Tennis teams struggle at home
By Aliyaah Lindsey
The women’s tennis team hosted conference rival Marist on Sept. 23 in a shutout game.
Rookies Vanessa Canda and Caitlin Gardner were the standout players of the day; the two came together to win the first doubles game. However, the Broncs fell short, losing 70 by the end of the game.
Canda said it is how difficult to get in the heads of her opponents because each one differs drastically from the previous player.
“Each opponent I face has a different game or style than the last,” she said. “So I’m always facing a different variety each time I get out there to play. So my game plan has to always change as well. It’s always a thinking game, as my coach puts it.”
Canda and Gardner faced Marist’s MAAC Player of the Year, Karlene Pang, and her partner, Claire Schmitz, to take the first doubles. However, Marist quickly responded by defeating the Broncs in the remaining doubles and singles games.
Canda faced Pang once again in a singles match to ultimately be defeated 63, 63.
“Besides being mentally tough,” Canda said. “I have to be physically fit as well whenever I go out there because you never know how long your match is going to last, and you want to make sure you last longer than your opponent.”
The women’s tennis team will next face Lehigh Valley October 24 in Lehigh’s Fall Invitational.
“To prepare for my next match against Lehigh, I’ll continue to practice with my team and coach as well as working out,” Canda said. “I’ll continue to perfect my strokes and work on strategies.”
The men’s tennis team also hosted opponent St. Thomas Aquinas College on Sept. 26, but fell short of a victory.
Rookie Ryan Ciaccio, continuing good play from the last game, was victorious in the sixth singles, winning 64, 62. Sophomore Diego Delgado also played well, winning his second match this season in the second singles 63, 06, 63.
By the end of the day, the Broncs lost to St. Thomas Aquinas, 52. The men will face conference foe Fairfield University in Connecticut on Sept. 29.
