Box Score February 27, 2022

Ewing Township, NJ - Nationally ranked TCNJ was up today for the Red Dragons men's tennis team and Oneonta came to play.  The 9-0 setback did not tell the story the way the men from Oneonta played today.  All three doubles teams were in the match throughout with the number one tandem of senior Riley Smith (Westhampton Beach/Westhampton Beach) and junior Mason Spottek (Binghamton/Susquehanna Valley) actually up two-break of serves and 3-0 before giving those breaks back and succumbing 8-5.  The second and third doubles teams kept things close but both eventually dropped decisions 8-4.

A 3-0 deficit was too much for the Red Dragons to make up but they did not go quietly sending the TCNJ powerhouse into a long afternoon of tennis.  Two highlights of the day was Spottek playing in the second singles position turning in a 6-4 second set one break of service to give his opponent a scare.  Perhaps the match of the afternoon was fourth singles player junior Jacob Dornsife (Wilmington, DE/Mt. Pleasant) losing in the three-sets.  In the first set Dornsife actually had a set point and could not convert and dropped it in a tiebreaker.  The second set Dornsife kept his mental composure and it paid off as he went onto to win that 6-4 setting up an emotional super-tiebreaker.  Dornsife was down in the super breaker and then fought back to actually hold match points and again could not convert and then saved match points but the more experienced TCNJ opponent held onto to win 13-11 and clinch the shutout for TCNJ. 

Coach Mitchel said "to play this opponent at that level and compete on every court was very satisfying to see the hard work being put in is paying off showing incremental progress every day.  The goal is to play at the highest level we can going into April and surprise a few opponents along the way."

The Red Dragons will play another tough opponent when they travel to Ithaca College on Saturday, March 5th with action getting underway at 1 PM.