Serving up some winners

Chip Palumbo of Winchester has been voted cocaptain of Fairfield's tennis team.

Chip Palumbo was an outstanding tennis player at Winchester High, compiling a gaudy 70-6 four-year record, including a 20-1 mark his senior year.

He was highly recruited that senior season, eventually deciding to play at Fairfield University. But he struggled his first two seasons at Fairfield, both in singles (a 27-31 record) and doubles (27-34).

So it really wasn't any surprise when coach Ed Paige sat him down at the beginning of this season and told him his playing time might be limited.

Determined to prove his coach wrong, Palumbo went on to have his best season - 18-8 in singles and 16-9 in doubles - and helped lead Fairfield to a school-record-tying 13 wins and to the championship match of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. This week, his teammates elected him a cocaptain of next year's squad.

"In many ways, Chip is the role model for what a college tennis player should be," Paige said. "I had told him that with the new players coming into our program, it was possible he would not make our top six. . . . He was quiet, looked me in the eye, didn't start to whine, and said, 'OK, I understand.' But he went on have an absolutely stellar year and remained one of the fittest players on the team, usually leading us in our very demanding wind sprints."

Palumbo said he understood Paige's decision.

"I was not playing well in practice and lost in some challenge matches," he said. "This team was one of the deepest I have been a part of since freshman year. Being an upperclassman, I knew I had to be one of the leaders by example, and if I had complained it would not be in the best interest of the team."

Calling Palumbo a gifted athlete with quickness that "is off the charts," Paige offered a simple explanation for Palumbo's turnaround.

"This year, he became a smart player," Paige said. "He didn't make the unforced errors, yet he continued to attack. He was probably the only player on our team who consistently served and volleyed this year and did it with great success."

The transition from high school tennis to college tennis wasn't easy, Palumbo said.

"You are playing against kids from all over the country and the world," he said. "In high school I mainly played singles, and it took me a while to learn the doubles system."

Palumbo teamed up with senior Balaza Szikla of Budapest for most of his doubles victories. The two compiled a 12-5 record, winning seven of their last 10 matches. In the MAAC final, Marist won all six single matches and two of the three doubles matches. It was Palumbo and Szikla who prevented the sweep.

Palumbo said he expects big things for his final season.

"We set goals as a team at the beginning of the year, and the hope is to win the MAAC," said Palumbo, who, with a combined career mark of 88-82 in singles and doubles, is within reach of the program record of 113. "It will be tough, but we should make a run at it. Marist is a strong team, but we will continue to grow in experience and hopefully give it another shot next year."