The Muhlenberg men’s and women’s tennis teams open their seasons shortly. The men’s team opening match is Saturday, Feb. 19 against Swarthmore College and the women’s season begins on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Franklin & Marshall College. Both teams played matches in the fall, where the women’s team rattled off an impressive win (9-0) against Cedar Crest College and then followed up with a (5-4) performance against Marywood University. The women’s team has serious depth, with the roster filled with upperclassmen. 

The men’s team also participated in a fall match, however they lost against Marywood  (3-6). The men’s team is in a rebuilding year, with mostly young and inexperienced players. Head Coach David DeLasCasas Kurvink commented about both team’s performances, saying, “In the fall, the women were able to pull off two good wins and the guys lost a close match that—for many—it was their first time getting to compete. The players have been doing off season workouts on their own and have improved leading into the spring season.”    

DeLasCasas Kurvink is heading into his first full season as head coach for the Mules. He is excited for his team to finally hit the court, “The teams have been working hard training indoors, and we are excited to get outdoors and use the newly resurfaced courts. I am excited for the student athletes to compete, bond as a team and hopefully have a regular season without interruption.”

DeLasCasas Kurvink then talked about the veterans and the newcomers on the team. “On the women’s side, we have a strong group of returners and a couple new players that should lead a strong season. On the men’s side, the team lost a significant amount of starters from last year, and we have been able to fill up the open spots with some new players that are eager to get going.”

DeLasCasas Kurvink’s expectations are that, “Both teams have a very competitive season ahead with nationally ranked competition in our conference. We are looking to improve every day and play the best tennis we are capable of.”

Caroline Armknecht ‘22, a team captain who won her most recent singles match (6-1, 6-0), shared what she is anticipating during her last season. “I am looking forward to competing my hardest and leaving my all out on the court this season. I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to compete with my teammates one last time and can’t wait to finish it strong with the two fellow seniors that I’ve been playing with since day one. I can’t wait to play my hardest for this team on our beautiful new courts while working with great teammates and coaches.”

Armknecht’s career has been plagued by numerous roadblocks, forcing her not to compete. In her first year, her season ended short with a wrist injury. Then, in her sophomore and junior years the seasons were canceled or shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, even though she is a senior, this will (hopefully) be her first full season.

Isaac Shulman ‘25, who lost his first singles match in a heartbreaking (10-8) tiebreaker in the third and final set, shared what he is looking forward to in his first season with the team. “I am really looking forward to getting this opportunity to compete and to improve my game on the tennis court.”

Captain Daniel Kantor ‘22, dominating his first singles match (6-1, 6-0), talked about what it is like for his career to wind down. “I’ve been playing tennis for almost my whole life so knowing that my time playing tennis competitively is almost over is a bit sad. But the past few years on the team [have] been really fun and I’m looking forward to ending my time on the team on a high note.”

He also talked about his expectations for the team this year. “This season we are rebuilding as we graduated a lot of seniors from our team last year. I’ve already seen a lot of progress from the guys in practice so hopefully we can remain competitive in our conference matches and all the guys go out there and compete their best.”

Armknecht added, “I expect [that] great things are to come with our new coaching staff and courts! We have all the ingredients for a great upcoming season, so now it’s up to the players to put in our hard work and love for the sport to lead to amazing results in our matches.”