Cape boys’ tennis rebuilding for 2024 season
The Cape Henlopen boys’ tennis team has a new look this spring and hopes to duplicate the winning ways from last season’s 10-2 squad.
New at the helm this year are head coach Mike Roy and assistant Pat Breen. Roy is new to coaching, but Breen brings more than 30 years of experience to the courts. Breen played Division I tennis, and he also lends his skills to the community in the form of low-cost and sometimes free tennis clinics.
Back from the 2023 season are first-singles player Oliver Townsend, and first-doubles player Trent Kauffman, who moves up to second singles. Both have been named captains. Sophomore Nathaniel Hoang and junior Alejandro Justiniani will be competing for the third-singles position.
“I think the team is going to be tough this season,” said Townsend, a senior. “I’m excited for the season to start. We are serious, and we are in it to win it. We are confident and ready to go out and play our best.”
“I really enjoy the love of tennis,” said Kauffman, a junior. “I’m excited to be a captain, and I want to help the younger guys to love the game. They are coming out no matter the weather and really putting out the effort. We hope to move on and improve on the 10-2 season last year.”
Freshmen adding depth to the squad are Derek Alducin-Hernandez, Michael Gordon, Caidan Juliano, Aiden Khalaf, Sullivan Naden and Khalel Wright. Other players rounding out the team are sophomore Aydin Schuler-Koltuk, and juniors Krish Prattipati and Brody Trewartha.
“[Last season] was a good year for the program,” said Roy. “But we feel like we're stronger heading into this season. Oliver Townsend has been playing very good tennis this spring, and we expect he will be one of the top players in the conference. Trent Kauffman, Alejandro Justiniani and Nathaniel Hoang have all taken big leaps in their game, and are all capable of earning the second-singles spot.
“We also expect to be much stronger in doubles this year thanks to the rapid improvement of Krish Prattipati and Brody Trewartha, and the addition of a strong freshman in Sully Naden. We try to keep things simple with our players. Instead of worrying about who is on the other side of the net, we teach them to focus only on what they can control – their own half of the court between the baseline and the net. If the focus remains on proper footwork, shot selection and getting good direction and depth on their strokes, it doesn't matter who is across the net hitting the ball back. It's a focus on details and doing the little things right consistently that creates confidence and produces results.”
The Vikings will open the regular season Monday, March 25, at Polytech.
