Some teams might not want to start a season against three of the best squads in its conference, especially if that team featured several new faces and a first-year head coach. However, the Guilford boys’ tennis team used that early grind to get its bearings and gain some confidence this spring.

The Indians opened their first year with new Head Coach Rob Messer at 0-3 after taking on defending SCC Division I champion Amity, 2015 runner-up Hand, and perennial heavyweight Fairfield Prep. Guilford took its licks against some of the league’s elite and used what it learned from those losses to rattle off four-consecutive victories against Waterford, Foran, East Haven, and North Haven. The Indians then took a tight 4-3 loss to Notre Dame-West Haven and a 6-1 defeat versus Hall to stand at 4-5.

“People are starting to gain confidence in their game. We played some tough teams from the get-go, but the guys have built up some confidence from that, and we’re able to build a game-plan,” said Coach Messer. “Even in doubles, we didn’t know what we were going to do going in and we had some older guys play with younger players, yet now we are finding compatible teams.”

Leading the way as captains, the Indians are deploying a pair of sensational seniors in No. 1 soloist Evan Powell, who’s started the season 7-0 after going 21-4 last year on his way to becoming the program’s second state singles champion; along with senior No. 1 doubles player PJ Malafronte, who’s also a tremendous asset to Messer in that he serves as sort of a semi-coach out on the court.

“Evan is a very well-established player. He has quite the résumé and is a great, well-rounded kid. Guys watch him play and they are in awe. He is soft-spoken and leads by example. He is an incredible hard worker. He loves to play and get better,” Messer said on the UConn commit, who also made All-SCC and All-State in 2015. “PJ is more of a vocal leader that is like an assistant coach. He knows the all the schedules, whether it is practices or the bus schedule for matches. He is like a right-hand man who is great with the younger players in showing them the ropes. He helps get their feet wet with varsity tennis.”

Rounding out the singles lineup for the Indians are junior Jeffrey Eng at the No. 2 slot, senior Jackson Inchalik at No. 3, and Jackson’s younger sibling in sophomore Sam Inchalik at the No. 4 position. Eng owns a strong mark of 5-2 to start the year.

“Jeffrey has come a long way, maturing both physically and mentally from the beginning of the season to now already. It’s really tough out there, but he goes to another level when facing challenges. He has big shoes to fill for next spring and he knows it now,” Messer said. “Jackson is a battler and grinder who is always in long, three-set matches. He’s had those battles where he finds ways to just get more balls than his opponents. Sam is very similar to Jackson and they just push each other. All the guys are so supportive of each other. They hand out tips and techniques to help each other get better.”

In the match against Notre Dame, Powell won his contest 6-3, 6-0, while the tandem of freshman Erik Mastalerz and sophomore Michael Hooker prevailed 6-2, 6-4, with the duo of sophomore Isaac Freeman and senior Luke Vilaseca claiming victory by the score of 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2).

The Indians have stood on the doorstep of playing for a conference title during each of the last three seasons, in which they lost in the semifinals of the SCC DI Tournament. Coach Messer feels that Guilford can break down that door in 2016 and added that his club is also making a push to reclaim the Class M state title the Indians won two years ago.

“We want to make a great showing in Class M. We deserve to be at the top and I think we will peak at the right time. We want to make a serious run and also compete in the SCC as we are in that top tier of teams for a reason,” Messer said. “We just need to go out and win. We take it all to heart because we are really strong in three-set matches thus far this season. We have a lot of matches coming up against teams like Cheshire, Branford, and Xavier that will be likely close 4-3, 5-2 finals. They are getting that confidence of expecting to win. We are heading in the right direction and just have to keep on working.”

From the Sidelines

Tyler Purskey is an assistant coach for Guilford boys’ tennis Head Coach Rob Messer this season.

Within his 7-0 start to 2016, Evan Powell went four-consecutive matches in which he didn’t lose a single game.

The Indians are coming off a 2015 campaign that saw them defeat Cheshire to reach the semifinals of the SCC Division I Tournament, where they lost to Amity. In states, Guilford moved up to Class L and finished fourth for the draw.