Men's tennis looks to continue hot streak with two weekend matches
Posted: 02/16/2012
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Riding a four-match winning streak, the Lehigh men’s tennis team continues its eight match home stand with a pair of matches this weekend at the Lewis Tennis Center. The Mountain Hawks will welcome Monmouth for a Friday afternoon match before hosting Drexel on Sunday.
After a season-opening loss at Penn State, the Mountain Hawks have reeled off four straight victories, defeating Fairleigh Dickinson, Saint Francis (Pa.), Moutn St. Mary’s, and Delaware over the last two weekends. In their last outing, the Mountain Hawks posted a 4-3 victory against Delaware. After a slow start in doubles play, the team won four of six singles matches to clinch the victory. Freshmen Ben Gilman, Dan Goldblum, and Mitchell Peterson played huge roles as all three posted victories in singles play. Goldblum picked up the clinching win at No. 6 singles, marking the second time during the streak that he clinched a 4-3 Lehigh win with a victory at the final flight.
Gilman and junior Andrew Krentz have been spectacular in singles play this season as both have posted 4-1 records. Goldblum and Peterson are not far behind with 3-2 records. All of their contributions will be needed this weekend as the team looks to extend its win streak.
After losing its season-opener to Saint Peter’s, Monmouth will look to capture its first win of the season against Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks defeated Monmouth, 6-1, last season.
Drexel has enjoyed a solid start to its season as the Dragons come into Sunday’s match with a 3-1 record. The Dragons’ three victories came against St. Francis (Pa.), Morgan State, and Coppin State. The Dragons suffered a 7-0 loss to Navy in their last outing and will be looking to quickly erase that from their memories against Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks and Dragons last squared off in 2010 with Lehigh coming away with a 4-3 victory.
Both weekend matches will take place inside the Lewis Tennis Center. Friday’s match against Monmouth will begin at 4 p.m. while Sunday’s match against Drexel will start at 2 p.m.
Story by Antoine Williams ‘12