The Colgate men’s tennis team traveled  to Syracuse this past weekend to participate in the Patriot League Championship tournament. The team played against and defeated Bucknell on Friday, April 27 in a marathon match that ended with a Raiders’ 4-2 win. The Raiders beat Bucknell 4-2 earlier in the season as well, when they played in Hershey, PA on April 1.

Bucknell took the doubles point, with both their No. 1 and No. 2 doubles clinching the win. Meanwhile, No. 3 doubles first-year Tyler Krantz and junior Noah Rosenblatt did not finish their match and moved on to singles after the point was already won.

Three of the singles matches were pushed into three sets, making this one of the toughest fights of the season for the Raiders. After dropping the doubles point, the Raiders came out into the singles matches with a vengeance. Noah Rosenblat,  Jack Ablon, Peter Hartman and Scott Bickel all won their singles matches. Rosenblatt, Ablon and Bickel claimed their matches in two sets. Hartman was the only Raider to drop the opening set in singles and fought hard to win Colgate the point.

On Saturday, April 28, the Raiders once again returned to Syracuse to play against Army West Point. This was the first matchup between these two teams this season. Army ended up bringing the Raiders’ season to an end at Drumlins Tennis Courts. The Raiders fell in a tough 4-1 loss.

In doubles, the No. 1 position, Krantz and Rosenblatt, emerged victorious after a long battle. However, despite their best efforts, the Black Knights won at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles positions, clinching the point for the Army West Point team.

Bickel absolutely dominated in his match at No. 2 singles, bringing in the sole Raiders point of the day. Rosenblatt and junior Alec Dardis both fell in three sets after a long, hard battle at No. 3 and No. 4 singles positions. Meanwhile, both Hartman and Ablon did not finish their sets.

“It’s a tough end to an amazing year. We lost three first sets that were either 7-5 or 7-6 and that was the difference. Momentum wise, mentally and physically, if we go on to win those sets we go on to roll. Army got looser, got their confidence going and rolled in the second set. In my opinion, the turning point was those first sets,” head coach Bobby Pennington said.

This year, the Raiders finished the season 15-7, and racked up the most wins in a season since 1998, when they won 16 matches. This is also the first year since 2009 in which the Raiders made it to the semifinals of the Patriot League Championship tournament.

For senior Jacob Daugherty, this was his final match as a Colgate Raider. He made incredible contributions to the Colgate men’s tennis team during his time at Colgate, and will be missed by the team and coaches.

“He’s an amazing kid. He’s been all-league every year, has played the No. 1 every match from his freshman year. You can’t replace a guy like that. However, he left a great mark on the program for the other guys. He’s one of the most talented ball strikers I’ve ever seen and one of the most low-maintenance No. 1s I’ve ever seen. He’s just a humble kid and a has been a great ambassador for Colgate tennis,” Pennington said of Daugherty.

Contact Annie Hayes at [email protected].