The West Chester men’s tennis team had a rough three-day stretch, dropping three matches in a row over the course of said three days.
The three losses damaged the Golden Rams’ record, as they now sit at 3-5.
West Chester’s first loss took place on March 18, where the Rams traveled to Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL. The Rams’ fought valiantly, but FSC was too strong to overcome, beating the Rams 9-0. The Rams lost all three doubles competitions, as well as six singles competition.
The next day, West Chester trekked to Tampa, Fl. to play against South Eastern University. Though the Rams put up another admirable effort, it was not enough once again, as SEU defeated West Chester with a final score of 7-2.
The wins came to the doubles team of Lars Kristiansen and Jimmy Aridas with a final score of 8-6, and J.J. Cooke in singles competition, where he defeated his opponent 6-1, 6-1 in straight sets.
On their last day in Florida, the Rams traveled to St. Petersburg to face off with Eckerd College. The Rams, unfortunately enough, could not bring home the win, suffering the same defeat as they did at FSC, losing 0-9.
Rams’ players Jared Howatt and J.J. Cooke played notably well, but could not put Eckerd away. The loss ended West Chester’s trip to Florida, but there is still plenty of time to recover for the Golden Rams.
West Chester’s next matchup will be at home, where they will go against the University of Sciences in Philadelphia on March 18. The school is a tough matchup for the Golden Rams, as they currently sit on a record of 4-1.
Following that matchup, West Chester will next be going on the road, taking on Bloomsburg University. The matchup, which takes place on April 1, should be an easier task for West Chester, as their rivals currently own a 1-6 record. They recently won their first match of the season, defeating Daemen College (N.Y.) 8-1.
The Golden Rams then go on a four-game streak against fellow opponents in the PSAC Conference. The Rams will host Mercyhurst University and Edinboro University on April 4 and 5, respectively. The Rams then go on the road to Kutztown University on April 9, finishing off by playing Millersville University at home on April 10.
Their remaining schedule is far from easy, but the Golden Rams must win if they want to stay alive in the PSAC Conference. With the team now about half-way through the season, West Chester will have to make strides sooner rather than later.
Oliver Suskin-Santarelli is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at OS753461@wcupa.edu.