Tennis thrives during fall season

KYLE SCHECK
PHOTOGRAPHER

TY SLATER
SPORTS WRITER

10/14/2024

This fall, both the men’s and women’s tennis teams showcased their talents in a handful of events. Their schedule was light, but the teams made the most of their opportunities. 

Alma College Women’s Tennis finished their season strong, hoisting a 2-0 record in dual matches. Their wins came against Spring Arbor University and Aquinas College, where the players delivered dominant performances in both singles and doubles play. Nearly sweeping both opponents, the Scots recorded victories of 7-0 and 6-1, respectively. 

One of the season’s highlights for the women came during the Albion Doubles Tournament. Teamwork was on display as everyone contributed to the outcome. Alma walked away with a win by going 14-2 overall throughout the tournament. 

“Our fall season was quite successful as we did not lose a match all fall. We are excited for the upcoming spring season as we are returning everyone in our lineup from last year and we brought in four freshmen as well. This spring, if we concentrate on improving our doubles play and continue what we have been doing in singles we will have a great season,” said Kayla Weller (’25), Senior on the Women’s Tennis team. 

Karly Kushner (’27) went 1-1 at #1 singles and 6-0 at #2 doubles. Leah Wronikowski (’27) went 2-0 at #2 singles and 6-0 at #1 doubles. Weller went 2-0 at #3 singles and 6-0 at #1 doubles. Sophia Hauffe (’28) went 2-0 at #4 singles and 6-0 at #2 doubles. Annie Ross (’27) went 2-0 at #5 singles and 6-0 at #3 doubles. Holly Hall (’26) went 2-0 at #6 singles and 6-0 at #3 doubles. Abby Hill (’25) and Salma Laraichi (’28) both went 2-2 at #4 doubles. 

Alma College Men’s Tennis also enjoyed a successful fall season, posting a 2-1 record in dual matches. After falling to Spring Arbor University (Mich.) 6-1 in the opening match of the season, the Scots bounced back against Aquinas College and The University of Olivet, securing victories of 4-3 and 7-0. 

In the Albion Doubles Tournament, the men’s team fought hard and earned a 2^nd place finish. While the goal is to always come in first, this result gives the team something to build upon in the upcoming weeks before the spring season gets under way. 

“We had a great fall season while competing against tough opponents. As we head toward spring season, we will look to compete with high level teams and travel to Florida for Spring Break!” said Jake Lasceski (’26), Junior on the Men’s Tennis team. 

Lasceski went 1-2 at #1 singles and 4-3 at #1 doubles. August Sack (’25) went 3-0 at #2 singles and 6-1 at #2 doubles. Eli Festerling (’27) went 1-2 at #3 singles and 6-1 at #2 doubles. Ashton Trnka (’26) went 2-1 at #4 singles and 4-3 at #1 doubles. John Laxton (’27) went 1-2 at #5 singles and 2-5 at #3 doubles. Daniel Hickey (’28) went 2-1 at #6 singles and 2-5 at #3 doubles. 

With the fall season wrapped up, both the men’s and women’s tennis teams are poised to continue building on their successes. With strong starts and impressive performances, they have laid a solid foundation for the upcoming season. The women’s team will open on March 15 at home vs. Grace Christian University and the men’s team will open on March 21 at home against Earlham College.