Men's College Tennis
Rider University 5, Philadelphia University 4
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.--A good carpenter uses all of his tools to be successful.
For the resident 'Carpenter' on the Rider University men's tennis, junior Ryan Carpenter (Sahuarita, Ariz./Sahuarita), this was especially the case on Tuesday afternoon with his physical and mental game leading the Broncs to their first win of the fall season.
Trailing by a set, Carpenter used all of his tools, both physical and mental to pull out a three-set win and clinch Rider's victory at Philadelphia University.
With the match tied at four and darkness quickly approaching, Carpenter out-waited his opponent and pulled out a come from behind three-set win at sixth singles, prevailing 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Carpenter also teamed up with junior Milo Milosovici (Florence) for an 8-2 win at third doubles.
"Ryan won his third set in extremely, extremely dark conditions," said head coach Ed Torres about the match that wrapped up shortly after 7pm. "I couldn't see the ball and I'm not sure either of the players could either. Ryan changed his game and used all of his skills, both physically and mentally and waited out his opponent; he waited for him to make an error instead of playing his usual heavy hitting game and that's what won it for him."
"I had an up and down match," Carpenter remembered. "I really buckled down mentally in the final set and focused and worked on tiring my opponent out."
Also for Rider (1-4), freshman Steve Brand (Forty Fort, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) won his third match of the season with a 6-2, 6-2 victory at fourth singles and junior John Spellman (Toms River/Toms River HS South) won for the second time this fall, recording a 6-4, 7-5 win at fifth singles.
Brand and junior Drew Laverty (Mount Royal/Kingsway Regional) won 8-5 at second doubles.
"The bottom half of the lineup came through," said Torres. "Also winning two out of three in the doubles play really helped us today otherwise we don't win the match."
"It feels great to get the first team win of the season," Carpenter said. "We went out strong in doubles and after we won two of three, got together and decided to leave everything on the court in singles play."
The Rider women's tennis team is scheduled to host cross-town rival Princeton on Thursday at 4pm on the Lawrenceville campus courts with the Bronc men returning to action on Sunday against the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
And if any of those matches goes past dark again, you can be sure that Rider's resident 'Carpenter' will be ready with his many tools, maybe even a flashlight.
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