Men’s tennis on their first conference match win since 2019

AJ Avansino ('26) jumps for the ball on March 28, 2026. Photo by Patricia Krepel.

Men’s tennis beat the University of Puget Sound Loggers 6-1 at home on Feb. 28. The result marked their first team win since 2019 and signifies a change that has been a long time coming for the Bearcats, who haven’t had a winning season since 2011. 

Captain AJ Avansino (’26) recalled last year’s difficult campaign, in which the team failed to get a point off of any conference opponent. “Last year, as a team, we lost every single match 7-0. …We legitimately did not score one point last year,” he said. This season, the team made it onto the score sheet against Pacific, George Fox, Lewis & Clark, Whitworth, Linfield, and Puget Sound. “It’s huge progress,” he said.

Avansino attributed this rolling momentum of points and individual wins to a new team culture and focus on the growth mindset. On the change, head coach Sam Fecteau said, “Historically, Willamette tennis has struggled, and moving the players into a position where they feel like they can compete, realize their potential and even win has been tricky to change, but we're moving in the right direction.”

Before Fecteau took over in the fall of 2024, Avansino explained that the team’s identity was centered around losing every game and that they had already convinced themselves they would lose before the matches even started.

“We kind of just went out onto the court, obviously trying to win, but with the expectation we were gonna lose,” he said.

In years past, the team struggled with high coach turnover, but in the two years since Fecteau has been in the role, there has been a steady push for more points and a growth mindset.

“We've been able to practice, put in the time, put in the work and ultimately prove to ourselves that we are capable of winning. Once we've seen our efforts come to fruition, we can kind of see the results starting to change,” said Avansino on the mindset Fecteau has tried to instill in the team.

Bringing in new players each year, each with their own intensity, has also helped the mindset. This year, coach Fecteau recruited five new first-years who were all integral to the ’Cats success, including Sohnosuke Sakaguchi (’29), who led the team in individual wins. 

“Having new players that haven't experienced college tennis and having high-level players that force everybody to compete and raise their level is something that we've never really had,” said Avansino.

This mindset will hopefully endure in the coming years and keep the momentum of scoring points and winning games rolling forward. Building a lasting culture centered around winning will only continue to improve the Bearcats’ men’s tennis team. 

“I'm not okay with stagnating. I want progress. I want the team to be hungry, to improve,” said Fecteau. “I don't want Willamette to be the bottom of the tennis program anymore, and if we keep doing what we're doing, I don't think we will be.”