Hilltoppers starring in multiple roles
Marquette has balanced attack
ELM GROVE - It was minutes before the Marquette boys tennis team was preparing to play in the championship match of the Brookfield East Invitational on Saturday, and coach David Frank still had not announced the Hilltoppers’ starting lineup.
“We have to wait to announce until we hear who we’re playing,” Frank said.
This is nothing new for the powerful Marquette program’s athletes, who know their playing status can change from week to week, tournament to tournament, or even practice to practice.
“One match I could play singles and the next match doubles; you kind of never know,” said senior John Massart. “It keeps us on our toes and our opponents don’t know who they’re playing.”
The situation might unsettle some players, maybe even some coaches, who prefer a bit more stability on their teams and their lineups.
But with 10 state team championships in the last 11 seasons, it’s clear the Marquette players thrive under the pressure of not knowing their roles. And if the Hilltoppers’ performance Saturday at one of the area’s better earlyseason invites is any indication, Marquette looks like a heavy favorite for yet another state title in Madison.
The Hilltoppers stormed to the championship match in an invite that features many highly regarded teams from around the state. Marquette players dropped only one match on the day, coming in the final against Nicolet, a 6-1 victory after opening the tournament with 7-0 shutouts of Oregon and Eau Claire Memorial, a state team qualifier a year ago.
When the first coaches rankings come out this week, the Hilltoppers (9-0 in duals) will retain their top ranking in the state. Nicolet and Neenah, which played a close 4-3 semifinal match Saturday, could occupy the next two spots.
Massart and fellow senior Ethan Budiono teamed up at No. 1 doubles in the Nicolet match to shut out Ari Robinson and Jack Steinberger in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.
Last season, Budiono and Massart filled the roles of Nos. 1 and 2 singles players most of the season. Budiono finished fourth at individual state with a 20-9 record and will play at IUPUI, and Massart, who signed to play at St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia, was 17-7 last season and advanced to the third round at state.
They are two of five Marquette athletes who qualified for the individual state tournament last year. And while there’s still a chance that the pair could slide over to the singles side again, Massart is looking forward to seeing what the pair could accomplish as a doubles duo — if, of course, they stay together.
“I’ve been with Ethan a few times, switching off with him and Caleb (Schifano, a singles player who was 28-2 last year and played No. 2 doubles against Nicolet),” Massart said. “We’re never really sure. It’s how we do as a team that’s most important. Ethan and I want to play together, but if it makes the team worse, we wouldn’t do it.”
Pulling the strings behind the scenes for Marquette is Frank, who took over the head coaching position in 2005. Because the Hilltoppers have a wealth of talent to choose from — a deep pool made only deeper because of the program’s no-cut policy – Frank feels the positives of the constant competition for spots and changing lineups far outweigh the negatives. The program’s continual dominance only proves the point.
“There definitely are pros to having teams set with one position, and players can get comfortable with where they’re playing,” Frank said. “But I also think there are pros to being open and having your top guys battle with each other all year for spots and having that pressure throughout the season.
“Sometimes there is an obvious distinction between the players. Other years, it’s close, and we let the players keep battling through the year.”
This is one of those close years for the Hilltoppers, who against Nicolet had Joel Pan at No. 1 singles (a 6-1, 6-3 winner over Sunil Sabnis) and junior Nick Yang – a 29-win state qualifier a year ago — playing No. 3 singles with Rob May at No. 2.
The next time Marquette takes the court, it could all change. As a senior, Budiono knows by now to anticipate nothing and be ready for anything.
“We’re pretty well known for tinkering with our lineups,” said Budiono, who played doubles with his brother as a freshman before moving to singles for two years. “Sometime before subsectionals, the lineup will be set, and we’ll dig down and go with it.”