Men’s tennis enters season with high expectations

Contributing Writer | Tyler Franceschini

UNC Wilmington men’s tennis coach Matt DuBois is looking forward to seeing his team compete this season. Expecting this year’s team to be the best, chemistry-wise, since he came here, Coach DuBois enters his sixth season with a bevy of talent and experience. 

Entering the season with two seniors who happen to be quality, vocal captains is never a bad thing, and that is what the men’s team looks to enjoy in Kosta Blank and Chris Cooprider. The two team leaders look to motivate seven returnees, juniors Rafael Aita, Matt Kealy and Pedro Mol and sophomores Zach Hublitz, Kaue Pereira, Michael Reilly, and Sam Williams. 

On paper, the men’s team looks to be one of, if not the most athletic team in the CAA. This along with “strides in weight room,” as Coach DuBois points out, will be monumental in the team’s success come spring. As the team plays multiple tournaments in order to prepare for their toughest season schedule in recent memory, the team looks to keep making strides in the mental aspects of the game along with the physical. UNCW will play 3 ACC teams and 1 SEC team this spring. This team is on the rise and looks to improve by challenging themselves with the competition.

In conclusion, the identity or the depth which this team can achieve is unknown as of now, but as the team continues to improve in the offseason, a spring season “where one goal is not enough,” according to Coach DuBois, the best has yet to come for the UNCW men’s tennis team.