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05/23/2013 12:00 AMUnlike other sports, you cannot run out the clock with a late lead in tennis. The Hand boys’ tennis squad took that fact to heart in dethroning two-time defending champion Amity for the SCC Championship.
Down 3-1 after four matches, Hand was able to rally with a trio of three-set wins to claim its first-ever SCC Division I Tournament title by a 4-3 margin over Amity on May 22 at the Yale University Tennis Courts. The three victories that carried the Tigers to the top were at No. 3 singles with junior David Schulz (6-0, 3-6, 6-2) added with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles from SCC Tournament Most Outstanding Player senior Cameron Thomson and freshman Andrew Pace (7-5, 0-6, 6-0), plus freshman Dan Weinreb and sophomore Mike Vizziello (6-2, 6-7 (7-4), 6-4), respectively, which were clinched by Hand within mere seconds of each other to cap off an unbelievable triumph.
“It’s too much to describe honestly,” said Thomson. “I was ready to serve in the last game of our match, and then I heard the cheers after No. 2 doubles won. I don’t think I hit a better serve; it was 40-30 us and my partner just put it away.”
It may have looked gloomy for the Tigers, but Coach Dawn Fagerquist admitted after receiving the championship that she had anxiety, but never lost hope in her dynamic doubles pairings.
“I did get a little nervous when we were down 3-1 early,” said Fagerquist, whose club avenged its lone regular season loss on May 17 with this triumph. “But I knew I had my little dream team at No. 2 doubles that I’ve relied on all year, and I never have to worry about my David [Schulz] in a third set. I knew it was close, yet I knew we had it.”
While the No. 3 duo had to battle back from an early 2-1 deficit in the deciding set, Hand’s (17-1) No. 2 squad took charge for its three-set duel prior to a second-set shutout. In the middle set, the tandem tried for a short return in the front court, yet couldn’t get enough lift out of the attempt. Amity (18-2) went for more momentum with a side arm response prior to the ball going over and out on the execution.
Thomson and Pace shook off the entire second-set slump and put the Spartans away for good to win their match and give Hand the crown milliseconds after Weinreb and Vizziello saw victory additionally.
In his court clash, Schulz was able to muster up some hustle points to take the opener, including chasing down a ball over his head for a well-earned point. His opponent in freshman Ethan Bershtein would use his muscle with a strong backhand to help him even the set score at one a piece, yet Schulz utilized some splices down the middle of the court to guide him to the Tigers’ second solo win.
The other Tigers’ victory on the memorable day came from junior co-captain and No. 2 solo competitor Alex Rieger over sophomore counterpart Phil Hochman in straight sets (6-0, 6-4). In the first set, Reiger tried to beat Hochman with a quick volley, but he could not connect. Yet he was able to shake it off early thanks to strong work—including short lobs in the front court—to take the contest.
At the No. 1 singles slot was junior co-captain Scott Rubinstein, who fought valiantly in an emotional 2-6, 2-6 match defeat versus sophomore Jason Seidman of Amity. Rubinstein grabbed an early point with a finesse lob in front of the net after Seidman was caught off-guard standing in the back. While Rubinstein continued to beat his opponent with his short game, it was not enough in the opening set.
In the second, Seidman earned points going for a dig on the ball and pushing it past Rubinstein’s right side, yet Rubinstein forced spin on a response that his adversary didn’t control. Despite losing his personal matchup, Rubinstein couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this squad.
“It means the world to win this; this is a sigh of relief,” remarked Rubinstein. “This is a great team and it’s a sigh of relief to win this title. We have had a strong team all season long and our doubles teams helped pull it out today.”
Rounding out Hand’s action, sophomore No. 4 singles player Andrew Goldfeder lost in two sets to freshman Max Einbinder (1-6, 0-6) and the No. 1 combination of junior Louis Rogers and sophomore Collen Nelson dropped their decision to Amity’s senior Matt Maher and sophomore Nick Sabatelli (3-6, 1-6). It may have been more of a grind than expected for the championship, but Fagerquist knows this accolade for her team is well-earned by each of its members.
“I don’t know what to say; we had 10 guys play out of their minds today,” commented Fagerquist, whose squad defeated Fairfield Prep by the same margin a day earlier in the semifinal round. “Plus we had nine guys who stood right behind them. They have worked hard all year, and I know I have been hard on them, but it all pays off in the end. We deserve this title and I told them that this was for each of them.”