Spring Break
Huskies Look To Claw Bobcats In Home Opener
Men's Tennis
Holly Lynch
Issue date: 3/20/08 Section: Sports
The men's tennis team is looking forward to its first home game today when it'll take on in-state rival, Quinnipiac. The Huskies will look to continue the winning streak they started this past Spring Break. Things began to heat up for the Huskies when they flew south to Orlando - but this was one tropical getaway that wasn't all fun in the sun. The team played three consecutive matches March 10-12 against Cleveland State, Valparaiso, and Monmouth.
Things started with a tough 6-1 loss to Cleveland State.
"This was the first time we were playing outside in the heat so it was a hard adjustment," said senior Christian Malerba. "We played well but a couple of things just didn't go our way."
Although the team as a whole had a hard time, Malerba took this time to shine. He teamed up with Joey Michaels to defeat Robert Fox and Rob West, 8-3, in the doubles match. Then in the No. 5 singles spot Malerba defeated Rob West once again in an ongoing 6-4, 3-6, and finally 6-3 match.
The next day the men returned to action to take on Valparaiso. Malerba continued to win in his singles matches, and this time he wasn't alone.
Teammates Joe Goldstein, Michaels, Andrew Marcus, and Aaron Ribchinsky joined him to take five points for the Huskies in the singles matches. The teams of Goldstein and Ben Shueler, and Tom Cook and Andrew Marcus, also won their doubles matches to take another point for the Huskies and make the final score 6-1.
For the last of their three Spring Break getaway matches, the men faced Monmouth. The Hawks failed to show up to the match with their A game and ultimately fell to the Huskies 4-3, giving UConn its second straight win. The match started with the men winning two of the three doubles matches to take the first point. The singles proved to be harder: two points were given up in the No. 1 and No. 2 spot. But never ones to give up, UConn rallied and Michaels, Malerba, and Cook won the Nos. 3, 5, and 6 spots for the win.
Those matches bring the men to a 3-5 record on the season. And today will be their chance to get that much closer to an even record, when they take on Quinnipiac (2-3) at 2 p.m. in their first home match this spring. The last time the two Connecticut teams met was in the spring 2006 season, when Quinnipiac defeated UConn, 6-0 in Storrs.
"We've lost to them the past few years so this time we're really looking for a win. It's going to be a tough match, neck and neck, and it's going to come down to who wants to win it more," said Malerba.
Contact Holly Lynch at Holly.Lynch@UConn.edu.
Things started with a tough 6-1 loss to Cleveland State.
"This was the first time we were playing outside in the heat so it was a hard adjustment," said senior Christian Malerba. "We played well but a couple of things just didn't go our way."
Although the team as a whole had a hard time, Malerba took this time to shine. He teamed up with Joey Michaels to defeat Robert Fox and Rob West, 8-3, in the doubles match. Then in the No. 5 singles spot Malerba defeated Rob West once again in an ongoing 6-4, 3-6, and finally 6-3 match.
The next day the men returned to action to take on Valparaiso. Malerba continued to win in his singles matches, and this time he wasn't alone.
Teammates Joe Goldstein, Michaels, Andrew Marcus, and Aaron Ribchinsky joined him to take five points for the Huskies in the singles matches. The teams of Goldstein and Ben Shueler, and Tom Cook and Andrew Marcus, also won their doubles matches to take another point for the Huskies and make the final score 6-1.
For the last of their three Spring Break getaway matches, the men faced Monmouth. The Hawks failed to show up to the match with their A game and ultimately fell to the Huskies 4-3, giving UConn its second straight win. The match started with the men winning two of the three doubles matches to take the first point. The singles proved to be harder: two points were given up in the No. 1 and No. 2 spot. But never ones to give up, UConn rallied and Michaels, Malerba, and Cook won the Nos. 3, 5, and 6 spots for the win.
Those matches bring the men to a 3-5 record on the season. And today will be their chance to get that much closer to an even record, when they take on Quinnipiac (2-3) at 2 p.m. in their first home match this spring. The last time the two Connecticut teams met was in the spring 2006 season, when Quinnipiac defeated UConn, 6-0 in Storrs.
"We've lost to them the past few years so this time we're really looking for a win. It's going to be a tough match, neck and neck, and it's going to come down to who wants to win it more," said Malerba.
Contact Holly Lynch at Holly.Lynch@UConn.edu.
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