Tennis Gets The Win

After a layoff of several weeks, the Boston College men's tennis team needed to shake off a hefty layer of rust before taking on the visiting Marquette Golden Eagles Saturday afternoon at the Flynn Recreation Complex. While the team wasn't playing at peak performance, it did well enough to squeak out a 4-3 victory that moved the squad to 2-1 in the young season.

The Eagles' number one doubles team, consisting of Akash Muppidi and Alex Skinner, took opposing number one team Dan Mamalat and Jose Crowley all the way to a tiebreak in their eight-game pro set match. The team's constant aggression at the net kept it in the match to the very end, but the Golden Eagle tandem was able to force Skinner into pushing the match point long, giving them the victory.

Despite the early disappointment,  BC found success at the other doubles spots, picking up wins at both the second and third spots. With all three games happening concurrently in the Flynn Recreation Complex, junior Billy Grokenberger and sophomore Michael McGinnis immediately took notice when the Eagles' No. 1 team went down. Noticing their squad's early deficit, the tandem managed to hold on for their own 9-8 victory.  

Not to be outdone, BC's representatives at third doubles edged out their own 9-8 victory that awarded the critical doubles point to the Eagles before the two teams adjoined to the locker rooms for an abridged halftime. Playing together for the first time at the collegiate level, the freshman duo of Philip Nelson and Matt Wagner staved off opponents James Stark and Cameron Tehrani by yet another incredibly slim margin, providing BC with the point that would eventually prove to be the difference in the team match.

Already familiar with his opponent, Crowley Muppidi earned a solid win at first singles 6-2, 7-6 to put BC out in front. In another rematch of the first doubles contest, Skinner fell to Mamalat 7-6, 6-2. The senior, perhaps the Eagles' most emotive player on the court, filled his game with yelps and outraged muttering but was unable to consistently keep up with Mamalat's quick serve.

Grokenberger, playing at third singles, became the only player of the day to rally from a first set loss and earn a victory. After dropping a closely contested first set 4-6, he gained his legs back and took the next two sets 6-3, 6-4, in a much needed win.

Marquette struck back with victories at both the fifth and sixth singles. At five, Logon Collins took down McGinnis 6-4, 6-2, keeping the second year player off balance with an impressive arsenal of drop shots. Meanwhile, at six, senior Jonathan Schroeder was able to fend off opposing Drake Kakar, falling in straight sets 6-3, 6-2

BC's win at the fourth singles spot, however, had provided them with the point that they needed in order to secure the overall team win. Sophomore Jonathan Raude earned a decisive 6-4, 6-2 win over Jonathan Schwerin, providing the second-half spark that proved to be the difference for BC in the match.