Dartmouth boys tennis looks to serve up wins this season

Apr 6, 2022

Game, set, and match.

The Dartmouth High Boys Tennis team is poised and ready to serve up another successful season after returning their top two players from last year and building more depth behind them.

Top singles players Justin Kerney and Dylan Marshall are now seniors and are ready to take a leadership role and help the team make a deep run in their final year.

“I’ve got a great one-two punch,” said Head Coach Don York, who praised the leadership of his team captains. “All I have to do is say ‘go’ and they take over.”

“Justin and I were kind of helping out last year — we didn’t get that full leadership role but we got a taste of it,” said Marshall, adding that as senior captains, the two are now ready to take on the full responsibility of that role.

Marshall, who said his grandmother “stuck me on the court as soon as I could walk,” said the team was lucky to have only lost one senior from last year and should be “really good this year.”

Though Marshall started last season as the number one singles player, Kerney eventually overtook him and will start this season in the team’s top spot.

Kerney said he has been playing tennis since he was five years old and has always loved it more than any other sport.

“With tennis, you know the whole court is in your hands, and I really like that,” he said.

Kerney said he is confident in the team, which feels “more complete” than last year’s.

“Our team last year wasn’t as deep as it is this year,” he said, explaining that he isn’t worried about backups being able to step up if starters have to miss time. “I’d say our chances of going deep this year are better than last year. Everyone just wants it.”

The team won sectionals last year, but was eliminated early in the regional tournament, Kerney said.

York, who has coached tennis at Dartmouth High for eight years, said he was happy with the camaraderie the team was showing early in the season.

“I’ve told these guys since the beginning, if you’re on the same team, you’ve gotta be like brothers,” he said.

York’s team will need to start strong this season as it prepares to take on tough matchups against West Bridgewater and Old Rochester this week.

“So we’re starting with a real challenge right off the bat,” York said.