Tennis starts season out with sweep

After some strong outings in the fall season, the Washington University men’s tennis team was ready to get its spring season started on Friday, and it showed on the court.

The No. 3 Bears traveled across the river to Belleville, Ill., on Friday evening and put on a dominating effort, posting a clean 9-0 sweep of McKendree University at Kings Point Racket Club.

With months of training between seasons behind them, the team was eager to get back out there and face some real opponents.

“I think everyone was really excited to get out there and start playing instead of just waking up early [for practice.] It was great to get the season opener underway, and it was good to get a win under our belts,” junior Adam Putterman said.

As head coach Roger Follmer often preaches is important, the Bears got off to a good start in doubles by winning all three matches. The top doubles pairing of junior Adam Putterman and freshman Ross Putterman won the first match, 8-6. Senior Cameron Chang and sophomore Max Franklin eked out a 9-8 (7-2) win in second doubles, and junior Gary Parizher and freshman Kevin Chu finished out the doubles portion of the meet with an 8-2 victory in the third doubles match.

“We really wanted to get out to a good start in doubles and keep that energy up through singles,” sophomore Tim Noack said. “Doubles is something we struggled with a bit last year, and we were really excited to go in with a lot of energy in this first match and win doubles.”

The Bears got some more strong efforts in the singles portion of the match, as all six players took down their McKendree opponents without too much trouble. Competing in singles for Wash. U. for the first time since coming in second place at the DIII USTA/ITA Singles Championship, Adam Putterman managed a three-set victory (6-4, 1-6, 10-5) over McKendree’s Barnabas Toth in the top doubles matchup.

“I felt like I’m starting to play like I was in the fall again, which is what I was hoping for, and now I can focus on getting better,” Adam Putterman said on his win.

Ross Putterman made quick work of the second singles matchup, taking a (6-1, 6-0) decision over Paulo Goncalves. Parizher picked up a (6-3, 6-3) win in third doubles, beating Alexandre Schuck of McKendree, and junior Kareem Farah won the fourth singles matchup over Luciano Misitrano in three sets, (6-2, 4-6, 10-3).

Wash. U. closed out the singles portion of the contest with a pair of quick two-set victories, as junior Bryan Haywood took out David Venditto (6-2, 6-0) and sophomore Tim Noack swept Jake Halde (6-0, 6-0).

“I was a little nervous going into it. I did play pretty well. I think McKendree was missing a few players, and we possibly weren’t playing their best lineup,” Noack said. “But I went out and played my game. I’m working on my serve quite a bit right now, but I served very well.”

While it’s still early in the season, the Bears are pleased with their progress and the results out on the court, and they felt it was good to get some match action under their belts.

“Playing that match, even though we ended up winning all the matches, kind of tells us a lot about where we were, preparation-wise, and you see a lot of things that you don’t get the chance to see in practice,” Adam Putterman said.

Wash. U. will be back out on the court on Sunday when they face Drury University, the No. 19 team in Division II. The match will begin at 1:00 p.m.

“We’ve lost to them I don’t even know how many times in a row, so we’ll definitely be looking forward to that match,” Noack said.