The men’s tennis team returned home after their matches against New York University in New York to face off against Bowdoin College on April 13. The men took an early lead but could not pull off the upset and fell 3-6. This loss makes their record now 11-3 and ends their six-match winning streak. The Judges took the lead early on after the end of the doubles matches after winning the second and third seats. Jackson Kogan ’19 and Tyler Ng ’19 defeated their opponents 8-6. Rookies Nikhil Das ’21 and Rajan Vohra ’21 also won their doubles match with a final score of 8-5. In the number one seat, David Aizenberg ’20 and Anupreeth Coramutla ’21 fell 3-8 in their doubles match. Bowdoin came back strong in the singles matches by taking the victory in five of the six matches. Das was the only Judge to win a singles match with the final score being 7-6 (8-6), 6-2.
The team took on Massachusetts Institute of Technology at home on April 19. With the match coming down to the wire, the Judges were able to pull away in the end to earn the win 5-4. In the doubles matches, Aizenberg and Coramutla competed in the first seat and beat the Engineers 9-8, 7-4. Kogan and Ng played in the second seat doubles match and won 8-6. Finally, Das and Vohra played in the third seat and fell 2-8. The Judges took the lead after the doubles matches, 2-1.
In the singles matches, Aizenberg fell in three sets in the first seat. In the second seat, Vohra fell to his opponent 5-7, 2-6. Kogan fell in three sets in a very tight match in the third seat. The Judges came back strong and tied it all up with Das and Ng earning their respective victories against their opponents in the fourth and fifth seats. Junior Zach Cihlar ’19 brought home the win for the Judges in a tight match beating his competitor to secure the sixth seat victory for the Judges.
The University Athletic Association (UAA) has released its 30th anniversary teams, honoring the best student-athletes who competed on teams in the UAA in the first 30 years of the Association. Three of Brandeis’ tennis alumni were honored. Each student-athlete was named either Most Valuable Player, won an NCAA Division III singles title, won an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III Small College Championship singles title, or accumulated five or more points with two points awarded for All-Association first-team singles recognition and one point for second-team singles honors in his career. The Brandeis alumni who were honored were Hall of Famer Noel Occomy ’89, the 1988 NCAA Champion and one flight champion in 1989; Sam Jonas ’07, the men’s Most Outstanding Player as a sophomore in 2005; and Minh Tran ’94, the 1993 first singles champion for the women.
The Judges are now 12-3 for their overall record. They will face off against Wheaton College on Sunday, April 22 for their final home game of the season, along with the celebration of the seniors. The Judges will then travel to Altamonte Spring, FL to compete against the other UAA schools for their three day long tournament.
Zach Cihlar is a sports editor for The Brandeis Hoot.
