The men’s tennis team has had a good couple of weeks as they are looking forward to the NCAC Conference Tournament.  After losing a tough match against Kenyon College on April 10, the Gators have won three straight matches.  The team beat Franciscan University 9-0 on April 13, The College of Wooster 5-4 on Saturday, April 16, and Grove City College 9-0 on Tuesday, April 19.

Thomas Manning, ’16, the only captain on the men’s team feels good about the way the Gators have been playing.

“Everyone has been playing a lot better towards the end of the season and a lot of guys have stepped up for us,” Manning said. “The Wooster match in particular was a team effort and everyone contributed to the win, which was really good to see.”

Head Coach Jared Luteran has been working hard with his team and is pleased with where they stand at this point of the season.

“I feel great about our players as we look ahead to the conference tournament,” Luteran said. “I love the way that we have been playing lately because we are as healthy as we can be and we have been working hard so we are ready to go.”

Tyler Triolo, ’16, beat the all time Allegheny College men’s tennis record for doubles wins with 79 career wins. He was named the Allegheny College Athlete of the Week for the week of Sunday, April 17.

“Tyler beat the record against Wooster with his 79 career doubles win,” Luteran said.  “He beat Patrick Cole’s record, who has all of our other records for men’s tennis, so that is a great accomplishment.”

Triolo has been playing well all season for the Gators, and he has come a long way since the beginning of his college tennis career.

“Beating the record is a great ending note for the regular season of my senior year,” Triolo said.  “Patrick Cole was an integral part of getting me better over the years, and since he is the best player in program history it is an honor to pass him and beat his record.”

Nice weather has been a key factor for the Gators preparation and attitudes on and off the court.

“It’s been so nice being outside because mentally everyone is happy and we have been winning matches,” Luteran said.

The Gators are used to playing in all kinds of weather and having to adjust.  Manning also understands how important it is for the team to be playing competitive matches outdoors.

“We will play anywhere,” Manning said.  “Whether it is cold or windy, we can use the elements to our advantage because we are a blue collar team.”

Another key to the Gators’ success has been its experience playing against good teams.  The team played against four tough teams in Hilton Head, South Carolina during its spring break trip, and they have played in a lot of close conference matches.

Luteran said the NCAC is a tough conference to play in, but the Gators have been working hard and are prepared for more wins to come.

“There are four nationally ranked teams in our conference, but we are ready to go out and compete in order to prepare for the conference tournament,” Luteran said.

Manning has had a lot of experience in his four years of playing tennis for Allegheny College and he has high hopes for his team moving forward.

“We play Edinboro which is an NCAA Division II team, and we play two more ranked teams from our conference to finish out the season,” Manning said. “We are feeling pretty good and at this point anyone could take the conference championship so we have a lot of confidence that we can go out there and compete for it.”

The Gators play Edinboro University on Thursday, April 21 at 6 p.m. in Edinboro. They will play their last two games of the regular season on Saturday, April 23 against rival Oberlin College for senior day at 1 p.m. and Sunday, April 24 against Denison University at 2 p.m. in Meadville.