Head Coach Nick Karczynski inherited a robust, talented roster when he became the latest Moraine Valley Community College men’s tennis coach, adding to the excitement of the upcoming season.
A Moraine Valley alumnus, Karczynski played tennis for two successful seasons, including a trip to compete at the national tournament as a sophomore. He’s excited to be a Cyclone again and hoping to encourage the same competitive fire in his team.
“I feel honored and excited to be the head coach. Going from player to coach feels pretty good, and I’m excited for it, but I’m also nervous,” he said. “In practice, sometimes I lose track because I think I’m just playing tennis instead of coaching them. But we have a very solid team.”
The squad will be led by the sophomores, including Jaykumar Patel (Oak Forest), who went 8-1 at No. 4 singles last season, finishing second at the NJCAA Region 4 Tournament. The other sophomores include Lukas Cepronas (Stagg), John Kenny (Lincoln-Way East), Ujwal Patel (Oak Forest), Dhrumil Prajapati (Oak Forest) and Ronak Prajapati (Oak Forest).
Among the incoming freshmen is plenty of talent, including Erik Astranskas (Stagg), Omar Bzami (Sandburg), Patrick Jerabek (Lockport), Zackery Johnson (Beecher), Prince Patel (Oak Forest) and Dylan Roberts (Andrew).
In practices, the players have shown potential to go far this season – maybe even to the national tournament – Karczynski said. Having competed at the same event when he was a Cyclone, he knows what it takes and wants to build up the players’ physical and mental game to get them prepared.
“I know how it feels to play at this level, so they’ll get a lot of match play. My goal is to get as many players comfortable in match play as possible so they don’t get in their own way, they become mentally tough and not second guess themselves. I’m building them up mentally without telling them to help them relax on the court because it’s a big mental game,” Karczynski explained. “I look forward to seeing how they do, but I believe they’ll do well.”
The Cyclones open their short season on Tuesday, April 1, 2:45 p.m., in a home match with Oakton College.
For updates on Cyclones Athletics, visit mvcyclones.com.
For news media inquiries, contact Maura Vizza, Moraine Valley communications specialist and sports information coordinator, at (708) 974-5742 or Vizzam@morainevalley.edu.
