Two freshmen, one sophomore hope to carry team to success

By Tatum Outlaw
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Men’s tennis starts off this season with a bang and with fresh young players. This season’s incoming players, freshmen Mihir Kumar and Elliott Yee, are likely to battle for the top playing spots, with sophomore Michael Moe close on their tails. The Hounds are now going to try and make a complete effort for the State title with new players.

With Kumar and Yee both starting out in tournament tennis at the Indianapolis Racquet Club (IRC) and Indianapolis Tennis Club (ITC), the two are currently competing against each other for the team’s Number-1 spot.

“We’re friends, but on the court we’re just trying to win, but it matters whose day it is,” Kumar said.

This is Kumar’s first year playing school-wide tennis, and he said he feels that the team at Carmel is definitely an upgrade from tournament tennis and the competition is extremely strong. While Yee has middle school experience, he said that the competition with Kumar is up to his level.

With freshmen playing at such a high level, other players such as Moe have much to worry about. Last year Moe was a second-team all-state player and completed the season ranked Number-1 on this school’s men’s tennis team.

“This year should be really interesting,” Moe said.

With such great contenders and great results from previous seasons, a State title push is not out of the question for the Hounds.

“We have got to continue to mature throughout the season. We play a lot of difficult teams and we must take something from each match. I think we have the talent and the depth to win a State championship. It is just a question of who will rise to the occasion,” Michael Bostic, Head Coach of men’s tennis, said.

Both Yee and Kumar said that this year’s team has what it takes to drive for State if they step up on the court when needed.

“State is going to be a team effort because if one person falls short, everyone else has to step up their game and get those extra points in,” Kumar said.

Yee said the same, knowing that even though tennis is played at an individual level, it takes a team to win.

It’s hard to map out the Greyhounds’ season, but the future looks bright as they easily defeated Heritage Christian 5-0 at their first match on Aug. 18.

“We will need to stick together when things get tough. If someone is in a dog-fight, I want him to be able to look down the line and gain some confidence in the fact that he is not alone out there,” Bostic said. “That is what makes a team great, and we will see how we come together when things are tough.”