The boys varsity tennis team has had a strong season with a final record of 10-3. This year the team is composed of three seniors, two juniors, two sophomores, two freshmen, and one eighth grader.
The team lost many of their top players from last year but were still able to have a strong season.“After graduating three of the top six players last year, the team has kept an exceptional record and has been invited to the Class A New England Tournament which was one of our goals for the year,” said Head Coach Andy Krugman.
The team had an extremely competitive match against the Hotchkiss School winning 4-3. The deciding match came down to freshman Adam Na who won a long singles match, 6-3, 5-7, 10-7. “Throughout the season there have been many close matches that could have gone either way,” said Coach Krugman. Junior Luke Riemann plays number one singles and always faces a tough competitor. “Luke has to play the best singles players from all the schools,” said Coach Krugman. “He wins a vast majority of the matches which is very impressive.”
Riemann also plays No. 1 doubles with senior Captain William Appleton. The duo won on Tuesday, May 8, against the Taft School. The win added to their victory over Taft with an overall score of 4-1. Riemann, sophomore Nicholas Hamzavi, and eighth-grader Max William Kanz also won their singles matches contributing to the win.
Appleton has been on the team for six years and played No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles. “William is a great athlete and plays at a very high level,” said Coach Krugman. “He is a great kid who cares deeply about the school and the tennis program and he has been a very good captain.”
On Friday, May 11, KO was victorious against Berkshire School winning 4-2. Appleton and Na won their singles matches competing at the one and two positions. Junior Adam Sonntag and Shastri won their matches playing in the three and four positions.
In addition, seniors Nat Bates and Adam Ovian had extremely close matches. Bates’ match went until a third set super tiebreaker, and Ovian had to try to come back from losing the first set. Although both of them came up short, they represented KO well.
On Wednesday, May 9, the team went to Farmington to play miniature golf. “It was a great time and it was great to hang out and interact with the kids off the tennis court,” said Coach Krugman. “Although the team has lots of personalities, they are learning to deal with each other.”
Shastri said he felt the team is very inclusive. “No one is left out and everybody brings something to the team,” Shastri said.
The victory against the Salisbury School put the team at 10-3. At the match, the team recognized the seniors Appleton, Bates, and Ovian for their hard work and commitment to the team.
