Sophomore captain Bill Carrig and junior captain Jonathan Yu had fallen behind in their second match against Stevens Institute of Technology, 4-1.
“The other team was good, but we weren’t energized enough. Me and Bill just weren’t in sync,” said Yu. But after a couple of reassuring high fives and Bill shouting a single phrase, “Come-on!” the team seemed to gel. Carrig and Yu rallied back to take the match, 8-6.
The men’s tennis team hosted Stevens Institute of Technology in the Lion’s Tournament last weekend, while the women’s team went to Ramapo College.
Both teams came out of their respected matches victorious. The men’s teams went a combined 19-9 in both doubles and singles play and the women’s team defeated Ramapo 9-0.
The men’s tournament kicked off on Friday with doubles play. The Lions performed well, winning nine out of the twelve matches.
A majority of these doubles teams were playing together for the first time.
“This tournament allowed us to try some new combinations. The only team that we didn’t change was TJ (Riley) and Steve (Fernandez),” said head coach Scott Dicheck.
Riley and Fernandez went 3-0 in doubles play in the tournament.
One new combination that fared well in the tournament was the duo of sophomore Bill Carrig and junior Jonathan Yu. The two captains were victorious in two of three matches.
“We fed off of each other’s energy and that’s what makes a good doubles team,” Yu said. “Not as many teams practice doubles the way we do and that experience really helps.”
On Saturday, the Lions met the Ducks again, but this time in singles play. Continuing the momentum from Friday, the Lions won 10 out of the 16 matches.
Riley and sophomore Dan Lee were perfect on the day, winning two matches each. Riley collected his first two career victories in singles play. Lee’s two victories raised his record to 4-0 this season.
The women’s team kept the winning atmosphere alive by defeating the Ramapo Roadrunners for their 130th straight NJAC victory.
Ramapo came in on a hot streak, winning three of their last four matches by shutout. However, the College quickly put out that fire.
The Lions dominated the Roadrunners, winning all nine matches. The Lions moved to 4-0 in the NJAC and 5-0 overall on the season.
Senior Jackie Shtemberg stayed hot in singles play, winning 6-1 and 6-0. The freshman duo of Allison Tierney and Karisse Bendijo continued their doubles streak, winning 8-3.
The women’s team plays next against Richard Stockton College on Wednesday, Sept 23. The men’s season will continue at the ITA Regional Championships on Oct. 2.
