2008 Woodie Awards
Hawks shot down at Navy Invitational
Vanessa Foo '11
Issue date: 9/19/07 Section: Sports
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The Saint Joseph's men's tennis team started off the season on two left feet as they fumbled through the Navy Invitational at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. The three-day tournament saw the Hawks face off against fierce competition as they took on the split teams of the Princeton and Maryland, Arkansas and Oklahoma, and host team Navy. All the opponents the Hawks encountered this weekend were nationally-ranked teams.
The tournament began on Sept. 14 as the Hawks took on the combined team of the Maryland Terrapins and Princeton Tigers. Maryland's David Kwon came through in first singles tie as he defeated St. Joe's Pat Adams, '09, 6-2, 6-4. Brian Costello, '09, toughed out a hard-fought match against the Terps' Alex Aksanov, losing 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 in second singles.
In doubles action, the Hawks pair of Phil Bayliss, '09, and Will Pearson, '11, clinched a difficult win in first doubles over the Terrapin duo of Kwon and Nicolai Nielsen in a tie-break, 9-8 (7-4). That win was followed up in second singles as Patrick Cerutti, '11, and Phil Garabedian, '08, took on Princeton's Mark Gober and Jonathan Leslie, winning the game with a 9-8 (7-0).
St. Joe's struggles continued on Saturday morning, as they lost all of their singles matches to a strong Arkansas-Oklahoma tandem team.
However, St. Joe's duo of Matt Prusack, '10, and Brian Costello, '09, managed to come through in a tight second doubles match against the Razorbacks pair of Taylor King and Bradwin Williams, winning 9-8 (7-0).
The concluding day's action saw St. Joe's play the host team. Navy played an extraordinary match, taking all singles and doubles games, most by convincing margins.
Nick Tuxen, '10, showed signs of promise as he took on Navy's Johnny Waters in second singles, taking the first set 7-5, only to lose steam in the final two sets, eventually losing 6-0, 6-1. In a similar style, Garabedian took on Alex James, taking the lead in the first set of the fifth singles match, but dropped points in the subsequent sets, losing 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Later, in eighth singles, Prusack gave Midshipman Nick Burger a challenge. He managed to grab hold of the lead in the first set, winning 6-4. A disappointing second set saw Burger beat Prusack 6-2. The game concluded with a thrilling tie-breaker, where Prusack nearly seized the game, losing by only four points, to give a score of 7-6 (7-3).
Despite the disappointing start to the season, the Hawks remain optimistic about their chances of success this fall. The experience gained against such top-flight competition may prove valuable later in the year, as the caliber of the Hawks' opponents becomes more manageable in A-10 play.
The journey towards recovery begins on Sept. 22, with a trip to the Princeton Invitational.
The tournament began on Sept. 14 as the Hawks took on the combined team of the Maryland Terrapins and Princeton Tigers. Maryland's David Kwon came through in first singles tie as he defeated St. Joe's Pat Adams, '09, 6-2, 6-4. Brian Costello, '09, toughed out a hard-fought match against the Terps' Alex Aksanov, losing 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 in second singles.
In doubles action, the Hawks pair of Phil Bayliss, '09, and Will Pearson, '11, clinched a difficult win in first doubles over the Terrapin duo of Kwon and Nicolai Nielsen in a tie-break, 9-8 (7-4). That win was followed up in second singles as Patrick Cerutti, '11, and Phil Garabedian, '08, took on Princeton's Mark Gober and Jonathan Leslie, winning the game with a 9-8 (7-0).
St. Joe's struggles continued on Saturday morning, as they lost all of their singles matches to a strong Arkansas-Oklahoma tandem team.
However, St. Joe's duo of Matt Prusack, '10, and Brian Costello, '09, managed to come through in a tight second doubles match against the Razorbacks pair of Taylor King and Bradwin Williams, winning 9-8 (7-0).
The concluding day's action saw St. Joe's play the host team. Navy played an extraordinary match, taking all singles and doubles games, most by convincing margins.
Nick Tuxen, '10, showed signs of promise as he took on Navy's Johnny Waters in second singles, taking the first set 7-5, only to lose steam in the final two sets, eventually losing 6-0, 6-1. In a similar style, Garabedian took on Alex James, taking the lead in the first set of the fifth singles match, but dropped points in the subsequent sets, losing 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Later, in eighth singles, Prusack gave Midshipman Nick Burger a challenge. He managed to grab hold of the lead in the first set, winning 6-4. A disappointing second set saw Burger beat Prusack 6-2. The game concluded with a thrilling tie-breaker, where Prusack nearly seized the game, losing by only four points, to give a score of 7-6 (7-3).
Despite the disappointing start to the season, the Hawks remain optimistic about their chances of success this fall. The experience gained against such top-flight competition may prove valuable later in the year, as the caliber of the Hawks' opponents becomes more manageable in A-10 play.
The journey towards recovery begins on Sept. 22, with a trip to the Princeton Invitational.
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