Julien Dujarric & Ethan Levy:
Fresh off a heartbreaking loss in last year’s Ivy Prep League Championship, the tennis team had a chip on their shoulders. The 2022-2023 powerhouse team lost four seniors, a star in Cyrus Chan (‘26), and the veteran Coach Piorkowski. Regardless, an optimistic group of returning players entered the season with ambitious goals, led by the acclaimed Coach Keeler.
Going into this season, the guys were fired up to start practicing as a group again. For some players, the elimination of a JV team meant they needed to show their talents in order to secure the last few spots on varsity. This intensity generated a fiery environment for all of preseason, raising the standards for everybody. After a couple weeks of tryouts at the amazing facilities of Queens College, the coaches filled out the final spots of the twelve-person roster. As the second week of spring break rolled around, the lads were well-rested and pumped to get back together and venture out to the beautiful scenery of Mountainside, New Jersey. After enjoying bus rides through the cloudy mornings of March, filled with music and laughter, they hopped off our beloved mini school bus to enter the training grounds of Mountainside Racquet Club. With the help of the wonderful coaching staff at the club and Coach Keeler, the team greatly improved over those five days, generating high levels of excitement and anticipation going into our first regular season match.
After a productive and rainy Spring Break, the Men in Blue were excited to start the season with a bang. They swiftly defeated Trevor Day with a 4-1 victory, highlighted by a third-set tiebreak finish from Kian O’neill (‘25) at singles one. However, plagued by injuries and roster complications, the Dutchmen faced tough losses against Ivy League opponents. After hard-fought matches against Trinity, Hackley, and Poly Prep, the team struck back against Fieldston, winning 3-2 in another third-set tiebreak finish at singles one and a tremendous third-set victory from Shane Saber (‘26) at singles two. Expanding the winning streak, the Dutchmen then defeated Edgemont as well as Columbia Prep in consecutive matches, avenging a scrimmage from preseason. As the season progressed, the team’s confidence grew, regardless of the losses to Horace Mann and Riverdale. They became a close-knit band of brothers, sharing bus rides filled with music and karaoke, Kian falling asleep wherever he could. When the playoffs arrived, Due to heartbreaking losses and injuries, the Dutch were given the eighth seed and were tasked with taking on the undefeated Riverdale team.
The team knew that Riverdale would be a challenge in the first round, considering the Falcons pummeled the Men in Blue only three days prior. The final regular season match not only hurt the team immensely as a group, as it meant that the team would be locked in as the bottom seed for the Ivy Prep League Tournament, but was also detrimental to the renowned Doubles 1 duo made up of captains Julien Dujarric (‘25) and Ethan Levy (‘26). Their only loss to Riverdale was a disheartening end to their previously undefeated rampage. This defeat truly tested their character as a duo and as team leaders, making them determined to flip the script in Round 1.
Although the mighty Dutchmen lost to the Falcons in that round by a score of 1-4, that one win was still a bright spot for some, as Julien and Ethan showed their great perseverance and persistence in a hard-fought victory, defeating their undefeated opponents by a score of 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Although the team’s loss was disheartening, this minor victory gave the group a sense of determination to emerge victorious in the consolation bracket and hopefully earn a higher ranking in the final standings.
Morale was low after the first-round loss––but the Men in Blue had one more stand in the first round of the consolation bracket. On Friday, May 10, the team faced crosstown rivals Trinity Tigers, who defeated the Dutchmen 4-1 in the regular season. However, at their home courts of the Milstein Family Tennis Center, accompanied by former captains and tennis savants Nicholas Murphy (‘23) and Lee Meister (‘23), the team was poised for success. Every match was a battle, going three sets and exceeding 2.5 hours. Leading the charge was the dynamic duo Julien Dujarric (‘25) and Ethan Levy (‘26) at doubles one, who faced a third set 5-6, off-serve situation. However, they wouldn’t let their legendary season be tainted and fought back to a 7-4 victory in the third set tiebreak. Next, was the resilient Shane Saber (‘26), who avenged a regular season loss and secured the point at singles two with a 3-set victory. However, after dropping hard-fought matches at singles one and three, the score remained tied at 2-2––but not to fear. Newly paired at the doubles two position was William Frank (‘26) and James (Jamo) Erwine (‘24), an unexpected duo with outstanding on-court chemistry. With the entire crowd watching, the gentlemen at ‘dubs 2’ secured a nerve-racking third-set victory, securing a spot in the next round of the playoffs. A confident and ecstatic team cruised into Brooklyn a few days later, blasting music on the small bus for one last ride. The Poly Prep Blue Devils had beaten the Dutchmen in the regular season 4-1, but morale was at an all-time high. The Dutchmen ended the season with a bang, moving through Poly Prep 4-1 and securing the fifth seed despite entering the playoffs in last place.
After a rollercoaster ride of a season, the Dutch look forward to next season hoping to see some new faces (and one we’ve seen before). Rumor has it that the rising Freshman class is filled with bright talents, just what the team needs to regain the Ivy League title.
The Dutch Report 