Competing in only his second singles match of the year on Sunday, freshman Tobias Reitz ended the contest in style.
After missing singles last weekend because of a knee injury, Reitz played No. 2 singles on Saturday and Sunday for Northwestern. On Sunday against Illinois-Chicago, Reitz won the first set and was struggling in the second before coming from behind to take the lead. Serving for the match, Reitz put an exclamation point on both the match and the Wildcats’ weekend, ripping two consecutive aces to put the game away.
“I was really looking forward to playing singles,” said the native of Reinbeck, Germany. “The only thing we have been working on for the past four months is these dual matches, and I got injured. But I’m happy to be able to play singles now.”
Reitz, one of three freshmen competing for NU (5-0), is excited to be back, but he’s not the only one. Coach Arvid Swan and the rest of the team are ecstatic that the freshman trio has returned in full force just in time for the toughest test of their non-conference season. After finishing a combined 6-0 in singles on the weekend and 6-1 in doubles, the freshmen – Josh Graves, Eric Spector and Reitz – are a big reason for the mounting excitement at the Combe Tennis Center.
Overall, the Cats went on to win 26 of their 27 matches this weekend. NU earned commanding 7-0 victories against IUPUI, Western Illinois and Illinois-Chicago. With contributions from all nine teammates, the Cats finished a perfect 18-0 in singles.
Two Alexes led the way for NU; junior captain Alex Sanborn and graduate student Alex Thams each finished 3-0 on the weekend. Both Sanborn and Thams have been off to torrid starts on the season, with a record of 5-0 in singles play.
Spector, Reitz and Graves, along with seniors Marc Dwyer and Philip Kafka, chipped in with two singles wins each. Sophomores Andrew McCarthy and Peter Rispoli also added one singles victory apiece.
Despite the Cats’ success in singles, it was the doubles teams that impressed Sanborn the most.
“What was good was the progression in the doubles, from the first match to the last match,” Sanborn said.
After focusing on doubles in practice all week, NU posted an impressive 8-1 doubles mark.
“We got what we needed to out of these matches,” Swan said of the Cats’ weekend. “And hopefully we’ll step up in our next one.”
As NU moves on, it will take two weeks off before traveling to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to face Middle Tennessee State. While the Cats may not be playing any matches in the next two weeks, they will certainly continue to maintain focus.
“For us, through the season, it’s important to maintain our strength and also be healthy,” Swan said. “We’ll work really hard this week and next week … we’ve got to get a lot better still.”
After acing their first test of the season, the Cats will attempt to take their winning ways to the Volunteer State, looking to build on their best start in seven years.
Although Reitz, Graves and Spector highlighted this weekend’s performance, Sanborn stressed the importance of the freshmen as the team prepares for their toughest opponents of the season.
“Our freshmen will help us a lot,” Sanborn said. “They will keep us going against Middle Tennessee. We have a lot more talent this year.”
