Boys’ tennis drops MSL East to Huskies in deciding meet

May 5, 2016

By Ryan Molini, sports editor

40-LOVE: Sophomore Peter Velic hits a ball in an attempt the return over his head. Velic and his partner senior Adam Nadler are the first doubles team for the boys’ varsity tennis team. The two are also the only pairing that won their matchup against Hersey on May 3 as the team dropped to the Huskies 6-1.

Heading into Tuesday, May 3, the varsity boys’ tennis team knew what was coming — a Hersey Huskies team that was ready to fight for a second consecutive Mid-Suburban East championship.
“[Winning the East] is why you play,” first year head coach Brad Rathe said. “It’s our first goal coming into the year.”
The meet was decided pretty early as the Huskies went on to defeat the Knights 6-1. The only Prospect pairing that did win was senior Adam Nadler and sophomore Peter Velic who did face some challenges going up against a tough first doubles matchup.
“Fremd was tough. Rolling Meadows is always a tough [match]. But this one right here [against Hersey] is our toughest match in the East,” Nadler said.
Rathe felt the tension between the rivals on the courts.
“It’s always big beating [Hersey],” Rathe said. “You know these guys growing up. They know your strengths and weaknesses — to win [against Hersey] is [always] big.”
With the loss to Hersey, the Knights placed second in the MSL East heading into the conference meet and IHSA playoffs. Both Nadler and Rathe hope to pick up some momentum heading into the last couple meets of the season.
“Heading into conference play and the IHSA plays with momentum is huge,” Nadler said. “We know we’re the best team in the East and [that] we can go into this conference meet and not only compete, but also win it.”

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