After finishing last year with a perfect 11-0 record and capturing their second consecutive Great Northeast Athletic Conference championship, the Suffolk University men’s tennis has showed no signs of slowing down. The Rams have opened this season winners of their first three matches and are trying to prove again that they are the team to beat.
Suffolk crushed Norwich, 9-0, in their first match, and then went on to win 8-1 against both Wentworth and Emerson. The Rams were selected as the GNAC men’s tennis preseason favorite in a vote conducted by GNAC coaches, and so far they are certainly living up to those expectations.
In Saturday’s match against Emerson, junior Chris Staley won the second doubles position for the Rams in straight sets, 6-0.
Staley also teamed up with junior Sean Cullen and the duo picked up their third victory in the top doubles match as they were 8-4 winners. Cullen also won his singles match, 6-0, 6-2.
Sophomore Harlan Strader was a multiple winner for the Rams, too, as he won his match in the third singles game in consecutive 6-0 sets. Stader then teamed with Albert Beruga for a 8-0 win in the third doubles match.
Senior John Samander won a 10-8 tiebreak in the third set of the fourth singles play for his third win of the season. Samander and his doubles teammate, freshman Hubert Cromback, moved to 3-0 on the season with an 8-4 victory.
Senior Justin Ayoub finished out the successful day for Suffolk with his third singles triumph of the year as he won, 6-4, 6-1, in the fifth singles position.
In Suffolk’s second win against Wentworth, Staley won his singles position for the Rams, 6-2, 6-0. He also won the top doubles match along with Cullen, 8-3.
Strader won his third singles position, 7-5, 6-2, and also was a winner in the third doubles match along with Beruga, 8-3.
Samander and Cromback partnered for their second win of the season in the second doubles position as they were 8-0 winners. Ayoub picked up Suffolk’s eighth win of the day as he won his match in the No. 6 singles spot, 7-5, 6-2.
Suffolk players got recognition from the GNAC right after their first match against Norwich, as Staley was named GNAC Player of the Week and Cromback was named Rookie of the Week.
Staley was a winner in both singles and Staley preserved the shutout for the Rams by winning a 7-6 tiebreaker in the No. 2 singles position. Additionally, he was victorious in the top doubles match with his partner, Cullen.
Cromback won his match in the No. 4 singles position, 6-2, 6-3, and then partnered with Samander for an 8-0 win in the second doubles match. It will be interesting to see where the team goes after their torrid start to the season.
