The UW-Whitewater men’s tennis team has been on a roll as they approach their annual spring break trip, this year they travel to California. The Warhawks currently sit at a 7-2 record following a 5-2 win over North Central College on Friday where the men almost pulled off a clean sweep.
That match was highlighted by a dominant performance in doubles, where Reuben Giorgio and Theo Billson continued their dominant run as a doubles pair, taking their set 6-1. This, of course, comes after Giorgio and Billson competed together in the ITA Cup Nationals, where they were able to win two out of their three matches. Whitewater’s face-off against North Central also featured victory in four out of six singles matches, nearly completing the sweep. After an upcoming visit from Roosevelt, the Warhawks will then turn their focus toward somewhere a little warmer than Whitewater, California.
Head coach Frank Barnes, the reigning Coach of the Year in the WIAC, is looking forward to the opportunity for his team.
“The match-play will be great, but really what it does is give good vibes for the team and come back a more cohesive unit,” Barnes said. “All the time we’re cheering for each other and having some fun in the sun.”
The team has seen a lot of success in their past couple of spring trips, winning four out of their five matches in the past two years. Last year, in a trip to South Carolina, Whitewater emerged victorious in their matches after a canceled match against Carleton, beating Grinnell College and Oberlin College 6-3 and 9-0, respectively. The previous year, in California, the Warhawks beat both Chapman University (8-1) and Pomona College (5-4), but were unable to match up to College of the Desert, dropping the match 7-2.
However, this year in California, the men’s tennis team will have a chance at redemption as they are set to face College of the Desert once again on March 26. The trip also includes meetings with Chapman and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, who recently took home the national indoor title.
“It’s just higher-level tennis,” Barnes said. “Outdoor tennis is a lot slower, you have to develop points, and you have to learn how to play a lot of different styles.”
Parker Sprague, a junior from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is prepared to return to California after attending the trip a couple of years ago.
“The whole vibe is very different, not only the tennis, but the lifestyle and how you interact with people as well,” Sprague said. “Everyone benefits from it and there’s a lot of opportunities you can take.”
Sprague has been a key leader for the Warhawks as he not only brings experience, but is the president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC). He is 4-3 in singles matches this year and carries a 21.17 World Tennis Number (WTN).
Sprague is not the only one looking forward to the spring trip as sophomore Theo Billson is looking to take his game to the next level. Billson burst onto the scene last season, taking home the honors of WIAC’s Newcomer of the Year.
“The spring trip really brings us closer together,” Billson said. “I think we can put up a really good fight against Claremont who is ranked [No. 5] in the country right now and bring it to them out on their courts.”
Billson has excelled in doubles matches this season with Giorgio, but has posted a 9-4 record in singles matches with a 15.27 WTN.
Before the spring trip, the Whitewater men’s tennis team will be back in action this Saturday in Lake Geneva against Roosevelt University, who currently holds an 8-4 record on the season. This will be the last match before the spring trip starting March 23 in California.
