Garden City, N.Y. - After suffering losses to only Division I opponents up to this point, the No. 43 Adelphi University men's tennis team took its first regional loss on the chin on Monday afternoon, falling 5-2 to St. Thomas Aquinas College in non-conference action at the Adelphi Tennis Courts.
The doubles point proved crucial for STAC (8-6), which staved off a surge in singles competition from the nationally-ranked Panthers (8-4).
Both the No. 1 and No. 2 stars of
Marko Jovanovic and
Viktor Hockl had the 'Cats on the brink of making a comeback.
Jovanovic needed the full three sets in a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory, and Hockl triumphed in straight sets (7-5, 6-2) to get the Panthers within 3-2.
As the match reached the latter stages,
Thomas Horsley and
Thiago Negrao fell victim to their respective opponents, giving STAC the win.
Negrao was recognized before the match in a Senior Day ceremony, in which his teammates celebrated his on- and off-court accomplishments.
Head Coach
Rebecca Fakas and her Adelphi squad have another crucial test on tap this weekend, when Southern New Hampshire University comes to town on Saturday (Apr. 13) for a 12 noon opening serve.
