The men's tennis team had its performance cut short at the ITA New England Championships at Williams College this weekend, with none of the Polar Bears' teams advancing past the third round.
After early eliminations in both singles and doubles, the team now looks ahead to the Stony Brook Invitational on October 10, hoping to use the experience it gained at this tournament as an opportunity to grow and improve.
Following a break this weekend, the Polar Bears will head to Stony Brook to cap off their fall season. At the tournament, the field will be comprised of eight teams, the majority of which are Division I squads.
The ITA regional tournament assembles the top ranked singles and doubles players throughout the Northeast.
"The level of competition was very high," said Matt Knise '10, "and everyone who traveled to the tournament faced quality opponents."
Things started off well for the Polar Bears on the first day of the tournament with solid performances by the doubles teams in particular.
Kent Winingham '12 and Andrew Won '12 competed solidly in two rounds of the doubles tournament. Though they lost to the top Trinity team 8-6, they defeated Wes Waterman and Mark Kahan of Amherst .
Winingham and Won contended with Spencer Feldman and Anson McCook of Trinity before succumbing to their opponents by a score of 8-6.
Senior Jamie Neely and sophomore Oscar Pena also made a dynamic doubles team. The pair dominated the competition in its first three rounds, reaching the quarterfinals.
However, no singles players made it past the second round. Neely easily breezed by George King of Connecticut College after two sets in the first round. Neely continued his strong play in the second round, forcing a tiebreaker in the second set before falling to the No. 7 seed, Middlebury's Andrew Lee.
Josh Cranin '12 also advanced to the second round in singles and went head to head with Williams' No. 2 player, Jeremy Weinberger, playing three solid sets. After falling 3-6 in the second set, Weinberger recovered in the third set, ultimately besting Cranin 6-4.
The major upset of the day came in the second round of the singles tournament. After a bye in the first round, No. 6 seed Pena fell in the second to Waterman of Amherst. The two struggled through three solid sets, going to a tiebreaker in the last.
"We all could have done better at Williams," Neely said. "That being said, people did play well and the competition was very tough."
Neely remained confident in the team's ability. "I definitely think that we can hold our own against them," he said.
The team is optimistic about its future and determined not to let this past weekend's struggle demoralize them.
"I think we need to improve our singles games," said Neely, "but it's only the fall so this is the time where we can work on them."