Pawlowicz, Lourenco win three matches each
Last weekend, the Binghamton men’s tennis team competed at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Northeast Regional Championships. The Bearcats attempted to follow up on their performance in last year’s event and stay competitive with some of the best teams in the region. In the end, two Bearcats, freshman Michael Pawlowicz and senior Tiago Lourenco, advanced to the round-of-64 in the singles bracket.
Binghamton head coach Nick Zieziula seemed impressed with what he saw throughout the tournament from Pawlowicz, who had three wins and one loss over the weekend. His performance was highlighted by a three-set battle where he edged out Princeton’s sophomore Justin Barki.
“Mike’s work ethic has always impressed me,” Zieziula said. “Every coach of his that I’ve ever talked to has always mentioned this … He played some good players in [the International Tennis Federation Junior Finals] in Canada, but this weekend’s competition was the toughest he has ever faced and he excelled.”
The other player to make it past the qualifying round in singles, Lourenco, also finished with three wins and one loss. According to Zieziula, he has tangibly improved his game since the end of last season.
“Tiago has always been able to hit the ball well, but what I liked most about him so far this year has been his ability to make tactical adjustments in a game where he is behind,” Zieziula said. “Look at one of his wins this weekend — he dropped a close set, then came back and dominated the next two. If he maintains this composure throughout the season, he’ll be hard to beat.”
On the doubles side, the Bearcats did not fare as well. The pair of Lourenco and freshman Dan Pergel fell in the qualifying rounds. The team of Pawlowicz and senior Kushaan Nath were placed in the main bracket right off the bat, but they too fell in their first matchup in doubles play.
Although the regular season doesn’t start until next semester, Zieziula stressed the importance of finishing off the preseason tournaments in the best form possible.
“Although fall tournaments tend to focus more on individual improvement and assessment, we want to put up good results to keep confidence high so we stay locked in for the remainder of the semester,” Zieziula said. “Duals are a lot more preparation, as you are only playing one or two games in any given day, compared to playing two or three times more than that in a tournament weekend.”
The Bearcats have just two tournaments remaining before the semester’s end — the Cleveland State Invitational and the Mid-American (MAC) Indoor Championship.
Prior to the indoor conference championships, the Cleveland State Invitational will take place from Friday, Nov. 1 to Sunday, Nov. 3 at the Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion in Cleveland, Ohio.
Eisenberg sisters represent women’s team in doubles matches
Senior Samara Eisenberg and junior Michelle Eisenberg represented the Binghamton women’s tennis team, competing in the ITA Northeast Regional at Army West Point over the weekend. The twin sisters competed in doubles matches together, and Samara Eisenberg competed in singles matches in the main draw.
Samara Eisenberg came strong out of the gate in singles play, beating Providence freshman Julia Migliorini 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. She eventually fell to Rutgers sophomore Sydney Jones 6-0, 6-1. Nonetheless, Binghamton head coach Libby McGovern seemed impressed with her performance. She was able to accomplish a feat that a Binghamton women’s tennis player hasn’t been able to do for a long period of time.
“We have not won a round in the singles tournament since 2011,” McGovern said. “To come away with having one round is a huge accomplishment.”
The Eisenbergs competed in doubles against junior Gabriella Akopyan and sophomore Nikoleta Antoniou-Karademitrou of Buffalo, losing 8-5. Despite the loss, McGovern was satisfied with the Eisenbergs’ performance. According to McGovern, they showed signs of progression in doubles play, which they will look to capitalize upon in their upcoming matches.
“Both of them together actually did some of the things we’ve been working on and talking about in practice,” McGovern said. “They did it really well in their match against Buffalo. It’s really nice to see that as we make strides toward where we want to be as the season progresses. We’re getting more comfortable doing some things on the doubles court that we haven’t been able to do in the past.”
The Bearcats continue their season this upcoming weekend. They are scheduled to compete at the Akron Invitational from Friday, Oct. 25 to Sunday, Oct. 27 at the Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion in Cleveland, Ohio.