HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's tennis team finished the 2015 season in familiar fashion. The Fords earned their ninth bid to the Centennial Conference Tournament in the last ten years, and advanced to the semifinals for the fifth straight season with one championship appearance in that stretch. Entering the 2016 season at No. 15 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Atlantic South Region rankings, the Fords hope to carry on their tradition of postseason appearances to earn a Centennial Conference title.
The Fords will face The College of New Jersey Lions in their home opener this Saturday, March 5 at 1 p.m. They will spend spring break in Puerto Rico for training as well as a pair of matches against Sacred Heart and Puerto Rico-Rio Piedros. Conference play will commence on Saturday, March 26 with the Fords hosting Gettysburg at 12 p.m.
Without having graduated any starting members from the 2015 roster, the Fords enter the 2016 season with a veteran core of upperclassmen. Senior Luis Acaba looks to lead the Fords as the top singles player. Acaba finished last season at No. 24 in the ITA regional rankings and earned first-team All-Centennial Conference honors in both singles and doubles.
Seniors Zack Mason and Harrison Elbert will both return for their final season of action in the top six singles. Elbert went 8-4 last season at No.1 doubles partnering with Acaba.
A steady performer for the Fords, sophomore Caleb Mayer was the primary No. 6 singles player last season. He picked up a key three-set victory against Franklin & Marshall last spring to contribute to the team's 6-3 win.
Sophomore Dais Nakayama won 10 matches overall last season, with the majority of his play coming at the No. 2 singles spot. Nakayama's classmate, Ishaan Prinz also boasted 10 singles victories in his freshman season. Both look to build on impressive starts to their collegiate careers and compete in the top six singles again this year for the Fords.
Freshmen expected to vie for time in the varsity lineup include Josh Moskovitz and Nick Sweeney. Moskovitz was entered into the ITA Championship draws for singles this fall. Sweeney contested the B1 singles draw at the ITA Regional and played alongside Elbert in championship doubles.
The Fords tallied 11 wins during the 2015 season, marking the fourth 11-plus win season in a row. The Fords set out this season with the ability to tie the program record for the most consecutive seasons with 11 or more wins.
Men's tennis will host seven home regular season matches this spring including four Centennial Conference matches. The No. 15 Fords are also scheduled to face three nationally-ranked opponents, No. 39 TCNJ, No. 12 John's Hopkins, and No. 31 Swarthmore. The Centennial Conference Tournament is set for May 4, 7, and 8 for the top five teams in the regular season standings.