The Boston University men’s tennis team scored its first victory in 2006 by shutting out the University of New Hampshire, 7-0 on Sunday at the Track and Tennis Center. In their first America East match-up of the season, the Terriers (3-2) got consistent play from the entire roster.
“I’m very happy with the results obviously,” said BU coach Rocky Jarvis. “The scores are the most devastating we’ve had, and they really show how well we played. We’ve been working hard to win our serve more often and put the other team on its heels, and I’m happy every time we don’t need to eke out a victory.”
The doubles teams for BU took all three matches, while losing just two games in the process. The No. 1 pair of junior Barrett Wolf and sophomore Jared Kobren posted an 8-0 victory over Sean Tully and Brett Teolis of UNH (3-2). The pair is 3-0 in doubles competition in 2006, something Jarvis relishes.
“I was hesitant at first to put Barrett and Jared together because they are the same type of player, but their unique attacking style has been very successful,” Jarvis said.
Kobren and Wolf were first put together at the beginning of the season and have clicked ever since.
“Since the ITA Tournament at Dartmouth [College], we’ve really played well together,” Kobren said. “We are able to lift each other up when we’re down and play well as a team.”
The second doubles team of sophomore Giulio Galloratti and junior Ross Lohr won their match, 8-2. Freshman Miron Nissim and his partner sophomore Philip DeMeo posted an 8-0 victory as well.
It’s the second straight match that BU has swept doubles – something that can boost momentum for the rest of the day.
“It’s a big deal, a huge deal,” Jarvis said. “To beat teams like Stony Brook and Boston College, we need to put them on their heels with our doubles play. We need to keep the energy up and we’ll be successful.”
Kobren continued his winning ways by beating Jonathon Moody, 6-0, 6-2. Kobren is undefeated in singles matches in 2006. He attributes his success to his offseason training.
“I was out about a month with an illness before Christmas Break,” Kobren said. “During the break I got healthier and trained a lot harder. I’ve worked harder and gotten better.”
Shortly after, Terrier co-captains Wolf and Lehr scored decisive singles victories. Their matches finished within 15 seconds of each other, and were the clinching victories of the overall match. Wolf disposed of Sean Tully, 6-1, 6-2, and Lehr beat Alec Jaslow, 6-1, 6-1.
In the No. 4 singles match, Galloratti posted a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Marty Morrissey. It was Galloratti’s first win of the season, and Jarvis said he was one of many freshmen who impressed him on Sunday.
“I like what I saw in all the freshmen,” said Jarvis, who took over the team almost a year ago. “This is my first real recruiting class, and they are all good guys. It’s great to see them perform so well.”
In the closest match of the afternoon, BU sophomore Hans Sapra won, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) over Brady Bartlett. The final match of the day saw freshman Tim Sichler leading, 6-0, 1-0 when his opponent retired.
Now that the tennis season is in full swing, the conditioning of the team has also taken a step up from earlier matches.
“We’re much improved in conditioning,” Jarvis said. “We’re working the players really hard, and the fitness level has increased significantly, it really shows up in the doubles.”
Jarvis attributed some of BU’s success to the time of the year. Because of the climate in Boston, the team’s matches are played indoors at the Track and Tennis Center. The tennis surface there is more sticky and artificial than outdoor facilities, which plays to BU’s advantage.
BU plays again this Sunday at home against Fairfield University, a team that is a step up in skill level from UNH.
“We beat them relatively easy last year, but they will be a tougher test next week at home,” Jarvis said. “If we play well and smart, we can win.”