Batavia wins tough matches vs. Geneva
Sometimes, a single match can energize a team and perhaps turn around a frustrating season.
Time will tell whether that happened for Batavia’s boys tennis team Tuesday afternoon as the Bulldogs pulled off a 6-1 win over visiting Geneva. It wasn’t just the one-sided final that generated a great deal of excitement among the Bulldogs, but also how they got there, winning all 3 of the dual’s 3-set matches.
“This was huge because we’re just learning how to win those matches,” Batavia coach Bob Kummer said. “We took a big step today, especially against a traditionally strong program like Geneva. They’re a good team this year, and they came here to play hard and we didn’t back down.”
The biggest wins for the Bulldogs (8-8, 2-3 in the Upstate Eight Conference) came on the doubles side, beginning with a thriller at first doubles.
“I hadn’t won a match all season, and it was nice to win my first one against Geneva,” Batavia’s Luke Kuzmanic said. “Alek was great out there, and I came out to win today.”
Kuzmanic and partner Alek Mizikar overcame a second set slump to win the match 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
“We got into a hole in the second set and couldn’t get out of it,” Mizikar said. “The third set was a battle of endurance. We were serving really well today, and that pulled us through.”
Batavia’s Connor Propp and Kyle Stiffler found themselves in a hole after dropping the opening set of the No. 2 doubles match to Ryan Doeckel and Chris Moran by a score of 6-3.
“We did not have our composure in that first set,” Stiffler said. “We had to get in their heads in the second set and show them that we were the better team.”
The Bulldog duo barely survived a back-and-forth second set which they ultimately won, 7-5, before dominating the third set, 6-2.
“We had the momentum there in the third set,” Propp said.
The third doubles match followed a similar script as Alex Bock and Jeff Lorden dropped the opener, 6-2, to Geneva seniors Tyler Livingston and Reed Chlasta before rallying to win the next two sets, 6-2, 6-3.
“We spend a lot of time talking about staying in the point and finishing matches, and that’s what we did today,” Kummer said.
Geneva (8-8, 2-3) came out on top of just one match, but it was a decisive win as Chad Barber and Brad Reedy swept Dave Sarver and Matt Potter, 6-1, 6-1.
“(Barber and Reedy) were good at the net, played aggressively, and had a good match today,” Geneva coach Peter Burkhardt said.
The singles side was all Batavia, starting with a typically dominant performance from Josh Cogan who beat a tough opponent in Colin Rapp, 6-1, 6-1.
“I wanted to attack Colin’s backhand, and I executed that plan well,” Cogan said. “Everyone looks forward to playing (Geneva) and gets pumped for it, and I think we played our best tennis.”
Ryan Sterling took care of West Adelman at No. 2 singles, 6-1, 6-4, and Tim Murat completed the Bulldogs’ sweep of singles by beating Nick Huang, 6-3, 6-3, in a battle of freshmen.
“I’ve got to give credit to Batavia, they had more depth than I expected, and really took it to us today,” Burkhardt said. “We’re not getting our first serves in or serving smart and we paid the price for that.”
In the end, it came down to the 3-setters, which are often a battle of endurance and determination, and on this day Batavia came out on top.
For the Bulldogs, who struggled through a series of tough losses a season ago, and have seen some of that frustration repeated this year, the big win over their rivals could not have come at a better time.
“I’m hoping this was a turnaround win,” Kummer said. “We haven’t won this type of match in two years, and now we’re going to try to build on it and win more of them.”