It was a very productive spring break for the Binghamton men’s and women’s tennis teams, who played a combined total of six matches. The men’s team topped Western Michigan University and the University at Buffalo and the women’s team took two of its four games in Florida.
The women’s team (7-11) opened play in Florida with a 7-2 loss to Division II Rollins University on April 3. Two days later, the Bearcats fell to Barry University, another Division II team, by the same score. With Division II rules being enforced, every doubles match resulted in a point toward the final score, which seemed to cost the Bearcats, who dropped all three of their doubles matches against both opponents.
On Saturday, Binghamton’s encounter with Florida Atlantic University went down to the wire and BU came out on top with a score of 4-3. The Bearcats opened doubles play in trouble once again, dropping their first doubles matchup. But the pair of senior Emma Leibowicz and freshman Taylor Hollander then won 8-4 and senior Marina Bykovskaya and freshman Katherine Medianik clinched the doubles point for the Bearcats with an 8-4 win.
The Bearcats lost their first two singles matches in straight sets before Bykovskaya won in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. Senior Jillian Santos lost at No. 1 singles to make the team score 3-2 in favor of Florida Atlantic University, but then Leibowicz came back from one set down to win 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to tie things up. Hollander then battled back from behind to capture the final match 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, to give BU the victory.
The next day, BU seemed to build on its win against Florida Atlantic University, putting on an impressive display to dispatch Florida Gulf Coast University, 6-1. Having swept all three of their doubles matchups, the Bearcats then took five of their six singles matches. With a 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 win against her opponent, Santos notched her 84th career win, putting her at fourth place on the program’s career wins list. Santos needs four more victories to put her atop the list.
The Binghamton men’s team (9-11) started off its spring break matchups against Western Michigan University on April 7, coming back from a 3-2 deficit to win 4-3.
The Bearcats started the match on a good note as they clinched the doubles point by taking two of the three matches. BU appeared to be on a roll as freshman Ismael Dinia dispatched his opponent with ease, winning 6-0, 6-1, but it all seemed to crumble when the Bearcats lost the next three singles matches.
But the Bearcats were saved by the Haggai brothers, who won their matches in convincing straight set wins. Senior Alexandre Haggai won his match 6-2, 7-5 and freshman Ruben Haggai was pushed to tiebreakers in the second set before he won the rubber 6-2, 7-6 (7-3).
The Bearcats then faced host Buffalo on Sunday and came out 4-3 winners. BU swept the three doubles matches to take the doubles point.
In singles, Ruben Haggai continued his good form by winning 7-5, 6-4, and freshman Robin Lesage won by default. Freshman Florian van Kann then secured it for the Bearcats with an impressive show, coming back and winning the final set on a tiebreaker 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
The men’s team is set to host University of Maryland, Baltimore County at 9 a.m. Saturday. The women’s team is also set to host UMBC later the same day at 1 p.m.