The Oberlin men’s tennis team saw both ends of the spectrum in their two matches this weekend.
The Yeomen took the court on Saturday in non-conference action against Otterbein College and again on Sunday in what turned out to be a controversial conference match against the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan University.
In Saturday’s match, the Yeomen turned out to be too much for the Cardinals as Oberlin chalked up its second shutout of the season.
Junior captain Jamie Frankel served Otterbein’s Dan Dodson a loss, 6-4, 6-1.
“I felt I played smart tennis,” Frankel said. “By no means did I play my best, but I played the way I needed to, to get the win.”
The winning tempo caught on as Frankel’s teammates made major contributions to the effort.
At second singles junior Marian Bocek outlasted Justin Bays, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, while sophomore Nick Ogren downed Brian Erwin, 6-1, 6-2.
Sophomore Mark Knee, who won fourth singles, 6-1, 6-1, thought the Yeomen implemented their games plans to perfection.
“In the Otterbein match we all executed flawlessly,” Knee said. “We didn’t give them a chance to get any momentum.”
The doubles matches were equally impressive; the combinations of Frankel and first-year David Cotter, Boce and Ogren and Knee and first-year Jimmy Rosenheim all triumphed
With the 7-0 sweep the Yeomen moved up to a 2-1 record. However, things would soon level out.
“The win was great,” Knee said. “It was a nice feeling to have a winning record, even if it only lasted 24 hours.”
However, Knee went on to describe the loss to OWU as a “travesty.”
The Yeomen dropped the match on Sunday 5-2; however the players felt they may have been robbed.
Frankel, who won first singles, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, remaining undefeated on the season, was infuriated by the behavior of his competitors.
“They were punks,” he said. “I can’t wait to play them again.”
Knee was upset with several conditions as well.
“Our effort level was good enough to have beaten OWU, but in the end we could not adjust sufficiently to the terrible facilities, unprofessional OWU coaches and questionable calls made throughout many matches,” he said. “It was a disappointing loss, but when we play them again on a neutral court, it should be a totally different story.”
Knee lost fourth singles, 6-1, 6-2. With a record of 2-2 the Yeomen are looking for better things for the rest of the season.
“I still think there is room for improvement,” said Frankel. “But we have already come a long way.”