The men's and women's tennis teams have been heading in opposite directions since break. The women have won four in a row, including victories over Wellesley College and Smith College. Meanwhile, the men had been shut out in three straight matches, until breaking out of the slump with a 7-0 victory over Connecticut College yesterday. The women are 5-6 on the season while the men are 6-7.
Rob Friedman '06 led the way for the Judges yesterday, defeating 6-0 in both matches. Cliff Silverman '07 also had an impressive outing, winning his first match 6-1 and his second match 6-0.
"The team came together today," Mike Vulfovich '07 said. "We were all pretty pissed to be on a three match losing streak. We knew we were better than that."
The women have had a solid month, capped by a 7-2 victory over Wellesley College. Ora Wexler '04 defeated Wellesley's Shine Chen 6-1 and 6-0 to lead the Judges. Shani Reich '06 also played well, rallying to defeat Esther Handy in a third set super tie breaker. Katie Albert '04 led the Judges with two shutout victories in a 7-2 rout of Smith College.
"Everyone did well in doubles, coming together as a team," Wexler said.
The men had been struggling until yesterday, having endured three straight shutouts capped by a rout at the hands of Tufts University on Thursday. Partners Alan Berk '04 and Michael Vulfovich '07 registered the only Brandeis win of the day. Despite their record, the men came up with some impressive wins earlier in the season. The team opened the season with a 7-0 shutout against Union College, followed by a 6-1 win over Colby College. The Judges had a shutout victory against Hamilton College and a 6-1 victory over Coast Guard Academy, but have dropped six of the last eight contests.
While the team has been struggling this season, coach Rocky Jarvis can be optimistic about the future. Berk is the team's only graduating senior on the men's team, while Albert and Wexler are the only graduating women. The men have only one match remaining when they visit Bowdoin College today.
"The main thing this year is that we've been hit really hard with injuries," Vulfovich said. "Of our top five guys no one is healthy. We need to stay healthy next year and improve our fitness."
"Tennis has been a really important part of my time at Brandeis," Wexler said. "It's helped me and will help me in terms of the future.