Secular wins at BC, but Judges drop a pair on the road

Michael Secular '15 (right) along with doubles partner Ben Fine '15
Michael Secular '15 (right) along with doubles partner Ben Fine '15

BRUNSWICK, Maine and CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Playing a pair of road matches over the weekend, the Brandeis men's tennis team fell on Friday at No. 10-ranked Bowdoin, 9-0, before suffering a 6-1 loss at Division I Boston College. In the latter match, the Judges won two matches, though all three doubles matches count for one point under Division I rules.

Against the Polar Bears, the Brandeis men were competive in two matches. At No. 2 doubles, senior Ezra Bernstein (Buffalo, N.Y./City Honors School) and junior Dave Yovanoff (Eden, N.J./Eden) fell, 8-6. At No. 1 singles, junior Josh Jordan (Northboro, Mass./Algonquin Regional) went to a third-set supertiebreaker before falling, 3-6, 6-3, 10-8, to Bowdoin's Sam King.

Two days later against BC, Brandeis was sharp in tiebreakers to earn their two victories. Bernstein and Yovanoff knocked off Billy Grokenberger and Michael McGinnis, 9-8, winning 7-3 in the tiebreaker. The Eagles prevailed, 8-0, at first doubles and 8-5 at third to earn the doubles point. 

In singles action, the highlight came from rookie Michael Secular (Bronx, N.Y./Plant, Fla.), who earned the Judges' first singles win in head coach Ben Lamanna's tenure. He defeated Matt Wagner, 7-4, in the second-set tiebreaker to earn a 7-5, 7-6 triumph.

The Judges return to action against #24 Trinity on Tuesday and another Division I opponent, Bryant University, on Sunday in their final home match of the season.