's roster being sophomores, the future looks bright for the Spartans.
Sophomores fill the top two positions in the lineup -- Matt Abraham at first singles and Zach Iezzi at second singles. Four sophomores also often handle the doubles positions -- Keisuke Sakuma, Brian Boyle, Sam Lowry and Dane Leone. Sakuma partners with and junior Dom Smarto at first doubles, and Lowry and Leone alternate as Boyle's partner at second doubles.
Doug Fuchs has been a valuable member of the team. But considering he is the only Spartan set to graduate, a year of improvement and maturity should only help Hempfield heading into next year.
"Even though they're inexperienced, they're all trying teal hard," coach Jerry Way said. "They've kept a positive attitude. They really want to work over the summer; they've all expressed interest in learning through clinics and just getting more experience. They're listening and coachable and they don't want to quit. They don't give up and have given me effort, which is all I can ask for right now. If this keeps up, it will pay off as they get older."
Abraham and Iezzi and Fuchs and Sakuma will make up the two doubles teams that will compete in the Section 1-AAA tournament that will be staged today in Monroeville. The top three teams qualify for next week's WPIAL doubles tournament.
Sophomores fill the top two positions in the lineup -- Matt Abraham at first singles and Zach Iezzi at second singles. Four sophomores also often handle the doubles positions -- Keisuke Sakuma, Brian Boyle, Sam Lowry and Dane Leone. Sakuma partners with and junior Dom Smarto at first doubles, and Lowry and Leone alternate as Boyle's partner at second doubles.
Doug Fuchs has been a valuable member of the team. But considering he is the only Spartan set to graduate, a year of improvement and maturity should only help Hempfield heading into next year.
"Even though they're inexperienced, they're all trying teal hard," coach Jerry Way said. "They've kept a positive attitude. They really want to work over the summer; they've all expressed interest in learning through clinics and just getting more experience. They're listening and coachable and they don't want to quit. They don't give up and have given me effort, which is all I can ask for right now. If this keeps up, it will pay off as they get older."
Abraham and Iezzi and Fuchs and Sakuma will make up the two doubles teams that will compete in the Section 1-AAA tournament that will be staged today in Monroeville. The top three teams qualify for next week's WPIAL doubles tournament.
tennis