Wakefield tennis off to hot start

RALEIGH — With the latest sweep over Wake Forest, Wakefield's boys tennis team is still undefeated after four matches. The Wolverines' last result was a 9-0 victory over the Cougars at home Thursday March 25.

Wakefield head coach Ken Stewart said the boys are playing well considering they have not practiced together as much as recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"With COVID-19 restrictions, we haven't been able to do things we've done in the past," Stewart said. "A lot of our drills and skill-building games are multi-person. Our emphasis has just been hitting as many balls as possible with an added level of competition in everything we do. We're looking for a result and a focus in the mundane, as well as the important."

Even with an impressive 4-0 start, Stewart said there are still plenty of things the boys need to work on if they want to keep the wins coming.

"We need to improve on everything and anything," Stewart said. "More specifically, point construction and nuance of what constitutes a good shot where and when on the higher end."

Wakefield's top three players are all juniors. Sawyer Hanna won his last match 7-6, 6-4 against Wake Forest's Andrew Hilbert at the No. 1 spot. Colin Regan took down Wake Forest's Foster Stamp 6-1, 6-2 at the No. 2 spot. Then Thi Nguyen defeated Wake Forest's Sutton Marx 6-0, 6-2 at the No. 3 spot.

However, Stewart mentioned three other players on his squad who he thinks will have the biggest impact on the team overall.

"The biggest and most important impact has come from my three captains, Josh Sun, Ryan Uttridge and Alex Carlin," Stewart said. "They continue to pass down the tradition and excellence that Wakefield tennis has tried to maintain by their example and through communication. They have navigated this moment in time of extraordinary challenge with grace and maturity. I am proud, grateful, thankful and humbled by what they've accomplished on the court and how seamlessly they've transitioned from the chaos and cancellation that COVID-19 has cost."

Due to COVID-19, the N.C. High School Athletic Association cancelled the dual team tournament portion of the playoffs. However, the players still have something to look forward to with the individual state playoffs in May.

"We intend to play harder than the other guys," Stewart said. "We want to win and have fun while we're doing it."

Wakefield will play its next match at Heritage Tuesday April 6 at 3:30 p.m.