On Saturday, the Colgate men’s tennis team was able to add the George Mason Patriots to the list of teams that have fallen victim to the Raiders in their recent eight-game winning streak. The team’s 4-1 victory was rightfully earned, as it was a close match between the two teams.

“The George Mason players were talented, but it was a gritty effort on our part and we were able to clinch the match,” first-year Peter Hartman said.

The Raiders dominated the singles matches, winning four out of six. Senior captain Jacob Daugherty won 6-1, 6-4, while juniors Noah Rosenblat and Alec Dardis also dominated their opponents on the court, 6-2, 6-0 and 6-1, 6-1 respectively. First-year Jack Ablon closed out the singles matches successfully with a win of 6-2, 6-1. 

The Raiders were challenged in doubles matches, and emerged victorious in only one of the three. Rosenblat claimed his second victory of the day alongside first-year Tyler Krantz in a 7-5 win over the Patriots. Saturday’s match contributed to the team’s longest winning streak since the 2014-2015 season.

“I just can’t say enough about how much heart and grit the men play with. We are going into Navy with a ton of swagger, confidence and fearlessness,” head coach Bobby Pennington said.

On Sunday, the team was back on the road, traveling to Annapolis, Maryland to take on the Navy Midshipmen. Unfortunately, they collected a 0-7 loss for the day, bringing an abrupt end to their winning streak. The closest match of the day was Ablon’s No. 6 match, narrowly skirting victory with a 7-5 win followed by 4-6 and 0-1 loss. 

The remainder of the singles matches – Daugherty, Bickel, Rosenblat, Dardis and Hartman – closed out within two sets, in Navy’s favor.   

“Navy was a little too good. It was good for us to see them, though, and hopefully we can catch them on a better day in the Patriot League tournament at the end of April… we just have to use what we saw today and get ready for that matchup,” Hartman said.

This 1-1 weekend moves the team’s overall season record to 13-5; and they are currently ranked second in the Patriot League. This is quite an improvement for the team, which is coming off a 10-9 record from the 2016-2017 season. 

Next Saturday, the Raiders will match up against Lafayette in Easton, Pennsylvania. Pennington is gearing up for the hard week of preparation for the game. He does not intend to let the loss come and go without offering the team anything to learn from to take down the Lafayette Leopards. 

“We have to work on doubles and need to regroup mentally and physically to get ready for Lafayette,” Pennington said.

The team will face a quick turnaround the following day traveling to Vestal, New York to compete in the final regular season matchup against the Binghamton Bearcats. The Patriot League championships are slated to begin on Thursday, April 26, and will take place here in Hamilton.

Contact Isabel Van Wie at [email protected].