Raiders Come up Short Against Wildcats

Doubles play shines in Colgate’s 4-3 loss to Villanova

Box Score SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Men's tennis could not hold off Villanova in the Drumlins Country Club, falling to the Wildcats, 4-3, in the Raiders' third-straight heartbreaker.

"I'm at a complete loss for words with the men's third-straight overtime-like loss," Head Coach Bobby Pennington said. "Per usual, we played outstanding in doubles sweeping all three matches. We got off to slow starts in singles losing five of the first six sets, but then the match flipped and we stormed back. I really feel if we are clutch in big moments and fitter we could be 4-0. We have no choice but to forge on and get ready for Duquesne."

The Raiders started hot on Saturday afternoon with the doubles point swinging Colgate's way. Ben Graham/Aidan Lee grabbed the momentum with a quick 7-6 win while Benito Vlassis/Josh Israel moved their record as a duo to 3-1 this spring with a 7-6 victory in first doubles.

With the first point of the match already clinched, Aidan Chung/John Fazli remained undefeated as a pair with a 7-6 win on court three.

Singles play was a different story for Colgate as the Raiders dropped five out of six sets and quickly found themselves in a tense showdown.

The Wildcats tied the match with a victory in third singles, but Israel was able to reassert the lead on court two, winning 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Lee tacked on another point with a fourth-singles triumph (5-7, 6-3, 6-2), but it would be all Villanova from there.

Wins from the Wildcats on courts one and five quickly tied the score at three, and the pressure fell on Jerome Falcon to bring home a win for the Raiders.

Despite falling behind 5-1 in the third set, the first-year showed resilience in clawing his way back. Ultimately, it was not enough, as he was defeated 7-6, 3-6, 6-7 to drop the Raiders to 1-3 on the year.

UP NEXT
The Raiders will look to right the ship next weekend on their trip to Pittsburgh, where they face off against Duquesne on Saturday at 3 p.m. and Saint Francis at noon on Sunday.

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Players Mentioned

Aidan Chung: 6' 0"; Sophomore

John Fazli: 6' 2"; Sophomore

Ben Graham: 6' 3"; Junior

Josh Israel: 5' 8"; Junior

Aidan Lee: 6' 0"; Sophomore

Benito Vlassis: 6' 2"; Junior

Jerome Falcon: 5' 10"; First Year

Players Mentioned

Aidan Chung
: 6' 0"; Sophomore

John Fazli
: 6' 2"; Sophomore

Ben Graham
: 6' 3"; Junior

Josh Israel
: 5' 8"; Junior

Aidan Lee
: 6' 0"; Sophomore

Benito Vlassis
: 6' 2"; Junior

Jerome Falcon
: 5' 10"; First Year