WALTHAM, Mass. – The #14-ranked Brandeis University men's tennis team suffered its second-straight 5-4 defeat today at the hands of #29-ranked RPI. With the loss, the Judges fall to 10-5 on the season, while the Engineers improve to 12-2. Four of the Judges' five losses this year have come by a 5-4 score.

Brandeis fell behind after doubles for only the fourth time this season. The Judges picked up a win at #2, where sophomore Dylan Walters (Baltimore, Md./Gilman School) and junior Hunter Levine (Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay) earned an 8-6 victory. RPI took an 8-4 decision at #1 and an 8-6 win at #3 to go ahead, 2-1.

Brandeis junior Simon Kauppila (Chesterfield, Mo. / Marquette) opened singles with a win at #5, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2. Rensselaer's Aiden Drover-Mattinen evened things up with a 6-3, 6-4, win at #1 over senior Adam Tzeng (Eagle, Idaho/Eagle). Brandeis sophomore Chen Liang (Shanghai, China / Shanghai Pinghe School) put the Judges on top once again with a 6-4, 6-4, win at #6.

Walters gave Brandeis a 4-2 lead with a late break in each set to take a 7-5, 7-5 win at #3. The final two matches went the distance, but Brandeis was unable to pull them out. Abraham Yohanes knocked off Colt Tegtmeier (Madison, Wisc./James Madison Memorial) at #4, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. In the decisive match, Jeffrey Chen (Northfield, Ill./New Trier) could not hold off the rally of Emilio van Cottem at #2, as the visitor came from behind for a 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 win. Chen held leads of 3-0 and 4-2, but could not hang on as van Cottem won the final four games of the match.

Before the match, the Judges honored their three seniors, Jeffrey Chen, Colt Tegtmeier and Adam Tzeng, who were part of the team's second-ever NCAA tournament bid last year. The Judges reached the quarterfinals of the tournament, while Chen and Tzeng reached the championship match of the NCAA Division III Doubles Championship.

Brandeis is back in action next week at the UAA Tournament in Florida. Their first-round opponent will be determined this week.