After a tough loss to the Amherst Lord Jeffs on the road last Thursday April 8, the men’s tennis team was unable to make it back into the win column at the Vine St. Courts on Saturday, falling 9-0 to the number-one tennis team in Division III, the Middlebury Panthers.
The Cardinals’ singles lineup failed to produce a single win. Jeff Legunn ’13, the number one singles player, fell 0-6, 2-6; number three player Alex Hirsch ’13 fell 0-6, 2-6; number four player Ravy Uong ’13 fell 4-6, 0-6; number five player Don Kleckner ’13 fell 0-6, 0-6; and number six player Michael Glen ’13 fell 1-6, 1-6. The closest, most consistent attempt at a win was made by number two singles player, Michael Piderit ’12, with a score of 4-6, 3-6. Piderit played a tough, competitive match but was unable to come away with the win against Middlebury’s No. 2.
All three doubles teams came up short of a win, as they failed to pick up any points against the dominant Panthers. The duo of Legunn and Piderit held on closest, falling by a respectable score of 4-8, while the freshman team of Uong and Hirsch and the junior team of Steve Hauser ’11 and Garrett Blank ’11 both suffered tough 0-8 losses.
Facing the number one team in the NESCAC, which has its top six teams in the top eighteen of the Division III rankings, is not only a great opportunity to test the team’s abilities and keep goals in perspective, but is also means playing against the best, which can be a bit nerve-wracking.
“It’s tough getting into the right mindset when playing the number one team, especially in an individual sport like tennis,” Blank said.
With four conference games left in the season, however, this match is just another opportunity for the Cardinals to better their game for when it really counts at the end of the year. The Cardinals, after suffering two brutal losses to the top two teams in the NESCAC, look to improve and learn from each match in order to prepare for the postseason.
“It was good to see what a great team looks like, so that we have an idea of where we want to be,” Blank said. “Hopefully this will motivate us to work harder knowing teams like Middlebury will always be in the way of our goals. We understand that we need to practice harder than ever to compete with the likes of Middlebury.”
Bouncing back from the tough losses and refocusing their mindset will be key for the Cards in maintaining the confidence necessary to follow through on the great start they had during spring break and against Hamilton.
Wesleyan is now 9-6 overall with a spring record of 4-6 and a NESCAC record of 1-4.
The Cardinals will travel to the Boston area to face the Tufts Jumbos this Wednesday, April 14, in hopes of adding a second NESCAC win to their record. This match will be the first of three consecutive matches that the Cardinals will play away from Middletown..
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