Spring Break
Tennis: Injuries hamper Judges at UAA tourney
by Mike Prada
Editor in Chief
Sports | 5/2/06
Posted online at 2:47 AM EST on 5/2/06
/ Last updated at 12:48 PM EST on 5/2/06
Jordan Bieber '07 lost a nail-bitter to Chicago sophomore Sasha Deriy at No. 2 singles, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3. Cliff Silverman '07, Hart Comess-Daniels '06 and Derek Tessler '09 each lost in straight sets at No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 singles.
The Judges tried to rebound later in the day against Case Western, but tired legs led to another defeat. Jonas again scored the lone victory for the Judges, defeating Spartan sophomore Joseph Smetona 6-1, 7-5. Bieber and Scott Schulman '09 each fell behind early and ran out of gas in straight-set losses.
Jonas said he was encouraged by his play in the tournament after a challenging season. After winning the UAA Player of the Year award just one year ago, Jonas struggled to regain his form this spring following off-season shoulder surgery, but closed the year strongly with a 2-1 record at the UAAs.
"I feel like I'm back," Jonas said.
Lamanna said that the approach Jonas was forced to take this year due to his injury would help improve his game in the future.
"He was forced to play a more defensive game right off the bat, and I think that makes him better," Lamanna said. "If you win games and sets by starting every point on the defensive, you're doing a really good job of battling."
The women's team was also hampered by injuries, entering the UAA tournament without No. 1 singles player Jen Krueger '07, who was sidelined with a stress fracture and No. 6 singles player Jenicka Hornung '07.
"It forced people to have to play in a spot they weren't used to," captain Shani Reich '06 said.
The shorthanded Judges lost their first two matches, 6-3 to Chicago and 5-2 to the University of Rochester, before sweeping Case Western 5-0 in the final consolation round to claim seventh place. Colleen Donnelly '08 and Ana Katz '08 finished with 2-1 and 3-0 records at No. 1 and No. 3 singles in the UAAs.
Despite disappointing finishes for the men's and women's teams this season, Lamanna said he is happy with the foundation laid in his first season as coach.
"We framed this year as a changing of the culture of the program, from the way we think to the way we train and ultimately compete," he said. "This is the low point for us, but it doesn't feel like it, because we think we got a lot better."
The Judges tried to rebound later in the day against Case Western, but tired legs led to another defeat. Jonas again scored the lone victory for the Judges, defeating Spartan sophomore Joseph Smetona 6-1, 7-5. Bieber and Scott Schulman '09 each fell behind early and ran out of gas in straight-set losses.
Jonas said he was encouraged by his play in the tournament after a challenging season. After winning the UAA Player of the Year award just one year ago, Jonas struggled to regain his form this spring following off-season shoulder surgery, but closed the year strongly with a 2-1 record at the UAAs.
"I feel like I'm back," Jonas said.
Lamanna said that the approach Jonas was forced to take this year due to his injury would help improve his game in the future.
"He was forced to play a more defensive game right off the bat, and I think that makes him better," Lamanna said. "If you win games and sets by starting every point on the defensive, you're doing a really good job of battling."
The women's team was also hampered by injuries, entering the UAA tournament without No. 1 singles player Jen Krueger '07, who was sidelined with a stress fracture and No. 6 singles player Jenicka Hornung '07.
"It forced people to have to play in a spot they weren't used to," captain Shani Reich '06 said.
The shorthanded Judges lost their first two matches, 6-3 to Chicago and 5-2 to the University of Rochester, before sweeping Case Western 5-0 in the final consolation round to claim seventh place. Colleen Donnelly '08 and Ana Katz '08 finished with 2-1 and 3-0 records at No. 1 and No. 3 singles in the UAAs.
Despite disappointing finishes for the men's and women's teams this season, Lamanna said he is happy with the foundation laid in his first season as coach.
"We framed this year as a changing of the culture of the program, from the way we think to the way we train and ultimately compete," he said. "This is the low point for us, but it doesn't feel like it, because we think we got a lot better."
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