D-E Varsity Boys Tennis Team fans have enjoyed quite a season so this far this year.  The team is currently ranked 10th in New Jersey and 3rd in Bergen County, with a record of 11-3.   The team is headed at the top by Upper School senior co-captain Daniel Shutov '10, who was named 2009 Player of the Year by The Record.   The team also includes junior Maxwell Sacks '11 at 2nd singles, one of the top 2nd singles players in the state, and the 1st doubles team of senior co-captain Francis Loh '10 and junior Eric Rosengart '11.  The team is rounded out by sophomore Jason Katz '12 at 3rd singles and a rotation of players at 2nd doubles that includes seniors Michael Shin '10 and John Enokida '10, junior Alec Jiao '11, and the squad's lone freshman Luke Sherman '13.

Bulldogs Coach Joseph Iwanski reports:  "The season has been a largely successful one so far, although the team has had to deal with injuries and illness, the most significant of which was the loss of senior 3-year varsity starter Alec Herssens '10 to a wrist injury.  Dan Shutov also endured an illness that kept him out of several matches in the early going. While Shutov is largely recovered, Herssens is still nursing the wrist injury and we are hopeful that he can return for the state tournament."

Iwanski continues: "Meanwhile doubles team Loh and Rosengart are currently undefeated and must be regarded as one of the best teams around.  They have already knocked off their counterparts from Westfield, Delbarton, Ramapo, and Moorestown, to name some of the best teams in the state."

The highlight of the season to date was the team's recent experience in Delbarton's prestigious Bryan Bennett Memorial Tournament over the weekend of April 17-18. The team was faced with the always-formidable Westfield in the first round, where Shutov won at 1st singles, and the Loh/Rosengart pair prevailed at 1st doubles.   Iwanski notes: "Although the Bulldogs lost the remaining 3 positions, every match was a good one, and the team gained valuable match experience. We then went on to win the consolation bracket of that tournament, defeating Mountain Lakes, Ridge, and Moorestown, in part due to the heroic efforts of Shutov.  He fought off dehydration and illness to clinch each match against dogged opponents. The match toughness gained by the team will be invaluable as we approach the upcoming Bergen County Tournament (weekend of May 8-9), and the state tournament in the weeks after that."