Recovering from a dismal 2-12 start to the season by winning four of its last five matches, the Binghamton University men’s tennis team will look to keep things rolling this weekend when it hosts University at Buffalo and Fairleigh Dickinson University at the West Gym Courts. It’s the first and only time the Bearcats will be at home this season.
Last weekend, Binghamton won both of its matches against University of Maryland, Baltimore County and George Washington University in impressive fashion. The 6-1 finish over UMBC on Saturday tied the Bearcats’ largest margin of victory this season. In the win, they took all three of their doubles matches along with five of the six singles matches. The Bearcats were able to carry that momentum into Sunday and squeezed out a 4-3 win over George Washington. Once again, they were able to capture the doubles point and only had to win three out of six singles matches to secure the win.
Seniors Sven Vloedgraven, ranked No. 101 in the nation, and Arnav Jain remain the staple in Binghamton’s arsenal. In their last six singles matches, both have won their respective bouts in each match. Vloedgraven has won America East Player of the Week three times this season. The combinations of Vloedgraven and junior Gilbert Wong at first doubles and Jain and junior Alexandre Haggai at second doubles have resulted in wins in the past two matches.
For the Bearcats, winning the doubles point has proven to be instrumental in their success and is something the squad will look to focus on this weekend. In its last three wins, Binghamton has won the doubles point each time. In its last six losses, it’s dropped the doubles point.
Getting help from the bottom of their singles lineup is also pivotal if the Bearcats want to win. In the win against George Washington, freshman Ruben Haggai was able to give Binghamton a key win at fifth singles to ice the match. Similarly, in the win against UMBC, sophomore Ruben Devos provided a boost by winning at sixth singles. In their eight-game losing streak that stretched from Feb. 21 to March 22, the Bearcats failed to get a win from either fifth or sixth singles. Winning at the top is expected at this point for Binghamton, which places even more emphasis and pressure on the lower singles getting the job done.
Coming off a 25-2 season in which they clinched an NCAA Championships berth, the Bearcats have some ground to make up after the slow start. And with the America East Championships looming three weeks away and only four matches left to play, every game becomes crucial for Binghamton.
Buffalo (6-6) is coming off a reassuring 5-2 win against Marist last Sunday. Prior to that, they had been overwhelmed in three straight contests, losing to College of Charleston, Western Michigan University and University of Toledo by final scores of 6-1, 7-0 and 5-2, respectively. Likewise, Fairleigh Dickinson (5-10) is coming off a big win against Quinnipiac University. Previously, the team had also dropped three straight matches to Saint Joseph’s University, Queens College and Sacred Heart University by final scores of 6-1, 4-3 and 4-3, respectively.
Play is scheduled for the Bearcats at 11 a.m. tomorrow against Buffalo and is set to continue at 3 p.m. against Fairleigh Dickinson, with both matches taking place at the West Gym Courts.