With two matches in one week postponed, the RPI men’s tennis team got an unexpected break this week.
Last Thursday’s match against Oneonta State and yesterday’s planned encounter with SUNY New Paltz were both postponed until the end of the season, bringing the total of postponed tennis matches so far this season to three. Weather did not preclude all of the week’s tennis action, though.
RPI faced the Manhattanville Valiants at their campus in Purchase, N.Y., this past Saturday. Rensselaer entered the contest with a record of 2-3 while Manhattanville stood at 3-3, Both teams faced challenging seasons going into Saturday’s match, but Manhattanvile was coming off of three consecutive wins, as opposed to RPI, who was coming off a previous loss to Hamilton earlier in the week.
RPI’s Borjan Gagoski was unable to challenge Ivan DeWindt at first singles, losing 0-6, 2-6. Joe Byrne and Joe Black also faced difficult tasks at the second and fourth singles slots, losing hard-fought matches to excellent Manhattanville opponents. What Rensselaer wasn’t able to achieve at first, second, and fourth singles spots it was able to gain at third, fifth, and sixth. The Red Hawks won these three matches leaving the match waivering on the outcome of the three even doubles matches.
Unfortunately, here Rensselaer came up short again, losing all three of the doubles matches (8-3, 8-3, 8-5).
Despite the loss the Red Hawks walked away with a positive attitude as the lower seeded singles players won most of their matches.
Manhattanville improves to 4-3 on the season, and RPI falls to 2-4. RPI hopes to turn things around today when it plays at the Hawks of Hartwick in Oneonta, N.Y. The match begins at 4 pm.
