The men’s varsity tennis team has amassed a record of 10-8 this season. The men recently finished second at their most recent invitational at GBS on May 2.

According to head coach Larry Faulkner, key players include brothers Gavin McClanahan, senior Captain, and sophomore Bryce McClanahan, who have been vital to the team this season. Faulkner said that it is their determination that helps secure victories.

“They hustle and they’re relentless on the court, they don’t give up any points,” Faulkner said. “They’re real battlers on the court. They do a really nice job, hitting where [the opposing teams] aren’t.”

The men were defeated by Stevenson with a score of 1-6. Gavin and Bryce McClanahan were the only ones who conquered Stevenson.

Gavin says that having a plethora of young talent bodes well for the upcoming seasons and will help them achieve more of their goals.

“We have a lot of young guys, which is good for the future,” McClanahan said. “We’ve got two freshmen and a couple sophomores.”

Faulkner thought that getting a few members of the team to the conference finals or possibly even sectionals was a realistic goal, but understood that the competition would be tough.

“Deerfield, Highland Park  [and] Glenbrook North had young, successful teams last year, and they’re all returning,” Faulkner said. before sectionals. “There’s going to be some kids that were all-state or better that won’t even qualify out of that section. If we can get somebody out of there, that will be really an accomplishment.”

According to Faulkner, practicing routine drills frequently helped the team.

“Just working on what we’ve been working on all year, it sounds like the basics, but […] you want to be aggressive, and yet consistent, and that’s a tough combination.”

Senior Vadik Bagdasarian said that team bonding contributed to their success on the court. Going out to eat is a frequent after-practice activity for the team.

“We like to go to Portillo’s a lot,” Bagdasarian said. “During team practices we all like to kind of have fun. It’s not always serious, we’re always trying to boost each other [up] and laugh.”

Many of the players recall memorable moments from the season; Bagdasarian recounts a moment from a match against Evanston.

“When we were playing against Evanston, I was the last one left on the court,” Bagdasarian said. “It was a really tight match. Everyone on my team kept supporting me. The support of my team gave me the confidence to overcome [my opponent] and win. It showed me how teams can make each other better.”

Gavin and Bryce will be going to state as a doubles team the weekend of May 29.