By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
After four years of college, Joseph Brailovsky and Daniel Pellerito came to that crossroads known as the real world. But there was no need to take it just yet thanks to one of the nation's top business schools and an extra year of eligibility on the tennis court.
 
Brailovsky and Pellerito are back for another run at William & Mary, a run they hope will result in the Colonial Athletic Association men's tennis championship. The second-seeded Tribe will open in the quarterfinals against Monmouth at 3 p.m. on Friday at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center. The semifinals are Saturday (at 3 p.m.) with the championship on Sunday (at 2 p.m.). The final two days will be played at the Mackey Tennis Center, weather permitting.
 
"We haven't won it in my time here, so I was looking forward to winning a championship as well as extending my tennis career one more year," said Brailovsky, who has won seven of his last nine singles matches at No. 2. "I mean, why not? It's a dream to be able to practice like a professional and play events and matches every weekend.
 
"We have a new team this year, so I knew we were going to be strong and definitely competitive enough to win a championship. Hopefully, we can prove it this weekend."
 
After battling injuries most of his career, Pellerito is enjoying this final ride.
 
"The most important thing for me as I came back was being part of the team again," he said. "Being a part of Tribe tennis is being a part of another family with the guys, the coaches and the community around us.
 
"You really do feel a part of something special. It's always nicer to win a championship, which is our ultimate goal. I hope we can prove it this weekend."
 
Brailovsky, who transferred to W&M after one year at South Carolina, graduated last spring with a B.B.A. in business analytics. He is now working on his M.S. in business analytics at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business.
 
Pellerito, who came to William & Mary in the fall of 2018, earned his B.B.A. in accounting with a concentration in finance last spring. He is in the Master of Accounting program in Mason.
 
Having them back for another go-round has been a huge boost to Jeff Kader's team.
 
"They're two very, very intelligent people," he said. "To be able to get your Master's from William & Mary is obviously quite enticing, and they've really embraced everything about the program.
 
"They've been incredible representatives for the team the entire time. They want to get that degree from William & Mary, but at the same time they want to do it for the team and hoist that trophy."
 
Brailovsky and Pellerito are two of four grad students on the Tribe's roster. Bill Duo played three seasons at Princeton (2020-21 was canceled because of COVID) before transferring to W&M. He is in the MBA program at Mason and is eligible to play the 2023-24 season.
 
Andres Silva played four years at Radford University. He is also in Mason's MBA program.
 
George Davis, who plays No. 1 singles for the Tribe, is set to graduate next month with a degree in political science and government.
 
"You can see that most of our starting lineup is older guys who have proven to be successful," Brailovsky said. "They're providing so much insight just from their own experiences at different schools. They know how to approach this kind of weekend and they understand the magnitude of it."
 
The program's last championship came in 2015, when the tournament was also held at William & Mary. Since then, the Tribe has lost three times in the semifinals and three times in the championship match. 
 
There is no set CAA schedule during the regular season, so each team plays as many as it chooses. The Tribe's conference opponents were Hampton, Drexel, Elon (all wins) and Delaware (a loss).
 
Seeding was determined based on criteria that includes head-to-head matches, mutual non-conference opponents, ITA rankings and coaches' recommendations. UNCW — which swept Delaware, North Carolina A&T and Charleston during the regular season — was made the No. 1 seed.
 
The Tribe has the home-court advantage, just as it did for its last championship in 2015. And just as the women's team did last weekend when it won the trophy.
 
"We have the new facility, and we're really confident from our last few matches," said Pellerito, who has a job lined up at KPMG in New York. "We're all feeling healthy and ready to go."