Stony Brook Men’s Tennis fell to Monmouth at home on Sunday afternoon, dropping all seven points in their first defeat since their March 12 loss at Marist. The loss snapped a three-game win streak against Sacred Heart, Wagner and Queens College.
Stony Brook dropped two out of three doubles matches at the start of the afternoon, conceding an early lead to their New Jersey-based opponents that they would never recover from. Although the Seawolves were swept in singles, the team managed to send four of six matches into a third set, remaining tenacious even after the loss was set in stone.
Senior captain Tyler Hoffman, who helped secure the Seawolves’ lone doubles victory before losing his singles match after a hard fought three sets, praised the team’s tenacity in defeat.
“We fought, everyone fought,” Hoffmann said. “Even after they clinched the match, we didn’t give up on any of the courts. Even off the court we all cheered for each other.”
After the game, head coach Gary Glassman commented on how tight the match felt at times.
“This was probably the closest 7-0 match that you’ll find in a college tennis season,” Glassman remarked. “The guys fought really hard today, but sometimes when things don’t go your way and you lose the mental battle it can all go downhill quickly.”
Sunday’s game against Monmouth marked Stony Brook’s first loss in the month of April. Over the previous two matches, the team cruised to comfortable victories against Wagner and Queens College, winning both matches 5-2.
The Seawolves’ win over Queens College came on Senior Day. Fittingly, senior Raphael Termat led the way for the team, notching a doubles victory with sophomore Samuel Taieb and a singles win in straight sets.
The Friday home victory saw the team persevere through both a mid-match rally from Queens and less-than-ideal weather on the court. While the cold, wind and intermittent showers were not deemed detrimental enough to cancel the match, Glassman nevertheless credited his squad for toughing it out through the adverse conditions.
“The men competed really well in some less than ideal conditions today,” Glassman said. “We won a couple of tough three-setters to turn things around and get the desired result. It was a quality team victory.”
Wednesday’s win against Wagner once again saw Termat and Taieb take the lead for the team. The pair took their doubles match together, while Hoffman and sophomore Rodrigo Hadlich joined forces to secure the day’s first point for the Seawolves.
Termat, Taieb and Hadlich each followed their doubles victories with strong performances in their singles matches, sealing the team’s victory even after a pair of defeats from a competitive Wagner side brought their opponents within snatching distance of an upset.
“The guys competed very well against a good Wagner squad,” Glassman said. “We have to continue to compete along with raising our level of play as we look forward to Friday and Sunday’s matches.”
Stony Brook’s defeat on Sunday brings the team’s overall record to 6-5 going into their final home match of the season against UConn on April 14. Following the end of their five-game homestand, the Seawolves will close out their regular season against Fairleigh Dickinson on April 15 and Hofstra on April 18 before the conference championship tournament begins on April 28.
