#24 Brandeis Men's Tennis Falls to #12 Bowdoin, 6-2

Danny Lubarsky '16 (Photo by Sportspix.biz/Jan Volk)
Danny Lubarsky '16 (Photo by Sportspix.biz/Jan Volk)

WALTHAM, Mass.- The 24th-ranked Brandeis University men's tennis team fell 6-2 to No. 12 Bowdoin College in a match that was interrupted due to rain. The Judges went to 5-4 on the season while the Polar Bears improved to 5-4 with their third straight win.

Brandeis struggled in their doubles matches, dropping second and third in quick succession 8-2 and 8-3. The first doubles matchup, however, was one of the most exciting matches of the day. Starting around 11:00 a.m., the team of sophomore Danny Lubarsky (Cleveland, Ohio/Hawken School) and rookie Michael Arguello (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood) faced off against senior Sam King (Rye Brook, N.Y./Brunswick School) and junior Kyle Wolstencroft (Greenwich, Conn./Brunswick School).

At first, it appeared as if the Judges would pull away with it. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead and held 4-1 and 7-4 advantages. From the brink of defeat, Bowdoin fought back. With the score 7-5, Brandeis earned their first match point but the Polar Bears broke and rallied to make it 7-6. An epic 14th game featured 10 deuces and five more match points for the Judges but they could not convert and the pro-set was tied at 7-7. Brandeis won the next game to make it 8-7 but Bowdoin answered and forced a tiebreaker at 8-8.

In the tiebreaker, the teams went back and forth for the first few points before the Judges jumped out to a 5-2 advantage. The Polar Bears responded with two consecutive points but a big winner from Brandeis made it 6-4 and gave them two more match points. Bowdoin won the first point to cut it to 6-5 before the Judges finally ended a nearly two hour long marathon with a 9-8 (7-5) victory.

When the two squads moved to singles, Brandeis was unable to make up the 2-1 deficit. The Judges fell in straight sets in first, fourth, and sixth singles to give the Polar Bears a match-clinching five wins. After rain started to fall, second, third, and fifth singles moved inside. In a thrilling finish, rookie Brian Granoff (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep.) pulled off a three set victory. After winning the first set 6-2, Granoff dropped the second. When they moved inside, Granoff rallied from down 8-7 in the super tiebreaker, winning the last three points and completing a 6-2, 2-6, 10-8 victory.

Lubarsky was unable to come back in his third singles match while the fifth singles matchup remained unfinished for the final 6-2 margin of victory for Bowdoin.

The Judges return to action tomorrow with a 1:30 p.m. contest at Babson. Bowdoin resumes their schedule on Saturday April 5th with a trip to MIT.