CLEVELAND — The amount of success the Case Western Reserve University men's tennis team has had over the last several seasons has been undeniable and nothing short of impressive.
Since 2021, the Spartans have appeared in three national championship games, winning it all back in 2023. Last year, the team made it to the final four round of the NCAA DIII tournament, where they were eliminated.
It was a year that saw the roster gutted.
"If there was a year that we should have probably dropped a little bit, it was probably supposed to be this year," said head coach Todd Wojtkowski. "What was not known was that [our success] would continue given the fact that nine of our 12 starting positions were gone."
The Spartans lost all but three of their starters at the end of the season. A team that had found so much success together over a span of a few years became a team full of fresh faces.
Players who had never started before found themselves leading the team. That came with some early struggles and a few losses that kicked the team into gear.
"We weren't sure who we were yet, but then as we played more matches and [went] on and on, we started to figure out our identity," said senior Casey Hishinuma.
When asked what that identity is, Hishinuma's answer was simple.
"We are Case and we are something," he said with a smile.
Something is right. After a few tough losses in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association DIII Indoor Championship back in February, the Spartans locked in and found themselves. The team went 27-5 on the season, and after winning their way through the University Athletic Association tournament, the Spartans beat the University of Chicago to win their division title.
It was a big win, both because it was their rival and because it secured them a spot in the NCAA DIII tournament.
The Spartans have since beaten Whitman College and Kenyon College, leading them to their next challenge—the quarterfinals.
"Just three more matches to go. We're going to the quarterfinals and the matches starting on Monday, so we're definitely ready. Super pumped for that," Hishinuma said.
While not everyone on the team has been to this level before, everyone on the team has experience in what Monday holds. That's because it's a familiar face their up against as they eye the national championship.
"Now we have a rematch of our conference championship with Chicago," Wojtkowski said.
"It's a team that we really don't have a great loving relationship with," senior Ajay Mahenthiran said with a grin. "It'll be definitely a big statement win, and I think we're all going to come together and really... really get it done."
The Spartans, full of new faces, have still found success in a season of uncertainty. They hope that success continues next week as they enter the quarterfinal matchup with their rival, the University of Chicago. That match takes place in California on Monday at 8 p.m.
For Case, a team that wasn't expected to be able to remain successful this season, reaching that championship goal would be the perfect ending to their underdog 2025 story.
"I think it would be amazing. We won it two years ago when I was a sophomore and that was obviously really special, one core memory that I hold with myself today, but I think as a senior leading this team and doing it with my fellow seniors, it would be something really special to culminate an amazing four years," said senior Ansh Shah.
