By Katelyn Deagro ’17

As spring sports roll around, the Staples boys’ tennis team will be training to earn their fourth consecutive FCIAC title. The eight players that will be returning, including the four seniors who have been on the team for the entirety of their high school career will be critical for success in the coming season.

Kion Bruno ’17, co-captain Jay Mudholkar ’17 and Max Zimmerman ’17 are all four year varsity players who hope be be able to claim the FCIAC championship for the fourth and final year of their high school tennis careers.

“It’s definitely important to try and win again. The team is going to be better than ever this year and we have a lot of new talented guys,” co-captain Zimmerman ’17 said.  “So I think that we can definitely win FCIACs again.”

While each senior Wrecker will be instrumental in the team’s collective success, underclassmen are equally important. Jack Tooker ’19, Jake Greenwald ’19 and Daniel Stone ’19 are all returning from last year and “looking to play key roles in this years team,” Mudholkar said.

“We have a pretty solid team this year,” Coach Kris Hrisovulos said. “Max Zimmerman, our top player, is amongst the top five players in the state. [He] will be playing some of the best competition.”

Zimmerman notes that a major strength for the team lies both on and off the court.

“Everyone on the team is super close,” Zimmerman said. “It’s been awesome to be a part of and it’s a special type of bond with the guys that you don’t see anywhere else.”

Both captains recognize that the key to moving through the season with success is maintaining their tight-knit team atmosphere.

“For the past few seasons, we have had a lot of success, so on the surface-level, there might be a little pressure. However, the strength of us is in our team-driven attitude; when one of the boys is having a rough patch, we support [him] ten times louder,” Mudholkar said. “The [team] culture really benefits us going into every game.”