Lords Lose Close Matchup to Rockets

By: Mark Motheral

Posted: 2/4/10

Last weekend, the sixth-ranked Lords tennis team traveled to Toledo, Ohio, to face a formidable Division I opponent in the University of Toledo Rockets. Although the Lords had only four days to practice for the match, they still represented Division III athletics well by keeping the match close from start to finish, but ultimately fell just short of victory, losing 4-3.

The Lords and Rockets started the match by splitting second and third doubles. In third doubles, Toledo's number three team, Bryant Dudzik and Terence Weigland beat Kenyon's number three team, Charlie Brody '10 and Kevin Ye '13 in routine fashion, 8-4. But Tomas Piskacek '10 and Jeremy Polster '11, Kenyon's number two doubles team, struck back for the Lords by posting an 8-6 victory over the Rockets' number two team, Sven Burus and Aleksander Elezovic. Thus, the all-important doubles point would have to be resolved by the number one doubles match, which featured Mike Greenberg '10 and Will VandenBerg '10 versus Nutthavit Likitkumch and Leo Sarria. Though Greenberg and VandenBerg fought hard, they ultimately lost in a tiebreaker, 9-8, and the doubles point went to Toledo.

Despite some strong performances in singles play, the Lords could not overcome their early disadvantage. Kenyon received key victories from Polster, VandenBerg and Piskacek. But, there was a Lords loss to match every Lords victory, as Paul Burgin '13, Brody and Greenberg all fell in straight sets. It ought to be mentioned, however, that Greenberg lost two tight sets at first singles, 7-5, 7-6. These losses sealed the Lords' fate by giving Toledo the four points necessary to win.

Scott Thielke, the Lords' head coach, was disappointed that his team did not win, but also contended that the Lords still proved their worth. "I felt we could win against Toledo," Stanley said. "It was actually disappointing to lose a match that we certainly could have won. Losing a tiebreaker at number one doubles and then not competing at number three doubles made the difference. … [But] this match shows us again that we are right there with the best."

Though Kenyon ultimately lost the match, Piskacek's win at second singles merits special recognition. After easily winning the first set against Burus, 6-1, Piskacek conceded the second set in a tiebreak and eventually found himself facing a 0-5 deficit in the third set. Then, astonishingly, Piskacek won seven consecutive games to close out the match. When asked how he managed to come back, Piskacek said: "At 0-5 down in the third set, my opponent probably thought it was over and lost concentration. He slowed down a little bit and I, having nothing to lose, made a couple of risky shots that paid off. I quickly got to 3-5. Then he got nervous. Psychologically, I cannot think of anything worse than the idea of losing such a big lead. It certainly brought him down. He had one match point at 5-4 serving. But at the end of the match, I think I was the better player and deserved the win."

In his time here at Kenyon, Piskacek has had several astounding comebacks. "I guess it is because I enjoy playing under pressure," Piskacek said. "For some reason, I find it easier to concentrate and play well when I know I cannot afford to lose any free points. In the comebacks I have had, I was somehow able to switch to a higher gear when I needed it the most. But it must have been a combination of more things. The guys I played must have also lost focus, got tight or something. Even if I might be good at coming back, losing from being up 5-0 or having 5 straight match-points should not happen to a good player. As our former national champion Mike Greenberg says: 'It's all mental.' And that is especially true for coming back or converting big leads."