River Dell returns to the tennis courts for boys’ tennis. The Hawks soared last year, setting a fantastic record of 17-2 and being the best in school history. The team hopes to return to form this season, as they only lost one senior last year to college. Last season, their two lone losses came against Wayne Hills and Demarest, their Demarest match being the state sectional finals. Up until then, the Hawks dominated the records, going 10-0 in the Big North Patriot Division. Outside of the division, the team swept the competition, often winning with more than a 4-point difference. Their average score last season was 4.2, reflecting the grit and skill the Hawks played with.
Each grade involved with the team hopes to be a contributor this year, with the varsity team largely made up of seniors and juniors. Although this is the case, the freshmen and sophomores on the team are talented and are looking to make an impact this season and in future seasons.
Practices and tryouts have already begun, and the excitement for the season just keeps building. The team has a great deal of confidence in themselves and firmly believes that they can win in the state sectional finals.
Freshman recruit Iwan Lee proudly states, “I can’t wait to compete this season.” Iwan practiced individually last year and is excited to participate on an actual team this season.
Senior Menglin Yang shared, “We have a good team this year. We are very strong, and we will have a lot of great matches this year. We will try to win a state championship. Coach Loria is a fantastic coach, and we are lucky to have him.”
The team has started their practices and is getting ready to compete. The overarching goal for the team is to bring River Dell its first state sectional victory. The team is very excited about the upcoming season and firmly believes it can dominate the competition as it did last year. The Hawks will take to the courts soon for some early-season scrimmages. The Hawks’ first scrimmage on the varsity level will be an away match in West Essex, while the junior varsity team is home.
