West Deptford Boys' Tennis Team Not Yet Whole

With every varsity starter taking a position that was new to him, the tennis team entered the spring season with plenty of question marks. The plan was for those questions to work themselves out over the early potion of the schedule, so the team could hit its stride after a couple of weeks.

However, four matches in, head coach Aaron Burr still isn’t quite sure what he has in this new-look bunch. Thanks to spring break, family vacations and illnesses, the team has yet to have everyone where they should be each match.

It has all added up to a 0-4 start that has the Eagles on what appears to be their way to the program's first losing record in a decade.

“I just think not having a consistent lineup for the first two weeks of the season is making it hard to judge really where we are at,” said Burr. “Hopefully, when we see some of these teams for the second time around, we will have a more true varsity lineup. Then we can see how we stand up.”

On Wednesday, it was Sterling who proved too much for West Deptford, in a 4-1 Colonial Conference win. The second doubles team of Mike McKendry and Billy Steffan picked up the lone Eagles’ point. In fact, the second doubles position has been the only area that the team has earned a win all season, with McKendry and R.J. Eckley winning two of their first three matches.

“They’ve been a strength,” Burr said.

On the flip side, all three singles players—Kai Naranayan (who has missed a couple of matches), Stephen Marchunt and Brian Keane—are winless.

“It’s just something we will work harder towards, and hopefully it will start to pay off for us,” said Burr of the singles group.

Marchunt appears to be the most comfortable in his new position. He had an opportunity for victory Wednesday after winning the first set against Sterling’s Drew Furniss, but dropped the final two sets, including one by tie-breaker.

“(Marchunt) is definitely one of my stronger players,” Burr said. “He’s done a nice job moving into that second position. Brian is still feeling his way into that No. 3 position. He doesn’t really know how to set up the points as well as he did at doubles. Hopefully by the second half of the season he will have a better grip on that.”

Things will not get any easier for West Deptford, as the team will once again be shorthanded when it takes on Collingswood and Haddon Township the next two days.

With any luck, the Eagles will be at full strength next week when they have a rematch with Sterling at home.