Men’s and women’s tennis began their competitive seasons a few weeks ago — the men on Jan. 14 with a doubleheader sweep against the United States Naval Academy and the women on Jan. 21 with a 5-2 defeat of St. John’s University. Neither team has lost a match since their respective season-opening victories.
Men’s head coach Xander Centari said that he is thrilled about the start to the season and his team’s potential for success in the Ivy League this spring.
“We’re just taking it one match at a time,” men’s head coach Xander Centari said. “As far as expectations, I want these guys to believe that every match that we play this year, we can win, and I think they’re starting to build that belief…I’m excited to see how this team does.”
Given that tennis has no offseason, as both teams play in some form or fashion from September through April, the two teams have worked throughout the year to achieve this early success.
In the fall, both teams scrimmaged against various other programs, including Ivy League rivals in the Super Regionals and Halloween Invite, both held at Harvard University in October. The Big Green used the unscored opportunities to learn how to operate as a team before the competitive season.
“The fall helped us to build confidence and establish how we work together on a daily basis,” Centenari said.
The fall season was particularly important given the team’s youth and the necessity of integrating freshman players. Centenari wasn’t the only one who commented on the team dynamic improving over time — Alex Knox-Jones ’25 said that “the guys have bought in really well.”
That progress did not halt over the winter break. Centenari said that the team “really took advantage of the off time at home and everyone came back prepared,” which helped the players hit the ground running upon their return.
For the men’s team, that hot start looks like a 5-0 start to the season, the second time in three seasons that the Big Green has been perfect through five games. The team extended that streak most recently with a 7-0 sweep of Fordham College, winning all six of its singles contests in two sets. Four Dartmouth players are perfect in singles matches while a fifth, Carlos Guerrero Alvarez ’25, has not dropped a match since the season opener.
Members of the men’s team also stressed the energy that the players have displayed throughout the start of their season as another reason for its success. Centenari has made it a goal for the men to balance focus and energy and the players have taken that directive to heart. Knox-Jones said that the team is “loud and fun,” which makes practices and matches that much better.
The women’s team also laid the foundation for its early success during fall term and winter break. Women’s head coach Robert Dallis said he was impressed with how the team looked coming back from the long winter break.
“It was obvious that they had been able to play some real sets at home which allowed us to start right away and be ready for the competition,” Dallis said.
Women’s tennis followed up its season-opening win with a 7-0 sweep of Merrimack College, remaining undefeated as well. This season marks the first time since 2018 that the Big Green has opened a campaign 2-0.
The women also credited the team’s interpersonal relationships on and off the court as a major reason for their early success. Players, especially freshmen, noted the biggest adjustment to college tennis being a shift from a more individual style of play to a team dynamic.
“It’s been really nice to have people that have your back, and it’s also cool to be playing for them and not just myself,” Valentina Cruz ’26 said.
That selflessness is consistent with the coherent teamwork the teams have shown throughout their matches so far, like during Cruz’s doubles match over the weekend, in which Cruz and Ashley Hess ’23 took their point with a 6-0 win.
The men’s team travels to Indiana this weekend to compete against Purdue University and Indiana University Bloomington, while the women’s team will remain home to play against Boston College and the University of Maryland.
