Tuesday, April 20 ended in defeat for the men’s tennis team as the Cardinals traveled to Williamstown, Mass., to conclude Little Three play against Williams. The Ephs rolled past the Cardinals 9-0, improving to 89-5-3 all-time against Wesleyan and winning their 37th straight match against the Cardinals, dating back to 1973.
Williams is currently ranked number three in the NESCAC and 12th nationally in Division III, giving the Cardinals a good example of the intensity of play that is necessary to make it to the NESCAC tournament.
In this match, the Cardinals experienced a lineup change as two of the Cardinals’ top four singles players, Ravy Uong ’13 and Michael Piderit ’12, were unable to join their team in the match against the Ephs due to class commitments. This inevitably affected the doubles matches, where many of the Cardinals’ usual duos were not playing together.
At number one singles, Jeff Legunn ’13 held his match the closest at 4-6, 3-6 but was unable to come out victorious. Alex Hirsch ’13 played at number two singles, but his Williams opponent did not drop a game as Hirsch fell 0-6, 0-6. Don Kleckner ’13, at the number three spot, dropped 1-6, 1-6, while Brian McDermott ’12, at number four, and Robert Troyer ’12, at the fifth spot, each lost 2-6, 0-6. At the final slot, Michael Glen ’13 was beaten 1-6, 1-6.
“I played well, but [my opponent] ended up winning the key points,” Legunn said. “It was a good match for me to play, because Williams is a great team and it shows that I can hang in with the number one player on their team.”
With the top two doubles teams missing from the match, the vacancy allowed for new combinations of players to show their potential for the future seasons. Being able to play well with new teammates against a competitive team will be a boost for the Cardinals as they return to playing with their usual pairings in the final NESCAC matches. Versatility is an important attribute that can prepare the Cardinals to be in the best situation possible under any circumstance.
The number one doubles team of Kleckner and Hirsch fell 2-8. Playing at number two doubles, Steve Hauser ’11 and McDermott dropped their match 1-8; the third doubles team of Legunn and Glen lost 3-8.
Going into the match without key players, the Cardinals kept their focus on playing well and gaining experience with the lineup changes that took place. As the fourth consecutive loss of NESCAC play for the team, they will not lose sight of what truly matters in the game.
“Our focus is the same, and that is to win, and gain experience,” Legunn said. “We have a lot of freshmen, and each match is giving us valuable experience that we will use in the upcoming years.”
Last night, the Cardinals traveled to New London to face Connecticut College in their final road match of the season. The Camels came away with a 5-2 victory as they captured two of three doubles matches and three of the four singles matches that were completed. Piderit was the only winner for the Cardinals in singles play, as he took a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 2. Legunn and Glen earned an 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles for the Cardinals’ other team point on the afternoon.
The Cardinals will finish up NESCAC play on Sunday, April 25 against the Bates Bobcats at the Vine Street Courts.
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