WESTON, Mass. – The Regis College tennis teams have begun their final week of preparations before heading to Florida for their annual series of Spring Break matches.
The men's tennis team embarks upon the main part of its 2019-2020 schedule at full strength with the return of four veterans who missed the fall matches due to participation in study abroad programs. Last year, the Pride won their last four matches in a row to post a 10-10 overall record, and they look to improve upon that mark this season.
Seniors Nolan Bebarta (Danville, Calif.) and Evan Russell (East Wareham, Mass.) enter their fourth year within the tennis program, with the two combining for 57 singles victories in the three previous seasons. Fellow senior Jayson Vega (Ponce, Puerto Rico) joined the tennis team in the fall and decided to remain with the program for the rest of the year, adding depth to the lineup.
The Pride also boasts a solid junior class of Matt DaRosso (Yonkers, N.Y.), Johnny Pallotta (Bay Shore, N.Y.), Owen Pelissier (Hingham, Mass.), and Mitchell Weiner (Plano, Texas), all of whom look to see significant time within the Regis lineup this season. Sophomore Sebastian Torres (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and freshman Lenny Tam (Waltham, Mass.) round out the Pride roster.
In Florida, Regis will face Division I program Hampton University, as well as four other teams during the week. The Pride will quickly enter their GNAC schedule in the middle of March, starting with a road contest against Colby-Sawyer March 15.
The spring home opener takes place Thursday, March 19, against Division II school Assumption, followed by a home contest against defending GNAC champion and preseason favorite Eastern Nazarene Saturday, March 21. The Pride also host UMass Boston Tuesday, March 31, and Norwich Saturday, April 4, before the home finale against conference foe Johnson & Wales Saturday, April 18, which will be Senior Day.
In the GNAC Men's Tennis Preseason Poll, Regis finished fourth with 37 points, just behind third place Colby-Sawyer with 39 points. Eastern Nazarene received all eight first place votes to end up atop the poll with 64 points, followed by Johnson & Wales with 47 points. After the Pride, Suffolk is fifth with 26 points, just ahead of Norwich with 24 points.
The GNAC Tournament, featuring the top six teams in the regular season standings, will begin with the third- and fourth-seeded teams hosting a first-round contest on Wednesday, April 22, with the winners advancing on to the semifinals to play at the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds on Saturday, Apr. 25. The 2020 GNAC Championship contest is scheduled for Saturday, May 2.
The Regis women's tennis team will also resume its 2019-20 season with 11 matches in the spring, starting with five contests next week in Florida. The Pride, 9-3 overall entering the spring, will host three straight matches in April, welcoming Worcester State April 1, Wentworth April 3 for Senior Day, and Salve Regina April 17.
Andy White continues his second year as head coach of the men's and women's tennis teams at Regis.