Men's tennis streak ends at eight with loss to No. 49 Rice

All good things must come to an end. After winning eight straight games, Princeton’s longest winning streak since 1996, and claiming first place at the ECAC championships, a feat that the Tigers have not pulled off since 2001, men’s tennis (8-3 overall) dropped its first game since February to No. 49 Rice on the road. In their first-ever meeting, the Owls topped Princeton 4-3 in a narrow victory.

The Tigers knew heading into the match that Rice (9-2) would be a difficult opponent. Indeed, the Owls had faced off against three ranked opponents in their last five games, beating No. 30 Louisiana State University and No. 60 Cornell. Their one loss came from No. 21 Northwestern.

Rice started the game on a high note by clinching the doubles point from the Tigers. The doubles combination of juniors Thomas Colautti and Joshua Yablon claimed the sole Princeton doubles win in the third spot. However, the combination of Rice’s Adam Gustafsson and junior David Warren proved too much for the Tigers, allowing Rice to claim the first doubles win. Tommy Bennett and Jamie Malik followed, clinching Rice’s second doubles win and the vital double point.

The doubles loss would prove costly, as the Owls would follow their impressive start with a strong initial singles performance. Rice claimed three out of the first four single matches, essentially sealing the match. However, the Princeton squad would soon rally to put themselves on the score sheet. Colautti, junior Alexander Day and sophomore Luke Gamble all claimed wins for the Orange and Black. However, this effort was not enough for the Tigers to overcome the Owls, as they fell 4-3.

The loss came at a poor time for the Tigers, who are heading south again this weekend for the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic. Furthermore, had Princeton won this face-off against Rice, the team’s nine-game winning streak would have been the longest recorded since 1981.

Yet, in spite of their recent loss the Tigers have much to be confident about from their past showings. While their game against Rice does disrupt the momentum from their string of victories, the Tigers should have no difficulty picking back up this weekend.

Last season, Princeton managed to upset two higher ranked opponents at the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic. The Tigers routed both No. 30 Mississippi State and No. 35 Clemson to reach the final. However, the Tigers did drop their last game to No. 24 South Florida.

With an impressive string of victories this season, the Tigers should return to full force as they head down to Montgomery, Ala. for what should be a series of exciting match-ups.