Saratoga Springs, NY – The Ephs concluded their fall season today on the final day of the Skidmore Invite. The invite concludes a three tournament stretch for the Ephs. The day began with
Shawn Berdia and
Nicholas Chen competing in the doubles semifinals. Although the boys weren't playing at their best level, they dug deep, fought hard, and played their best tennis when it mattered most. They won a tough match against a team from Denison 7-5. In the finals, Berdia and Chen squared off against a solid Bowdoin team. The match was pretty straightforward, with both teams serving big and putting away volleys at the net. Unfortunately for the Ephs, Chen's serve was broken early in the match, and the pair lost 6-4.
Moving on to singles,
Leon Liu matched up against Collomb from Wesleyan. The match consisted of a lot of firepower from both players, as the indoor courts where the match took place allowed both players to hit big serves as well as ground strokes. The match was intense, with both players digging deep and running for every ball, keeping the crowd on their feet. Liu was succeeding by mixing up the pace and playing long, physical points. He had plenty of opportunities, but failed to convert on tight deuce points, where Collomb stepped up and hit big serves. Liu lost in the semifinals 6-3, 6-4.
This event marks the end of the fall season for the Ephs. Reflecting on the event and fall season as a whole, head coach
Dan Greenberg said, "Definitely a challenging fall in terms of competition, but I think as a younger team, we have to go through these growing pains. If nothing else, everyone is motivated to make a leap in their games and has a good idea of how to do it." The Ephs now look forward to training for the spring season, which begins in March.
Thoroughbred Draw Doubles:
Chen/Berdia (WIL) def. Meyers/Chapides (Denison) 7-5 (Semifinals)
Breuker/Garapati (Bowdoin) def. Chen/Berdia (WIL) 6-4 (Finals)
Saratoga Draw Singles: Semifinal
Collomb (WES) def. Liu (WIL) 6-3, 6-4
