Above: Kyle Poccia, playing #2 seed, won his match in straight sets Monday. Photos by Chuck Nadeau

By Cameron Pellegrino

East Greenwich Boys Tennis is off to a blazing start, as the Avengers claimed their third consecutive victory on a breezy Monday, April 10, afternoon. Coming off two shutouts against Westerly and Narragansett, which both ended 7-0, EG faced off with the Providence Country Day Knights. While confidence was high among team members, a couple of key players were unavailable to play in the April break matchup. Fortunately, the absences of Ben Neimark, Cyrus Davoudi, and Owen Padula were still not enough to deter the Avengers. 

Once all seven matches concluded, East Greenwich came out on top with a combined score of 4-3. The wins came from two of the singles players, and two of the doubles pairs. Freshman standout and first choice singles player Henry Seeley battled hard, but ultimately suffered his first defeat of the season. Senior Kyle Poccia knocked off his opponent at the singles two position in straight sets, ending 6-1 and 6-4. The victorious doubles pairs consisted of Duncan Kling and Rajeev Sen, as well as Arya Gaind and Ravi Vishnu. As a result of missing multiple important players, some members of the team were forced to step into a larger role. 

“We’re a deep team, so even if the lineup has some kinks in it, everyone can play at different positions,” said Captain Kyle Poccia. “That’s what is so good about this team, we have players who can step up even if it isn’t usually their spot.” 

The tennis season is just getting started, but the 3-0 Avengers are already thinking about the future. Now in Division II, East Greenwich has their sights firmly set on a common goal, to win the state championship. 

“We come to practice everyday and we get to work,” Poccia said. “We know we have a good team and we know what our goal is, and that’s to win it all. We work everyday with that goal in mind.” 

East Greenwich will have a full week off before taking the court again for their next match on April 17, where they will clash with the 3-1 Tiverton High School Tigers. The next month will be a busy one for EG. The schedule is filled with 10 more regular season matches, all leading up to the RIIL Tennis State Championships June 5.

Cameron Pellegrino is a senior at East Greenwich High School.

#1 doubles Duncan Kling and Rajeev Sen won their match. Photo by Chuck Nadeau

Henry Seeley, at #1 singles, lost for the first time this season. Photo by Chuck Nadeau

The team lines up before the match. Photo by Chuck Nadeau