Tennis teams wrap up season in scoreless defeats

By Kristie Kahl

The men’s and women’s tennis teams closed out their seasons during the quarterfinals of the MAAC Championships in scoreless losses to their conference rivals.
“The team played very well, they definitely had a competitive mentality during their matches,” said senior Danielle Morse. “We definitely have improved throughout the course of the season.”
The seventh-place men’s team (3-16, 0-6 MAAC) fell to the conference champions,  Marist (12-3, 5-1 MAAC) 7-0.
Senior Casey Jedlinski competed in his final match as a Bronc, winning five games at No. 1 singles before losing in straight sets.

“The fact that I missed the last few matches and all the practices due to rainouts and exams really hurt my game,”Jedlinski said. “When it came to the bigger, more important points, I wasn’t able to perform as well as I did in the fall or earlier this season due to lacking match play; but overall, I think I played fairly well.”
Despite the loss, Jedlinski looked back on his career with nothing but positive memories.
“I think my career could have been much better if I pushed myself harder from the beginning,” he said. “But I really don’t have any regrets since I had a solid run this year. Looking back, I really had fun playing college tennis and won’t forget it as I go into playing tournaments for the rest of my life.”
Also for the Broncs, junior Will Haight and sophomore Chris Esposito each won four games at second and fourth singles before also falling in straight sets.
“When playing stronger teams like Marist, it’s easier sometimes because you don’t really have any expectations,” Jedlinski said. “It’s much easier to play them because you’re not pressured to win so the team is more relaxed.”
The women’s team (3-14 overall, 0-7 MAAC) was unable to push further in the competition, entering the contest in eighth place. The Broncs were defeated 7-0 by the No. 1 seed Niagara (11-12 overall, 7-0 MAAC).
“We knew that the match against Niagara was the last one for the season, so we did our best to go in the match with a positive attitude, and motivation to win,” Morse said. “We did our best, and played very well against them, despite the loss.”
During the loss, junior Kristina Paich won four games at number two singles before losing 6-1, 6-3. Paich and Morse took their first doubles match to a tie-breaker. Unfortunately, the Broncs fell 8-7 to put the nail in the coffin.
“We had a great season and we used the time wisely,” Morse said. “We have a lot of new players that joined the team, and it was nice to see them improve mentally on the court. They definitely worked hard, and will continue to play better in each match they play.”
Despite a losing season, the teams honored five members with MAAC All-Academics for earning a GPA over a 3.20. The women’s team honored Morse and sophomores Amanda Matticks and Stephanie Renzo, while the men honored sophomore Kyle Breen and junior Alex D’Amico.
Head Coach Ed Torres completed his 14th season with the tennis teams, compiling 199 overall career wins thus far in his career.