Zach “napper” Decasa, Ethan “5 minutes for lunch” Ng, and Alex “The Gremlin” Karnes.
These are just a few of the numerous nicknames Liberty Varsity Boys Tennis uses during their match introductions.
At the beginning of every tennis match, each team introduces their players, but the Liberty boys tennis program likes to throw in a fun twist: each player gets a unique nickname.
So when it is time to introduce a player to 16 new strangers that they will be competing against, not only do they get to learn that their opponent’s name is Ethan Ng, but they also get to know that he only spends 5 minutes a day eating lunch.
“Of my seven years of coaching, nicknames have always been a tradition on the boys varsity team, “ Varsity tennis coach Carola Dopps said. This long standing tradition has followed some players throughout their high school tennis careers.
“Sometimes players choose their own nicknames, and sometimes they are given to us by upperclassmen. Mine was given to me when I was a freshmen, and it just stuck,” boys varsity co-captain Alan Di – otherwise referred to as Alan ‘big Di’ Di – said.
While some of the nicknames, like Daniel ”net ninja” Jugurt are pretty self explanatory, other nicknames like Jonathan “Big Lipper” Chiu are more niche.
“It’s like a giant inside joke,” varsity player Ethan Ng (10) said. “Having the nicknames is cool because it makes what we know about each other more implicit.”
Because some of the nicknames are only understandable to the team mates, it forms a close-knit community.
“Getting to know your fellow players, nicknames, and what they mean is really good for team culture” Alex Tran, co-captain of varsity tennis said. “Tennis is a very solitary, quiet sport, so it’s nice to be able to goof around with the nicknames before starting a serious match – it lightens the mood.”
This close-knit team has played a total of 10 matches this season, winning 6 matches and losing 4, however the losses were a very close call.
“We were so close to winning 3 of the 4 the matches we lost, “ Alan Di said. “All three times the score ended in 3-4”.
With their overall season score of 6 wins and 4 losses, the varsity team was given 4 spots in the 2024-2025 KINGCO tournament, two doubles and two singles slots. Alex Karnes (10), Alan Di (12), Zachary Decasa (12), Rhys Peene (12), Thimber Groet (11), and Jack O’Connell (12) have been selected to compete this year.
“I’m ready for KINGCO, hopefully Rhys and I perform well as doubles partners,” Decasa said. “Overall though, this season was really fun. Our team has great chemistry and my love for the sport has grown because of the unique and welcoming community surrounding the program, including the nickname tradition.”
