Senior David Jumes warms up against St. Norbert’s College.
Photo by Sarah Grubbe.
The men’s tennis team has been building momentum and growing stronger and stronger as their season progresses. Two weeks ago, the Vikings (10-8, 4-2 MWC) beat Knox College (1-13, 1-4 MWC), Monmouth College (6-10, 3-2 MWC) and Illinois College (2-8, 1-3 MWC), all conference foes. These victories earned Lawrence third place overall in Midwest conference standings. On April 12, Lawrence again took the court, this time against St. Norbert College. The Vikings beat the Green Knights for their fourth in-conference victory in a row.
In individual play, Lawrence won four of six matches. At the No. 1 spot, Lawrence senior David Jumes beat Ben Vande Zande. At the No. 2 spot, Lawrence junior Bill Schuman-Kline threw down John Zanotti. At the No. 5 spot, Lawrence sophomore David Brooker defeated Jordan Crump. Freshman Conner Maloney clinched the match for Lawrence at No. 3 singles, beating Brady Hicks. Freshman Cade Francour and Yang Zhao rounded out Lawrence’s singles competitors. Francour fell to Alex Vandenberg at the No. 4 spot, while Matt La Violette beat Zhao at the No. 6 spot.
In doubles play, the Vikings were less successful. St. Norbert won two of three matches. Lawrence’s sole doubles victory was sweet, however; Schuman-Kline and Jumes took down Zande and Hicks at No. 1 doubles. Maloney and Brooker made up Lawrence’s No. 2 pairing. Francour and sophomore Kieran Laursen played at No. 3 doubles for the Vikings.
All in all, the match was a success. Taking down St. Norbert further cements the Vikings current third place ranking in conference, moving into the final week of the regular season. The Vikings hope to maintain or improve on this ranking as the top four teams in conference qualify for the conference tournament.
The Vikings have two matches yet to be played before the conference tournament against Ripon College (0-12, 0-5 MWC) and Lake Forest College (10-10, 3-2 MWC). Both matches will be played at home on Sunday, April 23. The match against Lake Forrest is of particular interest. Lake Forrest, currently fourth overall in the Midwest conference, will be looking to claim a ticket to the conference championships. A loss to Lake Forrest could mean a potential disaster for the Vikings.
The conference tournament will be played in Madison, Wisc. on April 29 and 30. Given how the Vikings have been playing, they will hopefully be making the trip for victory!