Bulldogs Host Multiple Institutions in Home Tournament
Smithfield, R.I.- Two days, seven teams, sixteen tired legs, and one successful weekend. On Saturday the Bulldogs hosted Fairfield University, UCONN, and CCSU. On Sunday the Bulldogs hosted Northeastern, UNH, and UMASS Amherst. The club team finished the weekend 2-4, and showed they could hold their own against some of the toughest teams in New England. It was a great experience for the Bulldogs who experimented with various lineups in preparation for the sectional tournament on October 17th.
Player coach Sameer Sangal had the following to say after the matches on Sunday: “We used these matches to experiment with different lineups, see who played well together, who could handle the pressure. It was really helpful to have the team play this level of competition while we prepare for USTA Sectionals.”
Details from the matches below:
FAIRFIELD
The Bulldogs kicked off the weekend with a tight match verse Fairfield University. Bryant has never played Fairfield, and didn’t know what to expect. Fairfield came with a strong lineup, but it was nothing the Bulldogs couldn’t handle. Bryant ended up pulling out a win in the match 22-21, but the match easily could’ve gone either way.
Freshman Maddie McLaughlin took on the Fairfield’s girls singles, and ended up losing the match in a tie breaker 5-6. The back and forth match could have gone either way, but unfortunately a few tight line calls and double faults costed her the match.
Junior player coach Sameer Sangal lost his match 1-6. Sameer was frustrated with his performance, as he couldn’t find his stroke throughout the match. He put the match behind him, and put on a dominating performance with Maddie McLaughlin, to defeat the Fairfield mixed doubles team 6-0.
Junior Matt Levine and Freshman Mike Wadsworth played their first ever match together and fell to Fairfield 4-6. Matt’s usual partner Tyler Goldstein was unable to attend the match, so the doubles team was put together last minute. The talent was there to win the match, but miscommunication at the net and baseline cost them the match.
Junior Caitlin Wray, and her freshman sister Lauren Wray played their first match together verse Fairfield. The chemistry was there from the start, and they won a close match 6-5 in a tie breaker. The sisters played against extremely tough competition, and looking back at the match we cannot help but compare the sisters to Venus and Serena, when they pulled through with a gutty tie breaker victory.
UCONN
The next match was against a familiar UCONN team. Bryant has had mixed results against UCONN in the past, but the matches have always been close. The Bulldogs were on their A-game against a confident UCONN squad and won the match 26-15.
Junior James Heyden got the Bulldogs off to a solid start, putting on a dominant performance against UCONN’s singles, winning the match 6-2. James was extremely sharp from the baseline, rarely making any unforced errors. His first serve percentage was also extremely high, and made his opponent play out every point.
Freshman Maddie McLaughlin bounced back strong against UCONN’s women singles. She won the match 6-3, as she showcased her shot variety and consistency from the baseline. Her ability to change up the gameplay by throwing in drop shots, and approaching the net made things really uncomfortable for her opponent.
Men’s doubles struggled from the start, and quickly lost the match 6-2 before they could find any kind of rhythm. Double faults and lack of trust at the net was the story of the match, for the duo who has a lot of room to grow.
The Wray sisters came through clutch once again, as they skunked UCONN 6-0. Everything clicked from the start, and they rode the momentum till the end. Lauren said after the match that “Caitlin just kept telling me lets stomp on their throats while their down”. They did exactly that, and the momentum stayed with them throughout the match. Caitlin carried her momentum into the mixed doubles match, where she and Sameer took care of business winning 6-4.
CCSU
The final match of the day was against a CCSU squad which Bryant has had success against in the past. Sameer decided to mix up the lineup, to give some of the top guys rest and avoid any unnecessary injuries. The Bulldogs pulled through and won the match 22-21.
Tom Lee played singles for Bryant, and lost the match 3-6. Talent wise, Tom looked like the better player, he hit harder, ran faster, and clearly had more match experience. However, he double faulted, made a lot of unforced errors and his opponent kept every point in play.
Maddie McLaughlin played singles once again for the Bulldogs, and despite tired legs, she grinded out a 6-5 win in a tight tie breaker.
Madison Ballou and Lauren Wray played their first ever doubles match together, and fell to CCSU 1-6. They seemed nervous and tentative from the start, and never got in a rhythm.
Junior duo James Heyden and Sameer Sangal came out firing from the start of the match, and overwhelmed the CCSU double’s team 6-2. A much needed win, to pull the Bulldogs within striking distance heading into their mixed doubles match.
Sameer and Caitlin played Mixed for Bryant once again, and took care of business, with a dominating 6-2 victory. Anything short of a 6-2 win would’ve resulted in a Bulldog loss, or tie with CCSU.
NORTHEASTERN
On Sunday The Bulldogs were tested by three powerhouse squads. Up first was Northeastern, a school which doesn’t have a varsity tennis team, so essentially their club team is their varsity team. The Bulldogs were ready for the challenge, and came out swinging from the start, but ultimately fell to the Northeastern 16-24.
James Hayden played singles for the Bulldogs, and he put together a heroic performance, dominating Northeasters singles 6-2. Every aspect of his game was clicking. James frustrated his opponent by keeping all the balls deep and never letting him approach the net.
Tyler Goldstein and Matt Levine played doubles for the Bulldogs, and lost a tough match 2-6. As soon as they lost the lead, they were unable to catch any momentum against a very tough Northeastern doubles squad.
Freshman Caitlyn Bashara played her first match for the Bulldogs, and lost 2-6 to a very difficult opponent. She held her own, but the deuce points didn’t go her way.
The Wray sisters came through once again, as they pulled out a 6-4 victory against a confident Northeastern doubles team. The Wray sisters have proved themselves to be a reliable team, as they seem to pull out a victory no matter the circumstances.
Sameer played mixed doubles with Freshman Maddie McLaughlin, and lost in a blowout 0-6. Although the Bulldogs lost to Northeastern, they proved they could hang tight with any team in the North East.
UMASS AMHERST
Up next, the Bulldogs took on another top tier school UMASS Amherst. Tired legs, and unforced errors was the story of the match, as the Bulldogs fell to UMASS 14-30.
James Heyden lost his singles match 2-6. UMASS must have read the scouting report, because their singles player was able to switch his game up and consistently draw James to the net. James is a player who likes to stay consistent with groundstrokes, and out rally his opponents from the baseline.
Caitlyn Bashara once again played singles for the Bulldogs, and held strong till the end, but ultimately lost the match 3-6. Caitlyn’s first serve seemed to be the main reason for the loss, as she could never find a rhythm the entire match. She was able to break her opponents serve twice, but never got going on her service games.
Matt and Tyler played doubles once again, and lost 6-1 faster than you could pass gas. UMASS made it a race to the net, and they got their before the Bulldogs. Almost every point was 2 balls or less, and before the duo could make any adjustments the match was over.
The Wray sisters lost their first match together to UMASS Amherst 4-6. They fought hard till the end, but was overwhelmed the last few games by an aggressive, experienced UMASS team.
Sameer and Maddie played mixed doubles again for the Bulldogs, and fell in another closely contested match 4-6.
UNH
The final match of the weekend was against UNH, another top tier tennis team. Sophomore Nick Twohig played singles for the Bulldogs, and lost against a very tough opponent 0-6. The blazing sun bothered Nick throughout the game, as his powerful first serve was not falling for him. He didn’t get to the net as much as he wanted and fell into the game plan of his opponent.
Matt and Tyler played doubles once again against the UNH doubles team, and came out on the high side 6-5. Amazingly the doubles team they beat, defeated UMASS’s doubles team (who defeated Bryant duo 6-1) 6-4. Everything finally clicked for the duo, and it was a great win for their momentum moving forward.
Lauren Wray played doubles with Freshman Madison Ballou. They ended up losing the match 2-6, but a lot of positives were taken out of the game. They showcased amazing baseline consistency, but failed to move to the net and show any kind of aggression. They seemed overwhelmed from the start by the aggression of the UNH duo. They used the opportunity as a learning experience, and an opportunity to grow as an elite doubles pair in the future.
Over the weekend, the Bulldogs gained valuable match experience against some of the top schools in the Northeast. The Bulldogs were able to gain a lot of positives out of this weekend and will be working on fixing some of the self-inflicted wounds in their game leading up to Harvard University for the USTA Sectional tournament. The club team looks to play spoiler role and turn some heads. The sectional tournament is usually the biggest tournament of the year. This year it takes place at Harvard University Tennis Facilities on October 17, and 18th.