Regular Season Draws Near

As January draws to an end, the men’s tennis team at Middlebury College moves closer and closer to the start of their regular season.  All indications from student directed training during J Term were extremely positive.

J Term is a unique tradition and aspect of student life at Middlebury.  Due to the academic schedule, plus NESCAC and NCAA regulations allowing no formal practices during J Term, getting in quality training can be a challenge for the Panthers during this time.  This year’s team met this challenge head on.   The success of the men’s team during this time period was due in large part to the incredible leadership and responsibility displayed by every member of the team.  Despite the fact that organized practices are not allowed during J Term, the momentum from the fall season was carried over throughout J Term.  In fact, many Panthers made great strides in their games during the month long session.  With the regular season practice schedule set to resume here in a couple of weeks on February 15^th, the coaching staff could not be more excited about the hard work and leadership shown by each and every Panther during J Term.

Another exciting aspect of the Middlebury Tennis experience is the spring break training trip to California.  This annual trip serves as both a great chance to challenge some of the best Division lll competition in the country while also building invaluable team camaraderie.  Earlier this month the team participated in phone-a-thon as part of a fundraising effort for this year’s spring break trip.  The event was definitely a success but left us short of our final budget needs for the upcoming trip to California.  We respectfully ask that any members of the Middlebury Tennis Family capable of doing so please consider supporting our spring break training trip. 

We would also like to send a very big thank you to all of the parents, alums, and supporters of Middlebury Tennis for everything you have done to support our journey and effort to become one of the best tennis programs in the country.  Without your support and enthusiasm, this journey would not be possible.  Please continue your support and spread the word to friends and families of the program by following our blog and staying updated with our results on the Middlebury College athletic website at http://www.middlebury.edu/athletics/.

Please forward any questions to head coach Bob Hansen at rwhansens@middlebury.edu and again, thank you for your continued support.

Go Midd!

Fall Season Wrapup

After a successful fall season, the Middlebury Men’s tennis team is close to a month into their off season training.  The ground covered by the team during the fall season was truly impressive.  The coaching staff could not be more thrilled with the hard work, heart and soul put in and the progress shown by each and every member of the team this fall.

The successful fall season for the Panthers was a result of a practice schedule that included early morning workouts, intensive singles and doubles strategy work, technical work, mental training and a great deal of match play.  The members of this year’s team met all of this work with open minds and hearts and a willingness to the work.  That hard work proved crucial during competition throughout the fall.  The results of all the hard work put in by the team was on full display at the Dartmouth Invitational.  Middlebury traveled to New Hampshire to compete against both Dartmouth and conference rival Williams.  On day one of the invitational, Midd walked away with six victories in seven matches, including a solid win by sophomores Brantner Jones and Andrew Lebovitz over Williams’ number one doubles team. 

Another highlight of the fall season was the impressive display of doubles put on at the ultra-competitive Fall ITA Tournament at Williams.  Middlebury had two teams make it to the semifinals of the tournament.  Sophomores Brantner Jones and Andrew Lebovitz entered the tournament seeded one and played some great doubles throughout the tourney before falling to a team from Williams.  Also advancing to the semifinals was the team of junior Alec Parower and senior Derrick Angle.  They also played some great doubles before falling to a pair of Williams players.

Even with all the success experienced by Midd this fall, a great deal of work and improvement is needed for this team to reach it’s ultimate goals.  Playing in a conference as competitive and deep as the NESCAC is no doubt a great challenge, but one that the members of this year’s team are excited to meet head on.  Moving forward, the coaching staff could not be more excited about getting back to work this spring with practices kicking off February 15^th.  A big thanks goes out to all the alums, friends and family of Middlebury tennis that have shown such incredible support to the program.  We hope to see you all this spring and go Midd!

Sincerely,

Coach Hansen and Coach Kent