Posted: Apr 13, 2019
Toms River, NJ - OCC Men's Tennis lost their first match of the season in a hotly-contested 5-4 loss to the Roadrunners of Rowan College at Gloucester County. This match marked the second meeting between these teams, with the Vikings getting the win in their season opener.
Doubles (RCGC defeated OCC, 2-1)
- Dominant 8-5 win from Robby Fuggi and Yanir Shriki at 3rd doubles.
- Tight match at 2nd doubles from Liam Raftery and Jack Schneider, with the Vikings taking an 8-5 loss.
- Slow start at first singles from Sean Boyle and Tim Kelleher, coming back from a 6-game deficit, ultimately losing the pro-set, 9-7.
- "Another great win for us at 3rd doubles. Forehand was mashing, felt really good," remarked Fuggi. "Shriki is a great teammate and always brings a great mindset to the court. We're looking forward to our next meeting with Gloucester."
Singles (OCC tied RCGC, 3-3)
- 5 out of 6 matches extended into 3 sets.
- Huge third set victories from 1st Sean Boyle, 2nd Liam Raftery, and 6th Tyler Laycock, all of whom had amazing 3rd set score lines, and showed great resiliency and sportsmanship.
- 3rd Yanir Shriki and 5th Carl Genz's matches ended in 3rd set losses.
- 4th Tim Kelleher was defeated in straight sets.
- "Gloucester came with a purpose and took it to us on our home turf," said Raftery. "My opponent played hard, but it was a hot day and I dug in for the win."
- "It was one of those matches where you really have to dig in, bring yourself to a new level, and seize the strength that God gave you to come out on top," stated Laycock. "Being a part of this team has been a humbling experience. It is not the lack of failure that we succeed from, but how we rise up again after falling down."
The Vikings return to action on Wednesday, April 17th, when they head to Mercer County CC for a 3:30 p.m. match.