CAMDEN, N.J. (March 24, 2019) –The Rutgers University-Camden men's tennis team returned to action after an eight-day layoff and came within one thrilling three-set match of capturing its first win of the season here Sunday, falling to Penn State-Abington, 5-4.
Captain Jose Vargas...wins at fifth singles and third doubles
The Abington match, which was postponed from the Raptors' scheduled season opener back on March 2, dropped Rutgers-Camden to 0-3. Two of those losses have come by 5-4 scores.
Rutgers-Camden won the third doubles match and the last three singles matches against the Nittany Lions, who improve to 4-2.
The match was tight all the way, as Rutgers-Camden fell into a 2-1 hole in the doubles competition, rallied into a 4-3 lead through the completion of the first four singles matches and then, eventually watched as the entire match came down to a battle at third singles, where Raptor freshman
Steven Zhang rallied from a 0-6 first-set loss, won the second set by a 6-4 score and then was edged in the final set, 6-4, by the Nittany Lions' Youssef Omar. It was the second collegiate singles match for Zhang,
pictured above, who missed the Raptors' season-opening loss against Neumann University.
Abington won the top three singles matches as Raptor sophomore
Adney Cardoza fell at the No. 1 spot (6-0, retired) with an injury, sophomore
Matt Deak dropped a 7-6 (7-5), 6-0 decision at second singles and Zhang lost his close match at third singles.
The Raptors won at fourth singles, 6-1, 6-2, behind a strong performance from senior
Vatsal Patel, while sophomore captain
Jose Vargas earned a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 marathon win at the fifth flight. At sixth singles, sophomore
Shariq Khan raised his season mark in singles to 3-0 with a 6-0, 7-5 win.
Zhang and Patel lost at first doubles, 8-2, and Khan teamed with freshman
Vincent Flores for a narrow 8-6 loss at second doubles. Deak and Vargas won, 8-3, at third doubles.
The Scarlet Raptors return to action with a busy home schedule next weekend. They host Lehman College at 12 p.m. Saturday and entertain Stevenson University at 12 p.m. Sunday.
Results
