In a neutral site in Iowa, men’s tennis fell to Cornell in a tear-jerking 4-3 loss on Saturday.
The Scots (0-3) nearly pulled off the huge upset, tying the match at 3-3 after singles victories by number two singles player Jake Depue ’04, number three player David “The Scorchin’ Georgian” Yesilevskiy ’03 and number five player Senam Ghebo ’04.
“Anytime you lose to a school of Cornell’s academic quality, it’s tough,” said number one singles player R.J. Laukitis ’02, who lost a tough 7-5, 6-3 match against highly-ranked player Austin Reed.
The Scots started off on the wrong foot in doubles play, losing two out of three matches, therefore dropping the doubles point. The only win for Macalester in doubles was by the number two pair of Yesilevskiy and Joey Mayton ’05, who won 9-8(3).
After the team fell behind 3-0 when Laukitis lost at number one singles and Eric Brandt ’05 fell at number six, Depue picked up Macalester’s first singles win of the season at number two singles with a 6-3, 7-5 win.
“Winning the team’s first singles match felt really good,” Depue said, “but to do it against a program like Cornell, who competes at such a high level against great competition.”
The Scots continued their nearly unthinkable comeback when Yesilevskiy won a dominating 6-2, 6-0 decision and Ghebo leveled the score with a 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-2 win.
Unfortunately, Cornell’s experience proved to be too much for the Scots to handle, as Mayton lost the deciding match at number four singles, 6-2, 6-3.
Although the Scots were given little chance against Cornell, their spirited comeback on Saturday was a testament to the team’s renewed commitment to physical and mental conditioning, led by fourth-year head coach Eric Eberhardt.
Although the team was surrounded by controversy last week, Eberhardt has instilled a new and encouraging attitude into the Scots, and several players view him as the main reason the season has been as much fun as it has been so far.
“I think he’s just been a huge positive for the team,” said captain Laukitis about Eberhardt. “We’ve really come together and we’ve worked harder in practice than I can remember over the last few years.”
“He’s handled losing some of the top players better than anyone expected him to,” Depue said. “We miss them a lot, but he’s helping the team move on.”
The team’s strong work ethic was evident in the inspired comeback attempt against heavily-favored Cornell.
“After the men’s basketball team beat Yale, it would have been something else if we could have beaten Cornell,” Depue said.
Cornell College of Mount Vernon, Iowa improved to 1-3 on the season.
In other weekend action, Macalester lost to Grinnell (Ia.), 7-0.
Scots stoked for tomorrow’s home opener against Bethel
Get ready, Scots fans, because your team is coming home!
Your 2002 Macalester Scots varsity men’s tennis team plays its home opener tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. against MIAC rival Bethel in their campaign to win the conference title. Be there early as a large crowd is expected for Fan Appreciation Day-free admission for all fans!
A special guest announcer will fire the crowd up with pre-game player introductions!
After starting off the season with three road games, the Scots are excited to play in front of their loyal and dedicated supporters.
“I’m pumped up, too!” said head Eberhardt Xtremist Tyler Morken-Simmers ’04. An army of Xtremists is planning to rock the Macalester Fieldhouse, also known as “The Jungle,” tomorrow morning.
“I’ll tell you what, they’re the Bethel Royals, and it’s gonna be a royal beating,” Laukitis said. “When you come to ‘The Jungle,” you don’t know what’s gonna happen. One of our goals is to do well in the MIAC, and if we win tomorrow, we’ll be leading the conference.”
