The men’s tennis team descended into West Point last Friday to play in the Army Invitational without three of its best players. Senior captain Stephan Paulovic and classmate Pat Hagan along with sophomore Julian Cheng did not attend the tournament due to job interviews among other conflicts.
The absences from the roster did not disturb head coach Barry Schoonmaker, however, as the tennis team was facing less talented and less deep teams than their own.
“It’s just a chance for some guys to win some matches and get some trophies,” he said.
And Cornell did just that.
The squad led by freshman Matt Cherner-Raft, was able to take the C and D flight singles and the B flight doubles.
“Matt had a great weekend — he didn’t lose,” head coach Barry Schoonmaker exclaimed.
Cherner-Raft did not drop one set en route to the C flight singles title. He teamed up with junior Mike Laycobto win against the host team’s pair of Josh Jones and Steven Srivastava.
Schoonmaker was also pleased in the play of sophomore Scott Paltrowitz, who sat out most of last spring due to injury.
“He had injured his wrist back in March,” Schoonmaker explained. “The [invitational] was a great chance for him to get back on the court.”
Paltrowitz won the third and final flight for Cornell in the D flight singles, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, in his first time competing this fall.
Sophomore Aravinda Neuman reached the B flight finals losing to Rutgers’ Kevin Beilen, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
“We were hoping and anticipating to do well,” Schoonmaker said as the Red was facing Georgetown, St. Bonaventure, Marist, St. Johns, Rutgers, Army and Lehigh, most of whom he will see again in the spring. “They don’t have as much depth,” he added.
“If [Hagan, Paulovic, and Cheng] had played, we might have won every flight,” he bemused.
Archived article by Amanda Angel