ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Bates men's tennis team begins their spring season this week in Florida with four matches against NCAA Division II opponents in three days, starting Wednesday when the Bobcats take on Rollins College at the USTA National Campus. Head coach Paul Gastonguay '89 is the longest tenured coach at Bates, but he has one of his youngest teams yet, with 10 underclassmen on the 14-man roster. The team will get an immediate test in the opening week of the spring.

"The highest level of the NESCAC is very comparable to DII, and in some cases DI, so our guys are excited for this challenge," Gastonguay said. "They have been putting in a lot of hard work on the court and in the weight room."

The Bobcats are led by senior captains Ben Adey (Falmouth, Maine), Eli Criss (Winchester, Mass.) and Evangelo Kapothanasis (Westbrook, Maine), all of whom have impressed Gastonguay with their dedication to the program.

"From day one, they've always left everything on the court," Gastonguay said. "I couldn't be more proud of what they've done to get better over the course of their Bates careers." 

The Bobcats' top returning player on the court is junior captain Theo Sardain (Dedham, Mass.), who earned Second Team All-NESCAC honors in doubles last season. Sardain's doubles partner in 2023-24 was Alexander Gujarathi '24, who has graduated, so this fall Sardain paired with sophomore Phillippe Kosyagin (Las Vegas, Nev.) and the duo impressed at the ITA New England Championship. They teamed up to defeat the Endicott duo of Conrad Kadel and George Danes by a count of 8-3 in the round of 64. Then they took on the fifth-seeded team of JT Bilski and Harry Collomb from Wesleyan in the round of 32, falling just short in an 8-7 (2) loss. 

"Theo and PK both have monster serves," Gastonguay said. "They feed off each other's energy really well. So, they're very good. We are currently figuring out the rest of the doubles pairings, but that's what this Florida trip is all about." 

Sophomore Alex Park (Dallas, Texas) worked his way into the starting lineup last season as a rookie, but most of the rest of the underclassmen will be new faces for Bates fans. 

"This year's first-year class reminds me of the group we graduated two years ago," Gastonguay said. "They've hit the ground running and are really pushing everyone. It's really cool to see the level of play continue to rise. They came in ready and in shape." 

Bates has a home-heavy schedule this year after their four road matches in Florida, with the home openers set for Saturday, March 1 when Bates takes on Southern Maine at 10 a.m. and Nichols College at 2 p.m. in Merrill Gym.

"I always remind these guys that sports are not decided on paper; it's what you make of it every day," Gastonguay said. "We just want to go out there and tear it up. We'll see what we can do."