MAHWAH, N.J. (April 30, 2016) – The Rutgers University-Camden men's tennis team took a huge step up the ladder during the 2016 season, qualifying for the Great Northeast Athletic Conference semifinals in only their second year in the GNAC.
 
Against three-time defending GNAC champion Ramapo College, however, Rutgers-Camden's season came to an end in the GNAC semifinals here Saturday. The Roadrunners swept the Scarlet Raptors, 9-0, and will represent the South Division in the GNAC final on May 7. Ramapo, 13-3, will host North Division winner Johnson & Wales.
 
Rutgers-Camden was shorthanded, playing without its top two singles players, junior Anthony Gendin (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) and senior Drew Delengowski (West Deptford, NJ/Gloucester Catholic), who were unable to make the trip. That caused the Raptors to shuffle their lineup against the powerful Roadrunners, who already had beaten Rutgers-Camden 9-0 during the regular season. With a lack of players, the Scarlet Raptors lost by default in third singles and the fifth and sixth doubles spots.
 
Junior Ryan Christopher (Washington Township, NJ/Washington Township) played first singles for the first time this year, dropping a 6-2, 6-0 decision. Senior Onkar Singh (Sicklerville, NJ/Timber Creek) moved up to second singles for the first time, where he lost a 6-0, 6-2 match. Likewise, junior Jason Lin (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) and sophomore Jake Collette-Nippins (Somerdale, NJ/Sterling) moved up from their customary fifth and sixth singles spots. Lin lost, 6-1, 6-1 at third singles and Collette-Nippins dropped a 6-2, 6-2 decision at fourth singles.
 
The Raptors also were forced to shuffle their doubles lineup, with Lin and Christopher paired at first doubles instead of Lin and Delengowski. They dropped an 8-3 decision at first doubles.
 
Singh and Collette-Nippins, who normally play third doubles, moved up to second doubles to replace the normal team of Gendin and Christopher. They lost at second doubles, 8-0.
 
Rutgers-Camden finishes its season with a 6-7 record, triple the amount of wins that the 2015 team collected. The Scarlet Raptors also earned their first two GNAC victories in program history, going 2-1 against South Division opponents during the regular season, and qualified for their first post-season GNAC berth.
 
Results