WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis men's tennis team lost by a score of 5-4 to US Coast Guard Academy, marking Brandeis's fourth-straight defeat in which a their short-handed nature made a difference.
TEAM RECORDS
Brandeis University: 1-10
US Coast Guard Academy: 6-2
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Judges started off strong doubles matches, with both coming down to tiebreakers. At #1, senior
Dylan Walters (Baltimore, Md./ Gilman School) and first-year
Pierce Garbett (Coral Gables, Fla./ Gulliver Prep) won their match against the #9 team in the Northeast region, 8-7 (7-4) .
At #2, first-year
Harrison Huai (Irvine, Calif./Northwood) and classmate
Huasen Dong (Richmond Hill, Ont./ Richmond Green Second School) had a stellar effort but came up just short by an identical score of 7-8 (4-7).
The Bears were helped by Brandeis's shorthanded roster, earning points at #3 doubles and #6 singles by default, giving them a 3-1 lead headed into singles action.
Garbett rolled to a 6-1, 6-0, win at #3 singles, and Huai tied the match up at 3-all, with a 6-3, 6-2, win at #5. Coast Guard edged back ahead with a 6-2, 6-4, win at #2, bringing the match down to a pair of three-setters .
Walters, ranked #5 in the Northeast region by the ITA, rallied from a set down to win, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, against the region's #14-ranked player, evening things up at 4-all. In the decisive match at #4 singles, senior
Aaron Basye (Mission Viejo, Calif./Tesoro) won the first set, 6-3, but dropped the second, 3-6. The final set was interrupted and moved indoors, but Coast Guard's Ben Bonetto prevailed, 6-4, to clinch the match, 5-4.
UP NEXT
The Judges stay home this Friday to take on Mary Washington at 3:30 PM in their final home match of the season.
