One step at a time for Lew-Port tennis team

by Eric Keppeler
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, April 21, 2007

There are all kinds of different ways to measure success. When you’re starting from the ground floor and trying to work your way up, like the Lewiston-Porter boys tennis team, you tend to keep your goals on the modest side.

The Lancers are looking to win a match this season under coach Mike Townsend, who coached the program for eight years in the 1980s and 90s before stepping aside to spend time with his family. Now he returns to a team that has not won a single match in at least five years, partly because of low turnout and also because of the extremely competitive nature of the Niagara Frontier League and its much larger schools.

“We’re hoping to get a win in there somewhere,” Townsend said. “That would be awesome because these kids have worked hard for years, and they’d really like to know what it feels like to win.”

He’s got a few talented seniors coming but, but Townsend knows that the program won’t turn around overnight, and he thinks he has an excellent foundation for the future. There are 22 athletes on the team, and 16 of them are either freshmen or sophomores. And even if they don’t start any varsity matches – and a few of them likely will – they’ll be playing in exhibition matches against other teams to gain valuable experience.

“It’s definitely a rebuilding process, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” Townsend said. “Based on the enthusiasm and the talent, this team will be able to challenge and be respected, and represent Lew-Port well.”

There are just three seniors on the team, and they all figure to contribute somewhere. With the weather being so uncooperative, Townsend is still trying to figure out how all of his pieces best fit together.

Senior captain Marty Krimmel, a foreign exchange student from Germany, played first singles last year. Seniors Dave Holfoth and Chris Aiello also will play. Junior co-captain Tom Matikainen can play either singles or doubles.

“I believe that if you can get two points in doubles, that’s a very good thing,” Townsend said. “You’ve got to have the singles players to back them up, and we’re working on that. It’s very hard to take three of five points.”

The rest of the rotation figures to be young, featuring sophomores Dave Khatib, Anthony Laurendi, Brandon Piva and D.J. Nickerson, as well as freshmen Trevor Moran, Tyler Diez and Matt Petrosian.

Also helping out will be volunteer assistant coach Paul Frederick, a former player who starred for Townsend at first singles.

The experience and the winning attitude will help, but they can only go so far. Townsend says his players need to have faith in themselves, and he’s pleased with what he’s seen so far.

“I told the kids that coaching only goes so far,” Townsend said. “You guys are the ones out there on the courts, and I really believe in them. They think they’re going to win a match this year.”