After a one-loss regular season on its way to SCC Division I and Class L co-state crowns last year, Hand boys' tennis appears to be in championship form again this campaign.

Following their first five matches, all of which were victories by either 7-0 or 6-1 margins, the Tigers scored another decision at home against Hamden on April 28, 7-0. Not only did Hand pitch its fourth shutout on the year, but the Tigers also made quick work of the Green Dragons with all set scores being either 6-0 or 6-1 in the home team's favor-including a 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 1 singles by senior Alex Rieger.

"We feel strong and have had no hiccups, which is a big thing with heading into big matchups. We are strong, especially in doubles, which has been a staple of our team the last few years," said Rieger. "Today, I was hitting big serves, finding my forehand, and working my way to the net. I also tried to throw in some volleys to keep him off balance, and I was moving well, especially to the wide ball. He missed some volleys, but I felt on point."

Additional solo triumphs came by way of No. 2 senior David Schulz, fellow senior Austin Paresi at No. 3, and junior Shayan Roychoudhury at the No. 4 slot. Over on the doubles circuit, the top tandem of junior Andrew Goldfeder and freshman Kyle Fay; sophomores Danny Weinreb and Andrew Pace; plus juniors Michael Vizziello and James Cutler secured straight-set decisions.

"I didn't do more than I needed to out there today; I just played solid and did what I needed to do," said Schulz on his 6-0, 6-0 win. "We've been doing well so far; we beat [SCC contender] Fairfield Prep 7-0 on Opening Day, which we've never done in my four years here, so that was a great start."

Rieger started things off for Hand (6-1) with a series of strong serves that Hamden (2-6) sophomore counterpart Brandon Howard couldn't handle as Rieger earned a swift 1-0 lead in the opening set. Rieger also worked the corners of the court strongly for strikes and points before he smacked a laser shot that landed short on Howard's response to help put the match away.

For Schulz and his match against senior Seth Bjorkman, he started out with digs along the baseline for early tallies. He then added in a series of great touches near the net to add to his command prior to forcing out-of-bounds returns from Bjorkman.

Paresi next earned a 6-0, 6-1 final against senior Benjamin Bonadies. After forcing a ball that landed just inside the baseline and bounced out to Bonadies' left, he sprinkled in a backhanded swing that Bonadies tried to chase down his baseline, but to no avail.

Rounding out singles action, Roychoudhury moved past junior Stephen Pantera, 6-0, 6-0. While Roychoudhury worked the baseline with his back hand in the beginning, he also moved around the middle for a swipe that went out of play upon Pantera's return.

"I see dedication and a team that wants to succeed and do what we did last year," said Head Coach Dawn Fagerquist. "And I'll tell you right now, the boys want what we did last year; we'd love to do SCCs and states again, but we are taking it day by day. Some teams we play will be stronger than others, so I'm trying to mix my lineup around and give different guys a chance."

Goldfeder and Fay notched another 6-0, 6-0 win for the Tigers battling senior Gage Riccio and sophomore Jim Darcy. Hand's duo got almost every bounce of the ball, even on a return that landed in play but not off the ground as it rolled to a point for the home side.

Pace made a long leap for an early score in his and Weinreb's 6-1, 6-1 decision facing freshman Avi Mahajan and junior EJ Neri. With the Tigers' tandem up 4-1 in the second, the two were able to turn center court plays into match-clinching shots.

Finally, Vizziello and Cutler breezed by senior Chris Feldman and sophomore Dan Millea, 6-1, 6-0. Hand had some nice intercepts in the front court during the opener, as the Green Dragons were unable to control their opening serves. The pair then closed out its day by landing an almost perfect shot that stayed inside, but was missed by Hamden.

The second half schedule does appear challenging for Hand with two SCC Division I Tournament final rematches with Amity, along with a clash against fellow Division I unbeaten Guilford. The Tigers did suffer their first loss by a 5-2 final at non-conference foe Staples on May 2, although Fagerquist feels confident in her veteran squad that only graduated one senior from a spring ago.

"We just have to work hard, put the best team forward, and do the best we can. The experience on this team is huge, as we have guys that play year-round and are working hard. Plus we have new freshmen that have come in, so we are deep," said Fagerquist. "We will play hard and play it match by match and not look too far down the road. We have to take it one step at a time."

Schulz echoed his coach's sentiments by adding that not only is Hand's roster a year wiser, but additionally tougher with a good chunk of tournament time under its belt.

"We have a really good shot at SCC and state runs, because we haven't lost many starters from last year, and Amity lost a lot of its doubles guys," said Schulz. "Our guys have been playing a lot, and our singles and doubles are looking strong. We definitely have a much stronger team than last year, so that puts us in a good spot to repeat."