By Sam MacGilpin
@sam_macgilpin
The Springfield College Men and Women’s Tennis are poised to create a winning culture. Led by second-year coach Tanner DeVarennes, who graduated from Springfield in 2017, he is looking to bring Pride to the top of the NEWMAC while challenging both the men’s and women’s teams to not worry about what can’t be controlled.
The men’s side starts with a multitude of experience, as they have zero first-year players. Last season, the team finished with a record of 10-9 and won their last three of four NEWMAC meets, but ultimately came in third and got swept by MIT in the playoffs.
“What we want to do is continue to close that gap to the top teams in our league and continue to strive for that top 40 national ranking as well as top 20 in our region,” DeVarennes said.
DeVarennes believes the team can improve from last year and has high expectations for them, and that is something that he has preached to his team. He also feels strongly about the importance of the NEWMAC play and thinks the upcoming games will show what they have been practicing.
“I want them to continue to grow on and off the court, and one of our biggest focuses this spring has been elevating our expectations,” DeVarennes said. “We’re really excited to see how that shows on the court during competition starting next week on spring break down in Orlando and then entering NEWMAC play.”
The Pride possesses plenty of solid returners, including sophomore Phakin Thongbooncharoe and junior Micah Matsudaira as well as the 2023 NEWMAC Rookie of the Year, Marc Villanueva Abad. DeVarennes also has his eye on another player who came to Springfield with not much college tennis experience yet is optimistic about his results.
“Tatsuya Kimoto could be huge for us. He’s a transfer and hasn’t played much in college before [Springfield], but in the fall, I saw so much growth,” DeVarennes said. “And just throughout his few matches in the fall, I saw so much growth with him just getting match experience and getting that confidence back, so I’m really excited to see how he takes on the NEWMAC.”
The men take on Bethel down in Florida on March 11 to begin their season.
On the other side, the women’s team is coming off a season in which they went 9-9, before falling to Smith in the quarterfinals of the NEWMAC tournament.
Multiple players made it far in the consolation bracket this fall in the NEWITT tournament, and DeVarennes feels the team is hard to beat if he can get consistent doubles play.
“We really want to focus on playing good doubles and starting the match off well,” DeVarennes said. “Matches are three doubles points and six singles points. We want to be having that 2-1 or 3-0 advantage going into singles as much as we can.”
Although last year left the team with the result they didn’t wish for, Deverannes feels that it’s more than just a result but more of a mindset.
“Tennis is one of the tougher sports, not just physically but mentally. A few of the things we preach is resilience and having a mindset just focusing on the next point,” DeVarennes said. “No matter the outcome of the point before, it’s just understanding our expectations from a coaching staff, where the expectations are all within our control.”
While no players received postseason honors last year, DeVarennes and the team are confident that will change this coming season. First-year player Natalia Peyon, who came from Hong Kong, has gotten high praise, and DeVarennes thinks Peyon can step up everyone’s game.
“Now that she’s got it going in the Spring, I’m excited to see her challenge our opponents,” DeVarennes said.
The women’s team also faces Bethel on March 11.
Photo courtesy of Springfield Athletics.