Mounties have a lot of talent coming back

WILLIAMSTOWN -- Last spring, the Mount Greylock boys' tennis team ended its season knowing most of its players would be back and figuring better days were ahead.

The Mounties did not know how good they would have it.

Second-yearcoachMary Vaughan indeed returns nearly everyone from last year's 10-7 squad. But she also welcomes a couple of promising players who moved to the area since the '07 season and a member of the school's powerhouse team in that other racquet sport.

"I had a little help with recruiting," Vaughan said recently. "My son Matt is on the team, and he talked it up a little with the athletes at the school, kids he knew.

"We were able to get a couple of the squash kids interested in the program. There are a couple of juniors in their first year on the team on my JV who have a lot of potential."

Two months ago, Greylock's squash team was the top public high school squad at the U.S. Squash Racquets Association National High School Championships. One of the players from that team, sophomore Taylor Foehl, figures to contribute to the varsity tennis squad right away.

He will be joined by fellow newcomers freshman Matt Riley and seventh-grader

Rohan Shastri, both of whom moved into the district in the last year. Shastri, though younger than most of the players he will face in varsity matches, stands 5-foot-10 and hits the ball very well, Mary Vaughan said.

Of course, not all the faces are new.

Greylock does return three seniors from last year's team: Dan Whateley, Dan Weiner and Torrey Brenner. A strong junior class includes Matt Vaughan, Nico Walker, David Nolan and Ryan Erickson. Only Matt Vaughan had locked up his spot on the ladder as the calendar turned to April, capturing the No. 1 singles slot in early challenge matches.

"Because of the weather, we haven't been able to complete challengematches,"Vaughan said when interviewed on April 1. We've done some singles, but we haven't figured out the doubles."

Greylock had a slight advantage over other squads in the first weeks of preseason because it benefits from Williams College's generosity in lending its indoor courts during the college's break. But when the students returned last week, the Mounties were back to braving the elements.

They were scheduled to get their first big test against defending county champion Taconic in Greylock's season opener, April 8 in Pittsfield.

While the Mountie boys' are looking to advance further in the Western Mass. tournament this year, their female counterparts are just hoping to get there.

Greylock finished the 2007 season 6-10, short of their goal of making it to the postseason. That goal remains, but Jacobbe wants his players to focus on their own games, not their team's record.

"Our goal is to get better every week and be able to compete in every match," he said. "Last year, we were overwhelmed in a few matches."

Going into this spring, Jacobbe said eighth-grader Sophia Santori figures to slide up from No. 2 to No. 1 singles

"She is the only player who played in the winter, and right now she's ahead of everyone else," he said.

Pushing Santori are senior co-captains Irina Pandzic and Ruthie Thier, who teamed up at No. 1 doubles last year. Their classmate, Sam Beattie, also played a lot of doubles last year and should contribute somewhere this spring.

Another senior is newcomer Tamara Samardzic, who joined the squad with her sister Tijana, a convert from track and field, Jacobbe said. Speaking of converts, senior Lauren Clement picks up a racquet for the first time this spring but is well known to Greylock sports fans as a captain on the girls' soccer team.

Senior Gina Iannitelli, junior Kelsey Shanley, sophomore Cleo Levin and eighth-grader Maggie Dewey fill out the 11-player roster.