Exactly 17 months, to this past weekend, the RPI Tennis Club did indeed travel to Cambridge, Mass., to play the Harvard Tennis Club. A rematch at Syracuse was also held in November 2003. In both intercollegiate matches, the RPI Tennis Club enjoyed the presence and energy of new members, both young and experienced. While the club played hard and enjoyed the spirit of the tennis matches, a slight lack of victories caused some disappointment. Yet this past weekend, the ghosts of past losses were extinguished for good.

On Saturday, the RPI Tennis Club defeated the Syracuse University Tennis Club, by a count of 10 matches to six.

“It’s great to have a win against arch-rival Syracuse,” commented senior vice-president Vi Nguyen. The RPI Tennis Club enjoyed the victory. Thanks to players of all skill levels and various class years, the club scored its first ever intercollegiate match win.

Victorious singles players on Saturday included Nguyen, graduate students Hayden McGuiness and Peter Paliwoda, and senior Raymond Neis. Doubles teams that recorded victories included freshmen Clarynne Ishikawa and James Farrell, freshmen Thomas Brewer and Jeff DeLaMater, freshman Anish Mehta and sophomore Kumar Deep, and graduate students McGuiness and Alessandro Assis.

“It was a great match,” freshman Lauren Roberti said. “Everyone played hard and had a lot of fun.” Also playing for the winning RPI Tennis Club were sophomore Markes Rembert, and freshmen Matt Weed, Chris Costello, and Brian Friedman. Already rich in experience, a record nine freshmen competed in Saturday’s action.