The captains of the Georgia men’s tennis team lead the Dogs into postseason play. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL G. BOWERS | PHOTOS BY JON-MICHAEL SULLIVAN

Four senior captains lead the Georgia men’s tennis team — each with distinct personalities, individual histories, separate strengths and unique leadership styles — they have lived, played, traveled, lost and won together over the last four years.

Alex Hill, Jamie Hunt, Nate Schnugg and Christian Vitulli made up the No. 1 recruiting class in the country as freshmen in 2006. In their four years at Georgia, they helped bring home two national championships. Their team finished at No. 2 in 2006, No. 1 in 2007 and 2008 and No. 6 in 2009.

With the regular season over, the captains face their last SEC tournament starting today in Lexington, Ky. Then, they will move on to compete in their last NCAA Tournament held in Athens starting in late May.

It will be the end of four seasons and four records that built the four relationships, which are at the helm of the No. 11 Bulldogs.

The seniors knew each other, or met each other briefly, before starting school together four years ago.

Though raised in places spanning the country and world — Hill grew up in Atlanta, Hunt in San Antonio, Texas, Schnugg in Medford, Ore., and Vitulli in Mombasa, Kenya — their paths intertwined while competing on the junior tennis circuit.

Hunt and Schnugg competed against each other for the first time when they were ten years old, before training together in San Antonio as teenagers. Vitulli committed to Georgia based on his friendship with Hunt and Schnugg and their decision to don the red and black. Hill met Hunt on a recruiting trip, and they made plans to room together as freshmen.

Once all four arrived at the University in spring of 2007 (Hill and Hunt began school first in the fall of 2006), they spent a majority of their time together.

Hill, Hunt and Schnugg lived in a suite a few doors down from Vitulli at East Campus Village. The next year, a similar arrangement continued with the four either living with or next door to one another. Hunt and Vitulli still share an apartment as seniors.

“I hear a lot of other people on sports teams say they don’t like to live with their teammates because they see each other all the time, and they get sick of each other,” Schnugg said. “I’ve never felt that way with these guys. Four hours a day with these guys is not nearly enough, it’s weird.”

Jamie Hunt (left) and Nate Schnugg have been competing together since they were 16 years old. Photo by Jon-Michael Sullivan

Living and playing together forced the four teammates to understand and deal with one another’s quirks, individual traits and different behaviors. Time helped in this process according to Schnugg, who feels each captain’s individuality is an attribute for the team.

“We all know who we are and we all compliment each other well. We all have such different personalities yet are driven toward the same goal,” Schnugg said. “If we ever need to approach something with the team, one of us feels good doing it. We’re comfortable doing different things and we’ve never had something come up where one of us couldn’t handle it.”

Each labeled Hill as the team’s peacemaker, citing this role as a distinct contribution. Schnugg portrayed him as a loyal friend, who underclassmen turn to for guidance because Hill, “already has everything figured out.”

“[Hill is] kind of like a big brother to me,” Hunt said. “Even when we first got to school, he helped me out with parking and stuff, figuring stuff out about school. He was always someone I could look up to and turn to for advice.”

Hill competes the least out of the four; he earned his first outdoor dual match win ever this season. He is the only captain who will graduate this spring, after making the SEC Academic Honor Roll last season.

Hill, Hunt and Schnugg agree that Vitulli is the most laid-back member of the team. They described a quiet, composed player who leads by example, winning 12-straight singles matches earlier this season. Hunt said Vitulli acts like he is at the beach every day, a relaxed figure who gives stability in the team’s frenzied atmosphere.

While Vitulli remains collected on the court, calmly analyzing his opponents, Hunt finds it hard to keep his energy contained.

Schnugg compares him to “Tigger”, the bouncing Winnie the Pooh character. During their time living together, Hunt was the target of many of Schnugg’s practical jokes, which Schnuug said Hunt took in stride.

According to Vitulli, Hunt is friendly and funny, but ferocious on the court. Hunt and Hill said they fill the role of the loud motivators during matches. Hill screams from the bleachers, while Hunt fist-pumps from court three.

Hunt said Schnugg’s competitiveness sets the tone for the team on court one. Schnugg’s desire to win at everything — Hill includes Scrabble — helps to characterize the senior.

Vitulli initially disliked Schnugg, put off by his, at times, overwhelming confidence. The friendship evolved in spite of this first impression, something Hill has seen many times happen with Schnugg.

“He’s definitely an icon,” Hill said. “He has a dominant personality, but he’s a softie on the inside, really. Once you get to know him, you understand him. He’s got a deeper side.”

Schnugg feels the four seniors and their strong personalities, which interact with one another daily, have grown more manageable during their collegiate career. Being captains this season drove each to compromise and to become more unified, according to Schnugg.

“We have six other guys watching us, watching what we do, and so we’ve grown used to doing the right things,” Schnugg said. “We’ve grown used to handling our personalities and setting a good example. That’s helped us grow closer as seniors.”

Hill hopes they are remembered as a unified, successful class. Schnugg feels their greatest legacy would be strong leadership, and hopefully, a third national championship.

Hill plans to travel this summer, before taking his real estate licensure exams. Hunt, Schnugg and Vitulli will continue with school in the fall, with tennis taking a backseat. After four years of collegiate competition, none are sick of the game though.

“I’m actually getting more excited about tennis,” Schnugg said. “This is the most exciting time of tennis that any of us ever have.”

The postseason looms large for the four friends, with the Bulldogs competing for an SEC championship this weekend.

All nine players will travel to the tournament on what could be their last sleeper bus ride as a team. Hunt and Schnugg will room together like they have for every road match, and strive together for a perfect record during the end of their collegiate tennis careers.

“This is go time,” Hunt said. “We want to win out. No more losses from this point on.”