Binghamton University’s men’s tennis team will look to bolster its already impressive resume this season as it attempts to defend the America East Conference Championship title. Reigning conference head coach of the year Adam Cohen returns for his third season at the helm for the Bearcats.
The Bearcats will start their season today at the University of Virginia Invitational, though their home opener will not be until Jan. 31 against Niagara. The team’s home matches are played on campus at the West Gym.
“It’s kind of early to assess anything right now,” Cohen said. “I guess this invite will give us a good indication on how we will do during the season.”
The team will rely heavily on returning sophomore stars Sven Vloedgraven and Arnav Jain, both of whom earned first team all-conference honors in both singles and doubles last season. Vloedgraven was the team’s MVP last season, while Jain was named Most Outstanding Player of the America East Championship last season. The team’s elder statesman Moshe Levy, a junior who was named to the America East all-conference first team No. 3 doubles, should also play a large role in the team’s success. Also returning are sophomores Andreas Danielsson and Evan Algier, both of whom showed promise in their first seasons.
Highly esteemed freshmen Gilbert Wong and Darren Ng, both of Hong Kong, will make their debuts as Bearcats at the invitational. Wong held his nation’s No. 1 ranking in both the 16s and 18s divisions when he played in Hong Kong, while Ng was the winner of the Hong Kong National Junior Tennis Championships in both 2007 and 2008.
“The fall season is a completely different animal than the spring season is,” Cohen said. “You really learn what you need to work on the most here. You can’t hang your head too much. Obviously you want to do well, but April is really where we will see everything unfold.”
The Virginia tournament will be played by over 17 teams, including Virginia Tech, George Washington University, Georgetown University and Columbia University. It will feature seven nationally ranked players and two nationally ranked doubles teams.
“We are definitely putting our best foot forward,” Cohen said. “It will definitely be exciting to see how this year’s events unfold.”