Men's Tennis Highlights
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HVMAC Tennis Tournament
May 3, 2008
On an unseasonably cold and damp early morning that felt more like early November than May, the 2008 HVMAC tennis championships were contested at the National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens—site of the US Open. Sarah Lawrence entered the tournament on a positive note, winning their last regular season match of the season and sought to make an even bigger impact at the tournament. What eventually transpired was the Gryphons' finest tournament in years as Sarah Lawrence reached the finals in six of the nine flights and captured the second place trophy. Cooper Union, as had been expected, claimed the conference title for the fourth consecutive year.
An especially gratifying aspect of the day was the fact that all 6 Gryphons won at least one match - the first time in recent memory that has occurred. Sometimes it takes a while to find just the right chemistry when forming a doubles team. Late in the season Coach Tim Joyce varied the combinations with two of his tandems and the experiment has worked superbly thus far. Sterling Wong, who in his first year of competitive tennis has significantly improved while playing in the always difficult #2 singles slot was recently paired with #6 singles player Vaughn Bergen. The two first-years had immediate success as they played in the final of the #3 doubles at the tournament - these two will most likely be the anchors of the Sarah Lawrence tennis squad in the near future. Vaughn's former partner, sophomore Ben Wiessmann was switched to play alongside #1 player Max Neely-Cohen and that experiment has been a sound success too, with the duo reaching the finals in the #1 doubles on Sunday with an exciting brand of tennis. Ben and Vaughn also reached the finals of their singles flights with Vaughn defeating his Cooper Union opponent to take home the trophy for the #6 singles competition. Max, playing his final matches for the green-and-white after an extraordinary four years of service on the team, drew a tough player in the #1 singles against a strong St. Joseph's opponent.
Without question the most crowd-pleasing pairing of the 2008 tennis season has been that of #3 Tyler Youngblood and #4 Mikey Telis. The two graduating seniors have jelled on and off the court and their inimitable, entertaining and instinctual style of play has been a source of spectator enjoyment this season. They are both also intense competitors and this was on full display on Sunday when they competed in the finals of the #2 doubles before falling to Cooper Union. Mikey also had success in singles play where he faced off in his singles final against eventual champion Cooper Union.
In addition to winning the 2nd place trophy, two Gryphons were named All-Conference for the 2008 season - Ben Wiessmann and Mikey Telis. Coach Joyce and his assistant –and former Sarah Lawrence standout player himself– Dan Bretl are overall pleased with how the season ended. And they are most satisfied with how well the players represented themselves –and their school– in the conference. A more likable group of scholar-athletes would be hard to locate.
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Match: April 25, 2008
SLC vs. St. Joseph's College
There are unique occasions when circumstances conspire to produce a perfect storm – or perfect evening. And while it's difficult to actually declare utter perfection, the Sarah Lawrence men's tennis team could not have concluded their season any better on Friday night. With the balmy and sunny spring air enveloping the Gryphon home courts, Sarah Lawrence defeated HVMAC rival St. Joseph's College to claim their first victory of the 2008 campaign, ending the season on an up note.
It was a bittersweet night for three Sarah Lawrence seniors as Max Neely-Cohen, Tyler Youngblood and Mikey Telis all played in their last regular season match for the Gryphons. Each of the three veterans have been exemplary embodiments of the Sarah Lawrence scholar-athlete with their dedication to the program unquestioned. Additionally, all three scored key victories in the win. Mikey, finishing his second season playing the #4 singles slot for Sarah Lawrence, easily dispatched his opponent winning 10-2. Tyler, completing his 3rd season on the tennis team, also dominated his match, winning 10-1. Finally, Max Neely-Cohen, in his 4th year on the team, teamed with sophomore Ben Wiessmann –who earlier had won his #5 singles match– to win the #1 doubles. The new doubles tandem's victory clinched the match for Sarah Lawrence. Though a thorough perusal of the Sarah Lawrence archives would be required, Max has likely competed in more tennis matches –singles and doubles– than any other student in Sarah Lawrence history. First-year Vaughn Bergen rounded out the scoring with a 10-0 rout in the #6 singles.
With the regular season portion now concluded, Sarah Lawrence looks forward to the HVMAC championship next Saturday, held at the National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens—the site of the US Open. Though Sarah Lawrence won only one match during the season, the entire team has exhibited steady improvement and Coach Tim Joyce believes that the Gryphons will surprise their rivals during the tournament and perform at a high level.
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Match: April 20, 2008
SLC vs. Bard College
Turning around after a loss and competing less than 24 hours later is never an easy task. The Sarah Lawrence tennis team did just that on Sunday when they resumed their rivalry with Bard College on the Gryphon home courts. Bard, a former member of the HVMAC, made their first visit to Sarah Lawrence in several years. Unfortunately for the Gryphons, Bard claimed the afternoon competition, 7 matches to 1 - but the score belies the strong tennis exhibited by Sarah Lawrence.
Ben Wiessmann, continuing his tremendously improved play over last year, was the sole Gryphon victor on the afternoon. Ben, playing in his accustomed #5 singles slot defeated his Bard counterpart, 10-6. Ben has rapidly become a smarter and more versatile tennis player. Max Neely-Cohen, #1 singles for the Gryphons fought gamely and played effectively but came up just short in his loss. Almost all the matches were tight contests on the sunny but cool afternoon. Mikey Telis, #4 singles for Sarah Lawrence, injured his toe after his singles match and had to withdraw from doubles competition. Hopefully the injury will not hamper Mikey's efforts in next Friday's match.
There is now only one match remaining before the HVMAC tournament on May 3rd. On Friday, April 25th, the Gryphons will play host to St. Joseph's in a HVMAC tussle. It will be a bittersweet afternoon no matter what the outcome as Max Neely-Cohen, Tyler Youngblood and Mikey Telis will be playing their final matches at Sarah Lawrence. Coach Tim Joyce hopes for warm weather and an enthusiastic crowd to cheer on these dedicated and talented scholar-athletes.
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Match: April 19, 2008
SLC vs. Brooklyn College
Sometimes a day just starts amiss and continues downward. Such was the case for the Sarah Lawrence tennis team on Saturday when they journeyed to Brooklyn to face Brooklyn College in a non-conference encounter. After a seemingly interminable bus ride –the Papal visit had rendered the New York area roads a labyrinthine struggle to navigate– the Gryphons were blanked on the afternoon, 7 matches to 0 (due to the Passover observance, both teams were playing with only five team members).
Playing under a hot and glaring sun, on slick and uneven courts, Sarah Lawrence struggled with their surroundings and with a talented Brooklyn team. With Brooklyn having "home rules", the matches were two-out-of-three sets, a format that Sarah Lawrence is not usually accustomed to. This format however does provide a foray to get "back into" a match if one loses the first set. Such was the case for Mikey Telis as he battled back from a disastrous first stanza to make his match closer. Ben Wiessmann had the best effort on the day for the Gryphons, losing a very close battle 7-5, 6-4.
Sarah Lawrence will be glad to return home—and they won't have much time to ponder today's match as tomorrow they'll take on Bard College at 1 p.m. at the scenic Sarah Lawrence courts. Look for the Gryphons to perform at a much higher level.
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Match: April 17, 2008
SLC vs. Cooper Union
There always seems to be one night during the fickle Bronxville spring where weather conditions are suddenly ideal for tennis—clear moonlit skies, an absence of wind and balmy temperatures. And on such evenings the setting of the Sarah Lawrence tennis courts, framed by hills and trees, takes on a distinctly serene and anticipatory atmosphere. Such were the conditions last night as longtime foe Cooper Union and Sarah Lawrence resumed their rivalry on the sun-dappled courts in the early evening. Unfortunately for the Gryphons the desired result was not achieved, with Cooper winning the match 8-1.
The lone victory for Sarah Lawrence was supplied by Ben Wiessmann, playing in his usual #5 singles position. Ben, continuing to combine an athletic style of play with an ever-increasing consistency, led the entire way finishing with a 10-5 decision. Ben is now 2-1 in HVMAC singles competition which bodes well for attaining a high seed for the conference tournament in two weeks.
Though the overall outcome was not in Sarah Lawrence's favor, several matches were far closer than the scores would indicate and the experience gained by facing such a strong team will surely be very helpful when the HVMAC tournament is played two weekends from now. The Gryphons know that they'll likely take on some of these same players again and veterans such as Max Neely-Cohen, Tyler Youngblood and Mikey Telis will seek to reverse the results.
The upcoming weekend provides a respite from conference competition. Sarah Lawrence travels to Brooklyn where they'll play Brooklyn College on Saturday afternoon at noon. The Gryphons will resume hosting duties when Bard College visits the Sarah Lawrence courts on Sunday at 1 p.m. This will be the last home weekend match for Sarah Lawrence and the team invites all on campus to watch the proceedings on the courts.
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Match: April 14, 2008
Bloomfield College
On yet another chilly night at the Sarah Lawrence tennis courts, the Gryphons hosted Division II foe Bloomfield College in a non-conference affair. Bloomfield took the encounter six matches to three but Sarah Lawrence showed signs of continued improvement in the closely contested match. Most encouraging for Sarah Lawrence was the fact that the Gryphons had their full complement of players for the first time this season.
Vaughn Bergen, the first-year Gotham native, recently joined the squad and his impact on the results was immediate. Vaughn claimed his first collegiate tennis match, winning at #6 singles in a tight tussle 10-8. Being able to emerge victorious in such a close match should provide a foundation for future clashes. Vaughn then teamed with partner Ben Wiessmann in the #3 doubles and the duo, playing together for the first time, dominated the match, winning 8-2. This provided a small measure of revenge for Ben as he lost a heartbreakingly close #5 singles match, falling 11-10 (7-5 in the tiebreaker).
Another bright spot on the evening for the Gryphons was the play of Tyler Youngblood. Tyler, in the #3 singles slot, entered the winning column in singles play for the first time this season. (Tyler had already teamed with partner Mike Telis for a doubles victory). The inimitable style of all-court tennis implemented by the California senior greatly frustrated his opponent and the result was a solid 10-5 triumph.
Next on the schedule for the Gryphons is Cooper Union. The perennial HVMAC powerhouse makes their annual trek to the Sarah Lawrence courts on Thursday evening at 7. This match should prove to be the toughest test of the season for the Gryphons.
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Match: April 12, 2008
SLC vs. Webb Institute
With the weather finally relenting and offering up a balmy day, Sarah Lawrence traveled to Webb Institute to take on their long-time HVMAC foe. It turned out to be one of the more frustrating matches in recent years for the Gryphons as they failed to capitalize on large leads and lost a tight affair against the Webbbies, succumbing by the score of 6 to 3. "Coulda" and "shoulda" are two of the most over-used words when depicting a team's or individual's result in sports. Quite often the use of such words serves to diminish the opponents' effort. However, there are rare instances when a team "should have" won and such was the case for Sarah Lawrence this afternoon. However, even with the defeat, Sarah Lawrence has continued to exhibit steady improvement with each contest and their effort put forth is laudable.
The afternoon started in unconventional fashion. The rains from the night before had left significant puddling on the courts which stubbornly remained even after the best drying efforts. So with only two courts deemed playable and in order to most efficiently manage the order of play, both teams decided to start with the two doubles matches (once again Sarah Lawrence had only 5 players so there were only two doubles matches). Max Neely-Cohen and Sterling Wong, #1 team for the Gryphons, raced to a commanding 7-3 lead but couldn't put away a resilient Webb team and fell 9-7. The good news is that Max and Sterling are starting to jell as a pair.
The bandanna-clad tandem of Mikey Telis and Tyler Youngblood also let one slip away with Webb taking the 9-8 victory. Mikey and Tyler are developing fast as a team but still need to figure how better to close out a match. While Telis and Youngblood did well to force the tiebreaker and indeed started well and were ahead 3-1 in the overtime, inconsistency proved to be their undoing, eventually falling 7-3 in the tiebreaker.
After the doubles were completed, only three courts remained dry at the public park so the decision was made to transport the #1 and #2 singles matches to the two courts which reside on the Webb campus. (this afforded the entire Sarah Lawrence squad the opportunity to view the stunning Webb campus located on Long Island Sound). And the singles portion proved most rewarding for Sarah Lawrence. Max Neely-Cohen played one of the finest matches in his career, dominating the final five games with impeccable tennis in taking a 10-6 decision. Max's commitment to an all-court game has proven to be fulfilling. After a shaky start, Mikey Telis won his second consecutive singles match – to stay undefeated in HVMAC competition – in relatively easy fashion, winning 10-6. And Ben Wiessmann played a smart and aggressive match, vanquishing his foe 10-4. Ben's improvement has been tangible with each match played. Sterling Wong, #2 for the Gryphons, fought back from an early deficit but fell 10-5—a score which belies the closeness of the encounter. Sterling's serve has become a consistent weapon for the first-year player.
Next up for Sarah Lawrence is Bloomfield College, who will make their annual visit to Sarah Lawrence on Monday evening for a non-conf
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Match: April 11, 2008
SLC vs. Mt. St. Vincent
On yet another unseasonably cold evening, the Sarah Lawrence men's tennis team took to their home courts and hosted the Dolphins from Mt. St. Vincent on Friday evening, initiating HVMAC conference play for 2008. And though the Gryphons had more success than in their previous match, unfortunately the outcome remained the same, with the Gryphons on the losing end of a 7-2 result.
Playing with only five team members for the second consecutive match, Sarah Lawrence had the tough task of trying to win five of seven matches in order to claim victory. Max Neely-Cohen, playing #1 for the Gryphons had a poor start in his contest and found himself staring at a 9-2 deficit and seemingly a quick exit. But Max roared back and nearly evened the encounter before finally bowing 10-7 in a thrilling match. Sterling Wong, who is gaining more confidence with each match in his first year of competition, couldn't muster enough consistency in his loss. This lack of consistency also plagued #3 Tyler Youngblood and #5 Ben Wiessmann as they also failed to generate enough strong play on the crucial points.
A bright spot for Sarah Lawrence was the play of Mikey Telis. Mikey secured the first victory of the year for Sarah Lawrence when he won his #4 singles match, a 10-7 triumph. Mikey then teamed with partner Tyler Youngblood to claim the #2 doubles, in a tight and tense battle, scoring a 9-7 win. Tyler's acrobatic – and albeit unorthodox – style at the net proved to be a key to their victory. Their combined wing-span makes the team an intimidating presence in doubles play.
Sarah Lawrence will have little time to ponder the results—tomorrow afternoon the team travels to Webb Institute for another critical HVMAC battle.
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First Match: April 8, 2008
SLC vs. Mt. St. Mary
The Sarah Lawrence men's tennis team commenced their rain-delayed 2008 season on Tuesday night with a home match against non-conference powerhouse Mt. St. Mary. The winter-like chill that descended on the scenic tennis courts at the south end of campus mirrored the end result as an obviously over-matched Gryphon squad –competing with only 5 players– succumbed to the Blue Knights from Newburgh, going down to defeat 9 matches to 0. It was a rough way to open the season for the team but, ultimately, not without merit.
The cliche goes something like this - you learn more from defeats than victory, and third year Coach Tim Joyce was pleased with how well the team responded to the loss. Max Neely-Cohen, playing number one singles for the first time in his four years of wearing the green and white, was generally pleased with his effort against "the best player I've played against in my time here." First-year Sterling Wong, who had never played competitive tennis before, gained valuable experience as the #2 singles player for the Gryphons. Tyler Youngblood, who rejoins the team after a year away in Cuba and France, and Mikey Telis, returning senior, make up the #2 doubles team for Sarah Lawrence and were able to capture two games against clearly superior competition. Coach Joyce is looking forward to watching the growth of the inimitable and amiable duo as the season unfolds. And sophomore Ben Wiessman, who may very well be the anchor of the squad in future years, fought gamely in his #5 singles match.
With April unfortunately living up to its vaunted reputation as the most weather-fickle month, it's been difficult finding consistency in practice. But with good weather supposedly looming in the near future, look for the fortunes of Gryphon tennis to reverse as well. Next up for Sarah Lawrence is a match at home on Friday afternoon at 4:30 against conference opponent Mt. St. Vincent.