Athlete of the Week

Rachel Pittenger Staff Writer

Jared Mayer ’07 won a decisive match against his Manhattanville opponent in Vassar’s first tennis team match of the spring season, driving the team to a 7-0 victory. As the third-ranked singles player, Mayer’s 6-1, 6-3 match helped bring the team’s record to an even 1-1 this season. An early victory was crucial for the team, as they head into even fiercer competition for the rest of the season.

Head Coach Ki Kroll said in an e-mailed statement that Mayer “played exceptionally. He was extremely aggressive, putting a lot of pressure on his opponent, forcing him to make mistakes.”

Kroll expressed enthusiasm about Mayer’s efforts both during practice and in the matches, saying, “[Mayer] has been working extremely hard in the team workouts.” Mayer’s persistence during these workouts shone through on the day of the match.

Kroll believes that the good work ethic on this young team gives them the potential for success this season. “As long as we stay healthy, by the end of the season, we should be a very solid team,” said Kroll.

Mayer added that he is “very excited about [their] young team.” Few of the current starters are upperclassmen, and Mayer is “pumped for the season to come.”

Coming off of this win, Kroll expects great results from Mayer in the future. As one of the team’s upperclassmen, Kroll noted that Mayer has a important “dual role: that of a player and a leader.”

Continuing with impressive performances like the one against Manhattanville, Mayer could set a standard for solid performances from the whole team, according to Kroll.

With a week of practice leading up to this next face-off, Mayer and the Brewers hope to ride this wave of confidence and enthusiasm to another victory.

The next men’s tennis match will be against the University of Rochester, a nationally-ranked Division III team.

Although Rochester will provide some strong competition for the Brewers, Mayer continues to exhibit confidence in both his own abilities and those of his team. Mayer remarked that he is certainly ready to face the new challenge that Rochester will present.