Both the men's and women's tennis teams earned impressive wins this weekend, with the men upsetting No. 60 Old Dominion University 5-2 at home, and the women shutting out Rutgers University 7-0 in Piscataway, N.J.
The men's team, 8-2 on the spring season and ranked No. 63 nationally, began its match with its first doubles team, Adil Shamasdin '05 and Phillip Charm '06, defeating ODU's No. 35 duo of senior Izak van der Merwe and sophomore Nathaniel Grover 8-5.
Bruno took the point for doubles when Saurabh Kohli '08 and Eric Thomas '07 won second doubles 8-5, and clinched a doubles sweep when Nick Goldberg '05 and Richard Moss '06 rolled 8-2 in third doubles. "We came out with the necessary energy and determination ... and our momentum propelled each of us in the singles," Moss said.
The momentum picked up as Shamasdin gained a victory at first singles, knocking off van der Merwe, a first team All-American and the nation's No. 7 college player, in a dramatic 6-3, 7-6 (3) match. "This win further accentuates (Shamasdin) as one of the leading players in collegiate tennis," Moss said. "Adil's positive energy brings out the best in all of us."
"I just let my game out. I was playing well and played the big points better than he did," Shamasdin said.
"I don't think we lost too many games on the other courts in the half hour that followed Adil's win," said Head Coach Jay Harris, describing the effect of such a win on the rest of the players. "(ODU) definitely was a bit deflated and our team was inspired."
Inspiration carried Brown to three more singles victories, securing the match. Thomas posted a hard-fought 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 win in third singles, while Moss made quick work of junior Adriano Mello 6-2, 6-3 in the fourth spot to clinch the match for Brown.
The team leaves Wednesday for Montgomery, Ala., to compete in the four-day Blue/Gray Invitational Tournament. The Bears went 2-1 in last year's tournament, falling to Virginia Commonwealth University, then rebounding to beat Fresno State University and North Carolina State University.
The women's team rebounded from last weekend's loss at Boston University and improved to 4-2 on the season as it throttled Rutgers, 7-0.
Rutgers, which has battled recurrent injuries this season, was unable to field a third doubles team. Brown took the doubles point with Alex Arlak '05 and Daisy Ames '07 winning first doubles, and Kelley Kirkpatrick '08 and Ashley Pariser '08 taking second doubles, both with 8-4 victories. With their victory, Kirkpatrick and Pariser improved to 5-1 on the spring.
"Kelley and Ashley have been doing great as a doubles team together," Arlak said. "They apply everything we work on in practice for doubles, which shows in their matches."
Amanda Saiontz '07, playing in the first singles spot, neutralized the only real threat posed by Rutgers, dropping the first set before beating first-year Katrina Elder-Bush 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Arlak followed suit, winning in the second spot 6-3, 6-1.
Brown's own first-year phenom, Anita Ivancevic '08, turned in an impressive performance from the third spot, serving junior Alina Balasa a 6-0, 6-4 defeat. "It was good that Anita was able to finish her opponent off easily. That kind of win will boost her confidence for our matches in the future, which will be a lot harder than this one," Arlak said.
"To play (third singles) on this team is an honor," Ivancevic said. "We are all competitive and strive to do the best, and in doing so we make each other better."
Given the injuries on the Rutgers squad and the dominating performances by the Brown lineup, fourth and fifth singles were a foregone conclusion. Ames and Michelle Pautler '07 soundly defeated their competition in straight sets, winning 6-4, 6-3 and 6-1, 6-3 respectively.
Though glad to get a win, the Bears kept perspective on the significance of the match. "Rutgers was not very strong, and with us playing well, we were able to handle them rather easily. They also forfeited two spots so that made it even easier," Arlak said.
The squad will continue to train hard as it prepares to host Boston College March 18, its first home match since the season opener against Colgate University.
