LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates men's tennis senior class has gone through a lot during their time as Bobcats. Their first two seasons were cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making last year their first full season of collegiate tennis. Now the Bobcats, led by four senior captains, return everyone from a year ago. Bates opens its spring season Tuesday at 3pm when the Bobcats visit NCAA Division II school Florida Southern College. 

"I like to play the teams we're playing in Florida because it's a true test," head coach Paul Gastonguay '89 said. "They're super high level, mostly international players from all over the world, so it'll get us ready. I feel like this group can beat anyone and we just have to come together on the day of a match and get it done." 

Bates (1-0) has already defeated one DII school this season, having beaten Saint Michael's College 5-4 back on Oct. 15.

The return of senior captain Cameron Kania (Middlefield, Conn.) to the lineup figures to pay huge dividends. He missed most of last season due to injury. Gastonguay is excited about Kania teaming with junior Alexander Gujarathi (Plymouth, Mass.) at No. 1 doubles, with the pair coming off an appearance in the quarterfinals of the ITA Regional Championships in the fall. Elsewhere, Gastonguay is going to mix and match to see which doubles teams make the most sense.

"It's a good problem to have, we have so many interchangeable parts and we're spending a lot of time on seeing who's the best click, the best mesh," Gastonguay said. "We've got a lot of pieces that work well together, which is a good thing." 

Senior captains Nick Forester (Falmouth, Maine), Leo Kupferman (Montclair, N.J.), and Teddy Koide (Morristown, N.J.) join Kania as the core leadership group for Bates this season. Forester was a second team All-NESCAC selection in both singles and doubles as a sophomore in the abbreviated season of 2020-21. 

"Since day one, this group has been a force," Gastonguay said. "They were playing near the top of the lineup as first-years due to injuries, and I am excited to see what they can do. They've really developed and they understand their games and everyone looks strong." 

The Bobcats have a lot of depth, with junior Nikesh Desai (Hopkinton, Mass.) having earned second team All-NESCAC honors along with Forester in doubles two years ago. Plus, junior Matthew Danielson (St. Petersburg, Fla.) emerged as one of the team's top players last year, teaming with Gujarathi at No. 1 doubles with Kania out due to injury. 

Juniors Alexander Archer (Austin, Texas) and Aaron Ramos (Englewood, N.J.) both stepped up last season, with Archer picking up a key singles victory in Bates' 5-4 win over Hamilton to conclude the year. Sophomore Paul Zhou (Beijing, China) got a lot of experience in doubles play as a rookie and should be in the mix again this season. 

Bates' lone first-year is Theophile Sardain (Lawrenceville, N.J.), who teamed with Forester in the fall to pick up a big win at No. 3 doubles in the victory over Saint Michael's. 

Gastonguay has been impressed with the team's work over the winter, known within the program as "investment season."

"During our investment season, you can have the best intentions and get a lot of reps in, but if you don't do it the right way with the right mode and the right intensity, you build bad habits without knowing," Gastonguay said. "And the thing I'm happiest about this year, it's the best we've ever come into a season. On the first day of practice, there was none of that little tweaking or fixing needed. They came in really strong and ready and mentally prepared."