Box Score
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Jimmy Aridas’ win in a tie-breaker set at fourth singles handed West Chester University’s men’s tennis squad a historic victory over visiting East Stroudsburg, 5-4, on a sunny, but brisk Tuesday afternoon at South Campus Courts.
The win ended a 30-match losing streak within the PSAC Eastern Division that dated back to 2003. Ironically, that win also came at the hands of East Stroudsburg on South Campus. West Chester improves to 5-10 overall on the year and 1-0 in conference play.
The Golden Rams showed their resilience and growing depth by collecting the conference win without its No. 1 singles player, Nate Geigle. West Chester outlasted East Stroudsburg in a match that saw the first four singles flights go to a third set.
Aridas outlasted his opponent, Ryan Baxter, battling back after dropping the opening set, 6-4. Aridas was a 6-2 winner in the second set, and then hung on for an 11-9 victory in a tiebreaking format for the third and decisive set.
West Chester opened with a sweep of the three doubles competitions. Steve Hlava and Connor Dunn squeezed out an 8-6 triumph at first doubles, followed by an identical 8-6 win at second doubles by David Goldenberg and Alan Day. Matt Thomas and J.J. Cooke then defeated their opponents at third doubles, 9-8 (5).
East Stroudsburg fought back into the match with wins at first and second singles. However, the Golden Rams’ No. 3 singles player, Hlava, also overcame a loss in the first set, to give the hosts a 4-2 advantage. Hlava dropped the opener, 6-3, but picked up wins in the next two sets, 6-4 and 6-2, respectively.
The Warriors came roaring back once again with wins at fifth and sixth singles to even the match at 4-apiece. That left Aridas and Baxter on the court all alone to decide the outcome.
West Chester travels to Gloucester CC on Thursday for a non-league tilt, before heading to Bloomsburg on Saturday to take on Dowling in the morning and the Huskies in the afternoon.
