The Rams lost their second straight match to start the spring season when they were defeated 6-1 by Bucknell University at Queens College Saturday afternoon.
Fordham dropped to 0-2 on the season with the loss, while Bucknell jumped out to a 3-1 start.
The day started with the men failing to grab the early doubles point. They lost both of their doubles matches by the score of 6-3.
New head coach Mike Sowter remained optimistic about the doubles teams. “I would like us to be more aggressive in doubles,” he said, “but as long as we continue to put in the effort the wins will come.”
The lone bright spot on the day for Fordham came from freshman Pol Giraldez. Giraldez defeated Bucknell’s Octavio Canibe in a three-set match that tested both players’ will and endurance. In the end, Giraldez had the most left in the tank. He lost the first set 7-5, but showed perseverance by battling back to take the second set 7-5.
“I tried to be patient against a player that hardly didn’t miss any balls,” Giraldez said after the match. “When he got tired, everything was easier.”
In the final set, Giraldez was able to out-duel his opponent and closed out the match with a 10-7 victory.
“Pol is continuing to get acclimatized in college athletics and playing indoors,” Sowter said, “but he showed a lot of fight and was willing to come forward and put pressure on his opponent which showed in his victory.”
Things unfortunately did not go well for Fordham in the rest of its singles matches, as it would go on to lose the next five.
Senior captain J.J. Tauil was defeated 6-1, 6-2 to Bucknell’s Nick Bybel, who was the Patriot League Player of the Year last year as a sophomore. Senior Max Peara fought hard in two competitive sets, but lost 6-4, 7-6 (10-5).
Freshman Joey Brander similarly battled to make it close, but likewise was unable to come out on top. His result was 6-3, 6-4. Lastly, junior Pedro Alonzo and freshman Joseph Kavaloski were outmatched in their games and fell to Bucknell opponents in straight sets.
From a coaching standpoint, Sowter was pleased with his team’s performance overall. “The match went well, despite the loss,” he said. “Everyone is working hard and continuing to improve every day so I’m really happy with the progress we have made over the last three weeks.”
The Rams will look to continue this improvement this Saturday in the Life Time Athletic Center in Harrison, New York.
