By Christine Houghton
Photo Editor
On March 16, the men’s and women’s tennis teams both took on New York University during a home match. The men continued their winning streak, while the women fell in their first loss of the season.
The men finished their match up 5-4 over NYU, starting with a strong performance in doubles matches. Freshman Matthew Michibata and senior Tim Gavornik dominated the competition, finishing with a score of 8-1. Senior Mitchell Sanders and junior Thomas Wright followed suit easily, coming out on top 8-3.
The team then went on to win half of the singles matches with every player winning in straight sets. Freshman Justin Wain came out on top in two sets, winning 6-3 and 6-4. Gavornik followed by winning 6-4 and 7-6 in two sets.
Wright closed out the match for the men, winning his singles in two sets by scores of 6-3 and 6-4.
The women suffered a 6-3 loss against NYU, giving first tick in the loss column of the 2019 season.
Performing well in doubles, the team took two of the matches in its favor. Freshmen Liya Davidov and Katrine Luddy topped their opponents 8-3.
Seniors Grace Minassian and Alyssa Baldi won second doubles and came out on top 8-6. Davidov won the team’s only singles match in three sets, 7-6, 2-6, and 7-6.
On March 20, the men’s team took on Haverford College at home, grabbing a 5-4 win to keep its streak alive.
Winning two out of three doubles matches to start the day off, the teams of Michibata and Gavornik, as well as Sanders and Wright both topped their opponents 8-7.
Struggling early in the singles matches, the team bounced back to win the final three and ultimately the match. Gavornik and senior Matt Puig both took their matches in three sets, while Wright won his in two sets.
On Friday, March 22, both teams took on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The men won 6-3, while the women fell 5-4.
Sanders eyes the ball to continue his volley. (Photo courtesy of the Sports Information Desk)The men’s team again won two of the three doubles matches, with the teams of Sanders and Wright, as well as Puig and Wain both outscoring their opponents 8-4. The team also excelled in singles, winning four out of six matches.
Sanders and Michibata both took their matches in two sets, while Puig and Wright played three to take down their opponents.
While the women did not fare as well against Wisconsin, they had a great start to the day, winning two out of three doubles matches.
Davidov and Luddy just passed their opponents 8-7, while Navya Yemula and Sarah Phung won by a score of 8-6.
Baldi and Yemula were the only two to take singles for the Lions, winning in two and three sets respectively.
On Saturday, March 23 both teams traveled to the University of Mary Washington, where they unfortunately came up short.
The men’s team was handed its first loss of the season, 8-1. Puig was the only winner for the College that day, taking his singles match in three sets.
The women’s team also fell to Mary Washington by a score of 7-2. Davidov and Baldi were the only two to win matches and won by player retirement and in three sets respectively.
The men return to the court on Saturday, March 30 to play on the road against Ramapo College, while the women take on Ithaca College at home on April 6.
