With warm and windy weather as the backdrop, the West Genesee boys tennis team began its 2010 season last Monday with a non-league match against Marcellus that resulted in a 6-1 victory by the Wildcats over the Mustangs.
Mostly, WG based its win on a doubles sweep. Combined, the teams of Brad Shepard-Mike Plunkett, Brett Smith-Andrew Albert, Lucas Hendrickson-Tanner McGuire and Shane Heyn-James Buttner lost just seven games in eight total sets.
It was a bit more even in singles, where Erik Breault beat Dan Martin 6-2, 7-5 and Eric Weller got a 6-1, 6-1 sweep of Kris Danielson. James Garzia prevented the sweep, giving Marcellus a point as he beat Mike Webster 7-6 (7-5), 6-0.
When CNY Counties League play began on Wednesday, the Wildcats were ready for it and put together a 5-2 victory over the Auburn Maroons.
Again, WG won all four doubles contests. Shepard and Plunkett set the tone with a straight-set sweep and the duos of Smith-Albert, Hendrickson-McGuire and Heyn-Buttner repeated their Marcellus deeds with straight-set wins. Breault would add a singles points as Weller and Webster both lost.
WG then made it three wins in as many matches on Thursday, taking out Corcoran 6-1. Between them, the newly formed doubles teams of Shepard-Albert, Smith-Hendrickson, McGuire-Heyn and Buttner-Tyler Arnold lost just five total games in eight sets.
Also winning twice on the singles side, the Wildcats saw Weller earn a 6-0, 6-3 sweep of Pat Standford and Breault defeat Anthony Wright 6-2, 6-3.
Marcellus got its season into gear on Wednesday by beating Onondaga 4-1. Kris Danielson lost in singles play, but James Garzia handled Nathan Kelly 6-1, 6-2 as Dan Martin had similar results, beating John Lemchak 6-2, 6-1.
Completing a doubles sweep, the Mustangs had Bryan Swierczek and Jack Krantz battle past Max Konstantinidi 7-5, 6-4, with James Kinney and Brett Vergara dominating Sara Grillo and Tyler Field in a 6-0, 6-1 decision.
A day later, the Mustangs lost to Cazenovia 5-0, even though head coach Ryan Thayer said it was his team’s best effort of the season so far. Garzia took Chris Rogers to a second-set tie-breaker before taking a 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) defeat, while Swierczek and Krantz worked in doubles and lost to Lee Cudney and Sam Concilla 6-3, 7-5.
Westhill also lost its opener, 5-0, to Cazenovia on Wednesday. Cole Kelly grabbed a set in singles, but still lost to Jon Cipiti 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, while Andre Remillard also put up a strong effort in a 7-6, 6-4 defeat to Chris Rogers.
But the Warriors turned around on Thursday and put together a 3-2 victory over Skaneateles, sweeping both doubles matches. Lee Betota and Tom Missert topped Shiva Sharma and Danny Glaza 7-5, 6-3, while Dan Vednais and Nate Chapin got past Grant Bille and Colby VanTyle 6-2, 7-5.
Though Kelly and Remillard lost in singles, Joe Sabastano picked up the third point that Westhill needed, taking just two sets to beat Sasha Darovshink 6-3, 6-2.
Jordan-Elbridge opened with a 5-0 defeat to Skaneateles, the only battle taking place in second doubles, where Nick Pierlioni and Kyle Sherman lost to Nick Simmons and Will Bolton 6-1, 6-2. The Eagles also lost Thursday to Hannibal 5-0 on Thursday as Josh Gallaro, in singles, fell to Darrel Rupert 7-5, 6-1.
