Fox Chapel boys tennis team seeks 3-peat

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, March 4, 2018 | 11:25 PM

The Fox Chapel boys tennis team, under the guidance of interim coach Dave Prevost, finished with a 17-2 record last season and claimed its second straight WPIAL team title.

Alex Slezak, who was recovering from surgery last spring, will be back at the helm and has high hopes for a third consecutive WPIAL championship.

“We have six of our seven starters returning,” he said. “These young men have built a tennis dynasty with our program. Even with me having to help from the sidelines last year due to my injury and surgery, these young men know what it means to compete and to turn losses into long term growth. They now feel comfortable in their role as the favorites. We always start our season defining our culture, learning how to become competitors and, if we do those things well, we can be confident the rest will take care of itself.”

Junior Robby Shymansky, a past WPIAL and PIAA singles runner-up, leads an experienced team. He will be joined by sophomore Milo Barron, seniors Kurran Singh and Karsten Lagerquist and juniors Jared Nord and Jay Kashyap.

“We also have a large crop of freshmen and sophomores who will compete for the remaining varsity spots,” Slezak said. “Filling the seven spot in our lineup and assimilating them to the culture and work ethic will be something that is focused on heavily early in the season along with our doubles teams.”

The Foxes will be the favorite in the section.

“We should be considered the team to beat, but we never take our competition lightly, especially with our rival, Shady Side Academy, in the section.

“I am very proud of what these boys and Coach Prevost accomplished last season in defending their WPIAL title while I was sidelined. It speaks volumes to their commitment to one another and their character. We also have a young man who will be unable to try out for the team this year because he is in a battle with cancer. His passion is something we will miss, and it gives all of us a deeper reason to compete this year.”

Marty Stewart is a freelance writer.

Tags: Fox Chapel