Men’s Tennis Eyes First-Ever Patriot League Title

Jake De Vries (COM’17) will be looking to add more wins to his 7-4 individual season record at the Patriot League tournament, starting today, April 29, at Lehigh University. Photos by Steve McLaughlin 

The men’s tennis Terriers had one goal in mind this weekend as they took to the road: capturing their first Patriot League title. And head coach Dejan Stankovic is confident about his team’s chances.

“If we play well and we fight, I don’t see us losing,” says Stankovic (SED’10,’15).

The BU men (8-10, 3-1, PL), seeded third in this year’s Patriot League tournament, closed out the regular season by winning two of their last three matches. So they head to their tournament quarterfinal round matchup against sixth-seeded Bucknell today, Friday, April 29, at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., fueled by determination and optimism. Stankovic commends the team for maintaining mental toughness and grit throughout an up-and-down year and says his team is peaking entering the postseason.

“We are definitely the most gritty team that I’ve coached,” says Stankovic, now in his third season at the helm. “We had a few bumps in the road, but right now we’re playing at our best going into the conference tournament, which is always nice to see as a coach.”

“We’ve had more competitive matches this year than we’ve had in past years,” says Jake De Vries (COM’17). “We’re definitely battle-tested and peaking right now, playing our best tennis.”

The team has fared well in conference play this year, earning a 3-1 record against league foes, with the only conference loss an April 17 defeat by second-seed Army West Point, 4-1. If the Terriers advance to the semifinals, they will play the winner of the Army and seventh-seed Loyola match, which Army is heavily favored to take. A rematch with Army would give the BU team a chance to make it to the championship round.

“If a rematch with Army happens, I think it’ll be a different outcome this time,” Stankovic says. “There were some matches that didn’t finish, so it looks like they beat us 4-1, but it probably would’ve been 4-3.”

Regardless of the opponent, the jump from regular season to postseason tennis has the Terriers eagerly anticipating this weekend’s tournament. “The intensity is the biggest thing,” says Stefan Lemire (Questrom’16). “Everything just ramps up another level.”

“We’ve felt the pain of losing the past few years, which has been tough,” De Vries says. “The pressure is on and everybody’s got to bring it.”

Both years since their move to the Patriot League at the start of the 2013–14 season, the Terriers have reached the semifinal round. Players know they’ll need to play well right from the start in the single elimination tournament.

“We need to stay focused and get the energy right from the get-go,” says Lemire. “We’ve had more than a few matches where we’ve started out a little slow and kind of dug ourselves a hole, so this time as soon as we start playing, everybody needs to be loud and really try to hit them first.”

The BU men’s tennis team faces Bucknell in the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League tournament on Friday, April 29, at 2 p.m. at Lehigh University, Ulrich Varsity Courts, 151 Goodman Drive, Bethlehem, Pa. If the Terriers win, they will play in the semifinal round on Saturday, April 30, at 2 p.m. The championship match will be played on Sunday, May 1, at noon. All matches are at the Ulrich Varsity Courts. Fans can purchase tickets at the Lehigh Athletics ticket office or by calling 610-758-4263. 

Josh Gutchess can be reached at jgutch12@bu.edu.