Lehigh returns to action looking to halt losing streak
Posted: 03/15/2012
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh will look to turn things back in the right direction this weekend with a pair of matches. The Mountain Hawks will face St. Francis (N.Y.) at home on Saturday before traveling to Philadelphia to face Atlantic-10 foe Saint Joseph’s on Sunday. After winning six matches in a row, the team has hit a rough patch in recent weeks on the heels of a three-match losing streak.
The team lost its last match to Georgetown, 4-2, in only its second road outing of the season back on March 3. While the Mountain Hawks managed to win two of three doubles matches, Georgetown took four of the six singles matches to clinch the victory. Freshman Mitch Petersen picked up Lehigh’s lone singles win with a victory at No. 3 singles.
Freshman Ben Gilman has enjoyed an excellent start to his Lehigh career with a team-best 8-1 record in singles play. He is one of four Mountain Hawks with at least six wins in singles play this season. Junior Andrew Krentz along with Petersen and freshman DJ Goldblum are the others. Krentz is also among the team leaders in doubles victories (seven) this season. He, along with sophomore Timur Chernykh, teamed for one of the doubles victories against Georgetown.
St. Francis enters the weekend at 1-7 with the lone win coming against Hofstra University. In their meeting last season, the Mountain Hawks beat the Terriers, 7-0.
Lehigh will then face Saint Joseph’s on Sunday. The Hawks will face Xavier on the Friday before their match with Lehigh. The Hawks have won two of their last three matches with the wins coming against Creighton and South Dakota State.
Lehigh’s match against St. Francis will take place inside the Lewis Tennis Center Saturday at 1 p.m. Sunday’s match at Saint Joseph’s will also begin at 1 p.m. from Philadelphia.