Despite having possibly the lowest budget and reputation of Skyline sports, the men’s tennis team looks very promising this year. With seven returning players, the group is as promising as ever, even after losing their flagship and collegiate player, Nick Kamisar, for the season due to an ankle injury.

Like many other school sports, the Skyline tennis team will have to field an array of new opponents in the new 4A divisions. Although they can avoid Mercer Island, the most prestigious program in the state, they still have to cross paths with two of Washington’s hardest schools: Sammamish and Newport.

Despite this, the Skyline tennis team remains confident of their abilities. Head Coach Bettina Gehle expects to see a banner hanging in the main gym beside all of the other achievements the school boasts in athletics.

Gehle, during a team meeting this past week, stated “I really think that we can go all the way this year. We won last year with the Girl’s team and we were so close with the boys. I think this year will be our year.”

Gehle should be excited about the upcoming season, and the following is a play-by-play of the individual strengths of each competitor on the team:

1. Tyler Vangrunsven — Junior
Having only lost one match last year at the number 3 spot, Tyler has improved his
game tremendously. With powerful kick serves, heavy topspin groundstrokes and solid volleys, Tyler will be one of the state’s strongest competitors not only during the season but also at Kingco.

2. Ryan ‘RC’ Clark — Senior Standing at 6’1”, RC has a powerful and accurate first and second serve. He can generate some great pace from both the forehand and backhand allowing him to dictate points with his attacking game.

3. Daniel Hadi — Senior
Despite being one of the shortest guys on the team, Daniel is mostly known for his speed and court coverage. He can anticipate and get to almost every ball. His biggest strengths are his defense and forehand.

4. Bill Dow — Senior
Even though he did not play last season, Bill has shown why he deserves to be a varsity singles player. He may not have any noticeable weapons (at first) but that is because his biggest weapon is his brain. Bill’s strategy and tactics are outstanding and allow him to manipulate his opponents.

5. Max K. — Freshman
Although he is only a couple inches taller than the net, Max is one of the most consistent players on the team. He can create pretty good pace on his groundstrokes and plays smart. This year Max will have to step up his game to keep up with the big boys and show why he is a nationally ranked player.

6. Andrew Johnson — Senior
At 6’4”, Andrew Johnson probably has one of the fastest serves in high school tennis in the state of Washington. If his serve was measured on a radar gun, it would be around 105-110 mph.

7. Nasi Teodosiadis — Junior
Moving up from JV this year, Nasi has improved his overall game. He has very consistent and solid strokes from both wings. The only thing troubling him is confidence but once he has a couple of matches under his belt, his worries should dissipate.

8. Alex Hu — Senior
One of Skyline’s returning players, Alex has a very consistent and strategic game. He has the ability to move opponents around the court even with little pace. His problem, too, is a lack of confidence, but he should be able to put those fears behind him after a win or two.

9. Jesse Park — Junior
Another consistent player on the team, Jesse, can generate some good pace from both wings. One of his strengths is his ability to disguise his emotions and prevent them from hindering his game.

10. Ben Huang — Sophomore
One of the new additions to the team, Ben, has a solid game as well. Not only is he consistent from both wings, but he also has great footwork. The only thing plaguing him is his tennis elbow and shoulder problems.

All in all, the Skyline team consists of a high caliber of players and will most likely be the team to beat this season. Confidence is a big factor in tennis, so once a couple matches are squared away, Skyline looks like it will have its best season in recent memory.

This upcoming week, Skyline will face its first opponents, Sammamish and Interlake on September 9th and 11th at 3:45 p.m. The match against Sammamish will be away and the one against Interlake at home. Come support the Skyline Tennis Team!