By Ethan Harrigan – Staff Reporter

The 2019 Jonathan Law boys tennis team has been assembled and is ready to take on this year’s challenges.

Led by head coach Mr. Dye, assistant coach Mr. Kelly, and senior captain Andrew Ancheta, the team has 16 players.

The first game of the season is on April 1, and the team has lofty aspirations for this year.

“Each season, the goal for our boys is to improve on our team record along with individual match records,” Kelly said. “This year we’d like to make states as a team.”

Last season, two players made states as a doubles team. Sophomore Sanskar Shah was out for four matches with an injury.

“This season looks fresh,” Shah said. “I kind of let the team down last year because I was out due to injuries but this year we are definitely much stronger as individual players and as a team.”

This year, the team has to get used to having only one senior and needs to work more with the younger players. Dye said he has a plan to get young players ready.

“I must: 1. Help the younger players to establish an athletic/performance base (build upon fundamentals) and, 2. Acclimate them to my system and expectations,” Dye said.

The team has eight new players this year, a mix of freshmen and sophomores. Second year Law tennis player and sophomore Angel Santiago is confident in the team’s new additions.

“The new players have made their place on this team, they have really filled the roles that we needed and are committed to getting better,” Santiago said.

A change the team committed to that they didn’t do last year is a focus on training and fitness even on the offseason to improve how they perform.

“Many of the members on the team have participated in extracurricular clinics such as Milford Indoor Tennis,” sophomore Anish Sikhinam said. “In addition, I, along with other members of the team have set up a schedule for preseason lifting and court playing time. This was new to this year, and now both returning and new players are ready to start of the season with a bang.”

Sikhinam also felt the team has a lot ahead of them but can make it through.

“I think the team’s greatest challenge will be to make SCC’s and states as a team this year,” Sikhinam said. “It will definitely be a stretch but I think with enough hard work, dedication, perseverance, and team spirit, we can finally accomplish this goal.”