The regular season has finished for the UW-Whitewater men’s tennis team.
The Warhawks secured their fourth-consecutive conference championship by defeating The College of New Jersey 4-2 May 3, bolstering not only the team’s resume, but some individuals’ resumes as they prepare to represent the purple and white in the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championships.
“We want this to be a year that we do something that no other [Whitewater] team has done before, which would be to make it to the final national site where the final eight teams go,” head coach Frank Barnes said.
Barnes, who has the Warhawks ranked No. 30 in DIII, does not want to set expectations too high despite having a special team.
“You want to take it one day at a time, or one match at a time,” Barnes said.
A theme of the team this year has been overcoming adversity. Along with several lineup changes, senior Reuben Giorgio and Giovanni Vitali battled a finger injury and an illness, respectively.
The Giorgio injury has allowed sophomore Theo Billson to take over the No. 1 singles spot for the Warhawks. Compiling a 14-8 record this season, the 6-foot-7 Billson has built one of the best resumes in the country.
“It’s hard to get it past the dominating presence at the net,” Barnes said. “He’s also got a massive serve that comes with that kind of size and height.”
Despite the injury, Giorgio is still a competitor at the regional level. His combination of net sense and ability to break the serve is among some of the best at the DIII level.
Billson and Giorgio have competed together as the Warhawks’ top doubles team when both are healthy. With several convincing wins over Claremont Mudd-Scripps and Gustavus Adolphus, the duo is ranked No. 15 in DIII going into a crucial selection show.
“It’s really hard to break them,” Barnes said. “It’s great for the other players to compete against them and get better every day in practice. The excitement they bring is certainly a luxury that we have.”
Tyler Nelson, the team’s No. 3 singles player, is the third and final Warhawk being considered individually by the regional committee. Looks can be deceiving for the junior, as he may not be the most imposing athlete on the roster, but he is one of the craftiest.
“Anybody who’s played against him comes away scratching their head,” Barnes said. “He’s had that reputation since he was a young kid, and he is really difficult to beat with his creative skills.”
Battle testing the team might be the most crucial element to the team’s success. Not only does the team practice against some of the best DIII tennis players in the country in Billson, Giorgio and Nelson, but the team has played four top 25 opponents along with DI Northern Illinois University and DII Roosevelt University.
Freshman Charles Morgan has used these opportunities to his advantage, with Barnes calling him the team’s most improved player. As the team’s No. 6 singles competitor, he has a knack for coming out on top against some difficult opponents.
“He never gets frazzled in a match; that’s really difficult to do in tennis,” Barnes said. “He’s showing some real maturity on the court for a freshman.”
With three athletes in consideration for a national bid, along with a top-30 team ranking, this team could go down as one of the greatest in program history. They test that theory beginning May 9, when the regional rounds of the Men’s Tennis Championships begin.
