KENNESAW, Ga. - As Harvey Conway's final season as an Owl comes to a close, he reflects on what his time at Kennesaw State has looked like. 
 

Coming from Bromley, England, Conway initially took to tennis at a young age. As he grew older and his skills began to develop, Conway started to gain widespread recognition. Conway ranked in the top 10 in the England Junior rankings and at 14 years of age, Conway competed in the Junior Road to Wimbledon before having to withdraw due to an injury.  

Through the recognition that he began to garner, Conway would develop a relationship with Simon Pritchard, current Associate Head Coach for KSU men's tennis. This relationship is what would lead Conway to cross the pond and attend Kennesaw State.  

"Simon came to watch me in the UK," Conway said. "He knows a couple of people that I know and tennis can be quite a small world sometimes. He and Matt (KSU Director of Tennis  Matt Emery) took a chance on me and we've come a long way since then. I think in general if you're English and someone else is English, they look after you in a way." 

When Conway first came to KSU, his first year did not go as expected. As a freshman, he posted a record of 2-4 in singles matches and 2-2 in doubles matches before the remained of the season was canceled due to the Covid 19 pandemic. In his sophomore season in 2021-22, he did see more playing time but still struggled to find his groove. Conway's breakout would come in his junior year when he would go 11-8 in singles and 10-6 in doubles.  

Even though he did not see much success in singles his sophomore year, this would mark the first time that he would be paired with Raul Garcia, and the duo had the second-most doubles wins and the best winning percentage on the team. 

This connection would spark a pairing that would see these two team up over the next three years to primarily play doubles matches with one another. Their skill sets complemented each other in ways that led them to see continued success.  

"Our game styles complement each other well," Conway said. "He's incredibly reliable and I like to think I'm a reliable player as well. We both know each other's game styles inside and out. With that, we've definitely had some great success." 

Beginning in the 2021-22 season and carrying over to the current 2023-24 season, Conway and Garcia have a record of 29-18. This is more wins and more total matches than any other singular pairing over the same time frame. 

There are many layers to this relationship that Garcia and Conway have, with the competitiveness to make each other better taking the forefront. This level of competitiveness has gone so far to the point where sometimes Conway will refrain from telling Garcia how good he truly is to keep him striving for more success.  

"Raul's tennis speaks for itself," Conway said. "He's been our best player for a while. I never tell him things like that, but his tennis is great and he's worked hard to get there." 

Being one of the more veteran players on the team, Conway has stepped up into a pretty significant role for the Owls. In the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, Conway would see most of his playing time from line two. While his importance to the team is not lost on him, Conway remains a very humble player, putting the importance of the team over the importance of himself.  

"A lot of the older guys from my sophomore and junior seasons helped make me into the player that I am now," Conway said. "I think I'm one of the few guys that's played from six all the way down to one. I know what it takes to play at six and what it takes to play at one. Helping those guys that come in and play at the back, I can reassure them at the bottom is where you can make the most progress." 

In addition to his newfound importance to the team, Conway has also stepped up into a leadership role within the team, developing relationships with many of the younger players on the team. Specifically, the relationship that has stood out the most to him is with his Anthony Weingarten. 

"Anthony is the guy I've been able to help the most since he's been here a little longer," Conway said. "I'm pretty harsh and I say it how it is, it's the best way to help someone. If I have something to say that can help him, I'll get on him, but it's only for his benefit." 

With his final season coming to a finish, Conway believes that when he leaves the campus of Kennesaw State, he will also leave behind his time playing competitive tennis.  

"I've always been honest with myself," Conway said. "I think I'm really good at tennis, but I don't want to play tennis after I leave college. To make money out of tennis, you have to be in that top one percent. I think I may be in the top five or the top ten percent, but I'm not entirely sure. Tennis is something I can always fall back on and I've been pretty satisfied with my last three years here at KSU." 

Ahead of the 2024 ASUN Men's Tennis Championship, Conway currently has 39 singles wins, putting him at in the top 15 all-time in school history. He also has 40 doubles wins which ranks in the top 15 in program history. If Kennesaw State is where Conway's time with tennis comes to a close, it is quite the high to exit on.