Even with the toughest non-conference schedule in recent memory for any Boston University men’s tennis team, this year’s group of Terriers have guaranteed themselves a finish above the .500 mark after beating Quinnipiac University, 5-2, Saturday afternoon in their final home match of the season.
With one match remaining, BU (11-9) is in prime position to enter the America East Tournament with a potential No. 1 or No. 2 seed.
On Senior Day, BU senior co-captains Barrett Wolf and Ross Lohr headlined a victory against a Quinnipiac squad that beat up on BU last season. The two earned glowing reviews from BU coach Rocky Jarvis for their play Saturday after they added victories to their impressive senior-year résumés.
“The guys and I all had some mixed emotions,” said Jarvis of the seniors’ final home match. “There’s a lot of emotional charge going on here. I was really happy that, once again, my seniors came through.”
BU captured the doubles point after winning two of the first three matches. Junior Phil DeMeo and freshman Jeff Chudacoff continued to dominate their opponents at third doubles, winning 8-3. Wolf and junior Giulio Gallarotti were caught in a tight match in first doubles, as were both Lohr and sophomore Charles Weinstein at second doubles. Lohr and Weinstein pulled off a 9-7 victory, taking some pressure off of Wolf and Gallarotti, who lost their match, 9-8, shortly afterward.
DeMeo and Chudacoff have started to shine in doubles, an area in which the Terriers’ lineup has undergone the most changes this season. None of the three doubles teams currently in the lineup were part of Jarvis’s preseason plans.
“I absolutely love [DeMeo and Chudacoff] at third doubles and the whole team does,” Jarvis said. “The only thing I’m thinking about is that maybe they’re not third doubles, but they’re actually second. They play beautiful classic doubles.”
Wolf had a 4-1 lead at first singles before his opponent tweaked his ankle and was forced to retire.
“[Wolf] was going to beat that guy easily,” Jarvis said. “I wish he’d had the satisfaction of actually finishing [the match]. The way things are going right now, if you get ahead 2-0 and we’ve got Jeff [Chudacoff] at five and Ross [Lohr] at six, you feel really good.”
At second doubles, Charles Weinstein’s opponent was also forced to retire because of injury. Gallarotti (6-4, 6-2) was defeated at third singles, and junior Jared Kobren, 7-6, 6-4, was unable to win the Terriers’ fourth point of the match at fourth singles.
Chudacoff and Lohr each handled their matches easily, both winning 6-2, 6-2. Lohr finished his match a few minutes before Chudacoff, securing the deciding point in BU’s victory.
“It’s happened a lot this year that [Wolf] has won the first singles match and [Lohr] has won the clinching singles match,” Jarvis said. “It was cool to see the way the guys supported him. I think [Lohr] is in line for some fairly serious awards at the end of this year. If he’s not what BU and other universities talk about when they say they want a great student athlete, then frankly I don’t know what is.”
The two senior co-captains have led the team all season long in victories against difficult opponents.
“They’ve really been the glue that holds this team together,” Jarvis said of Wolf and Lohr. “They both, in their own ways, command a lot of respect. [Wolf]’s had a great year and a great career, and [Lohr] has won so many key matches.”