UR men’s tennis team spent its spring break in sunny Orlando, Fla., playing five matches in five days. The ‘Jackets did very well, finishing with a 3-2 record for the week. They lost their first two matches – 2-7 in both – to Vassar College and Coe College.
The men then got into the swing of things and won their next three matches, beating Bentley college, 6-3, Drew University, 5-4, and finally Colby-Sawyer College, 8-1.
For the week, sophomore Brian Bowman went 3-2 at No. 1 singles. His three wins came against Vassar, Bentley and Drew.
At No. 2 singles, freshman Ryan Kovaleski went 4-1. His only defeat during the week came at the hands of Vassar’s Max Willner, whom he lost to in a very close match, 6-4, 6-3.
At No. 3 singles, freshman Bennett Peterson went 3-2, suffering losses against Coe and Drew. At No. 4 singles, freshman Patrick Sheehan went 2-3, with crushing wins against both Colby-Sawyer and Bentley. At the No. 5 singles spot, freshman Daniel Barbash went 0-1, while at the No. 6 singles spot, Barbash went 1-3. His wins came against Drew and Colby-Sawyer.
Sophomore Adam Crosby went 0-1 in No. 6 singles and went 1-3 in No. 5 singles, with a win against Colby-Sawyer in an exciting match that went into a tie-breaker.
The No. 1 doubles team of Bowman and Kovaleski went 3-2 during the trip with wins against Colby-Sawyer, Bentley and Coe. The No. 2 doubles team of Peterson and Sheehan went 3-2 with close wins against Bentley, Drew and Colby-Sawyer.
At No. 3 doubles, Crosby and Barbash went 2-3 with wins coming against Colby-Sawyer and Drew.
Kovaleski was also named to the University Athletic Association’s Athlete of the Week Honor Roll for the week of March 17 due to his strong showing in Florida.
The ‘Jackets kept their winning streak alive against the Hobart College Statesmen on Tuesday on the Statesmen’s home court in Geneva, N.Y.
“The guys showed focus and intensity in all their matches,” assistant coach Matt Nielsen said about their 8-1 win over the Statesmen.
Bowman won at No. 1 singles, defeating his opponent, 6-2, 6-1. Another win came at No. 2 singles with Kovaleski ousting his opponent, 6-4, 6-1. The only loss for the ‘Jackets came for Peterson at No. 3 singles – the first set went to 0-5 and then the match was retired. At No. 4 singles, Sheehan won, 7-6(7-4), 6-0. Crosby won No. 5 singles in a relatively close match, 6-4, 6-3, while at No. 6 singles, Barbash beat his opponent with ease, 6-1, 6-1.
UR also excelled in doubles. At No. 1 doubles, the team of Bowman and Kovaleski defeated their opponents quite easily, 8-2. The No. 2 doubles match was very close, with the team of Peterson and Barbash winning, 9-7. Finishing off the doubles sweep was the team of Crosby and Sheehan, who won 8-3.
The ‘Jackets will travel this Saturday to play the Brandeis University Judges at 2 p.m. The Judges are currently 3-3 in match play and will be coming off a win against the University of St. Thomas in Miami, Fla.
Belonga is a member of the class of 2010.
