October 27, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Men's College Tennis
Saint Peter's College 5, Rider University 2
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Match
JERSEY CITY?The Rider men's tennis team completed its fall season on Saturday, falling at Saint Peter's in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference match. “We didn't do badly for not practicing for three straight days,” said head coach Ed Torres. “The last time we played was Tuesday and Saint Peter's has a backup indoor facility to practice and play in and we don't.”
Due to the heavy rain that blanketed New Jersey for the past 72 hours, the Broncs played in ?the bubble' in Jersey City with junior Casey Jedlinski (Manalapan) posting a 6-3, 7-5 win at first singles and sophomore Will Haight (Turnersville/Washington Township) winning at third singles 7-5, 7-5.
“Saint Peter's is a little better than we are but we put up a good fight,” said Haight. “Casey won his match and I won mine and Marc [Ashed] put up a good fight at number four singles. It was a tough loss but it showed how good we can be in the future.”
“Playing indoors is a faster game,” Torres said. “It is something that you have to be used to and this was our first time indoors all season. The ball comes a lot faster and you have to cut down on your back swing. It is a shorter stroke because the ball really takes off on the indoor surface.”
“Even though I have played some indoor matches it takes time to get used to,” Haight said about playing in the bubble. “It took us pretty much through the doubles matches to get used to the playing surface. One you get grooved, you are able to figure out how the ball bounces and adjust to the wall behind you. It is a different experience and I would much rather play outdoors but I was able to figure it out today and win my match.”
For Rider, today was the final match of the fall season, compiling a 4-7 record. The spring season is set for March.
“I think we could have won a few more individual matches this fall but we lost a lot of tight matches,” Torres said. “It is a young team with mostly freshmen and sophomores. It was a good experience going through the tight matches. Playing good matches against strong players will only make you a better player and sometimes you have to go through losing a close match to gain that experience.”
“We definitely feel we are more competitive,” Haight added. “Even the matches we lost as a team 6-1 and 7-0, we had a lot of close matches individually and if a couple of points go a different way, you may win one or two of those matches. That gives us confidence going forward. We are looking forward to the spring season.”
-RU-
