Box Score (PDF)
PHILADELPHIA – The George Mason University men's tennis team dropped its final match of the week at the hands of Saint Joseph's, 4-2, on Sunday morning inside the SJU Tennis Complex.
In a departure from normal match format, the doubles point was scheduled to be played after the singles matches. SJU took three of the first five singles contests and the match came down to No. 6, where
Andrew Curtis fought hard but fell in the three sets. As a result, the doubles points were not contested.
"Starting with singles rather than doubles proved to be a curve ball for our energy," head coach Jimmy Davis said. "We need to be more resilient when facing adversity and trust that energy can make us play to the level we are capable of."
Mason fell behind in singles 2-0 after the Hawks grabbed wins at No. 1 and No. 5.
SJU went up 3-0 after a win at No. singles, but the Patriots cut it to two (3-1) after a victory for
Edward Ayers from the No. 4 singles position. Ayers took the first set, 7-5, then cruised to a 6-3 win in the second. The San Antonio, Texas, product improved to 4-3 at No. 4 singles this season with the win.
Junior
Pally Ray pulled Mason within one (3-2) after an important three set win. He captured the first set, 6-3, withstood a 4-6 setback in the second, and captured the victory with another 6-3 performance in the third. Ray has won his last three singles affairs for the Green & Gold.
At No. 6, Curtis fell in the first set, 6-3, but won the second, 7-6, after grabbing a 7-4 victory in the tiebreaker. Battling cramps after playing a pair of matches in less than 24 hours, Curtis hung throughout the third but ultimately fell, 7-5.
"I couldn't be more proud of Andrew for his fight trying to tie the match at 3-3, but we ended up falling short," Davis added. "Credit to Saint Joseph's for coming out with high energy and determination – they were the better team today. We have a week to work on getting on the same wavelength again. I'm confident this will make us come back even stronger."
Mason renews its Revolutionary Rivalry with George Washington on Friday at 2 p.m. in Foggy Bottom.
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