|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Josephson looks to power Warriors at net |
|
Published in Echoes-Sentinel - April 1, 2004 |
| Watchung Hills enters the 2004 boys’ tennis campaign under the
direction of new head coach Anthony Cilli, a veteran mentor of net squads at Irvington High School for more than
a decade. "Our first objective is to improve with each match and if we do so, we should finish in the upper third of the conference," commented amiable Cilli. "Our three singles slots are in place but there is still competitions proceeding to finalize the two doubles teams." Eric Josephson returns as the No. 1 singles player. A senior, Josephson will serve as a co-captain after earning varsity letters since his sophomore season. "Eric is a scrappy player," said Cilli. " He seeks out and then capitalizes on his opponents’ weaknesses. I expect him to have an impressive senior year." Moving into the second single singles position is freshman Dan Ashanti whose first-year presence could turn the Warriors’ into a major contender for the conference championship. "Dan is a very patient player," commented Cilli. "Despite his youth, he is a very mature player for forces his opponents to make errors." Junior Aleksey Shopoval returns for his second season as the starter in the third singles slot. He possesses an all-around game that he has upgraded in the off-season. There are still six players in the mix for the four spots in the doubles lineup. Matthew Fand is a senior co-captain who formed last year’s No. 1 doubles tandem with then freshman Colin Hull. Cilli anticipates the duo will remain as the first doubles team but left open the option of breaking up the tandem to improve the overall level of play at doubles. Sophomore Alex Alvarez, up from last year’s junior varsity program, is competing for one of the two vacant slots along with classmate Nik Bhasin who has returned to the courts following an injury. Another sophomore making his presence known in the pre-season practices is Daniel Hertenstein who remains in the mix. Jared Fand, the younger brother of Matthew, is a second freshman who could see varsity action. Currently he is projected to see action at the junior varsity level under coach Sandy Miller and will serve as the first alternate to be elevated to the varsity lineup. Josephson is an experienced, quality player who will provide the leadership on the courts. The success of the Warriors will be dependent upon the development of the underclassmen who will attempt to follow the example set bv Josephson. |
|
|
|
|
|
|