Match ResultsBRONXVILLE, N.Y.—While the Gryphons had their chances, Sarah Lawrence College men's tennis was overcome by Purchase College, 7-2, in a non-conference match at Andrews Courts on Saturday.
After Purchase (2-9) won the first two doubles matches, Sarah Lawrence (1-5) put its first team point on the board with a victory in the No. 2 doubles position. Junior
Adam Neufeld (Bronx, N.Y./The Calhoun School) and senior
Andrew Thurman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Winchester Thurston School) scored an early break point to take a 4-1 lead in the match. After the pairs held serve to 7-4, the SLC duo broke serve to close out an 8-4 triumph.
With the Panthers in front, 2-1, Purchase extended its lead with wins in the No. 1 and No. 2 singles slots.
Needing a win to keep the Green and White alive, rookie Gryphon
Jonah Blake (Newport Beach, Calif./Spanish River (Fla.)) came through in the No. 5 singles match. After being broken in the first game, Blake broke serve in the second game, and the opponents played back-and-forth to a 3-3 draw. Blake then gained momentum with a successful break point to string together three straight games. After breaking his opponent's serve in the penultimate game, he sealed the win, 10-5.
Neufeld was on pace for a win in the No. 3 singles match, sprinting out to an 8-2 advantage. Purchase's Jason Wieder refused to yield and mounted a rally to narrow the gap to 9-6. Wieder carried his momentum to level the match at 9-9 and cruised through the tiebreaker to win 10-9 (7-0), clinching the Panthers' team victory.
Purchase went on to win the No. 4 singles bout, while rookie
Aidan O'Brien (Mansfield, Conn./Edwin O. Smith) picked up his first collegiate win by sweeping the last three games of an 8-5 victory in the No. 6 singles match.
Sarah Lawrence next travels to Bard College for a showdown on Sunday. The Gryphons return home on Tuesday for a HVIAC matchup against St. Joseph's College Brooklyn at 7 p.m.
