Men's and women's tennis teams both played matches over the weekend. The women lost one and won one while the men won all three of their games.The women’s tennis team had a busy 24 hours as it traveled to Syracuse for a match Thursday evening and then returned to Ithaca Friday afternoon to take on Colgate. The Red was defeated by Syracuse, 2-5, but was able to beat Colgate, 7-0.

“Syracuse was a good match,” head coach Mike Stevens said. “It was very competitive, both teams played very well. We certainly had our chances in several of those matches to pull out a win, but Syracuse played a little too well for us. It was disappointing to lose but it was a good game for us to battle and it was an exciting match.”

The Red was able to win the doubles point, but lost five out of six singles matches. The singles matches were still close though, with three of them going to three sets. 

“It was upsetting for all of us to lose because all of the matches could have gone either way,” said freshman Ryann Young. “We were right in there every match, but at least now we know that we can hold our own against Syracuse and even beat them next time we play.”

Another factor that might have negatively affected the team’s performance was the timing of the game.

“That was a tough match to play because we had classes all day, then we had to drive and play at 6:30 — not a good time,” said senior co-captain Sinziana Chis. “Syracuse is a really tough team, a really fit team and a strong one; they are one of our biggest rivals … everyone fought really hard.”

However the late night did not affect the team’s play on Friday, as it competed against Colgate at home.

“Everyone played well [on Friday], I think the results showed that,” Stevens said. “They bounced back from a short turnaround late Thursday night and performed well on Friday. That was good to see.”

Cornell did not drop a single set to the Raiders.

“Friday afternoon was an easy, straightforward match,” Chis said. “We just got the job done pretty quickly.”

Ivy League play will start in just a couple of the weeks, and the team is doing all it can to prepare for the conference to start.

“We want to improve by being intense every single point … playing every point like its match point and staying focused for the entire time,” Chis said.

All of the matches so far have helped the players know where their strengths and weaknesses lie.

“All the players are working to make themselves better,” Stevens said. “[The loss to Syracuse] was a good indication of what we need to work on to get better for our conference season.”

After a bye last week, the men’s tennis team was excited to get back out on the court. The Red played a triple-header at home on Saturday, blanking all three teams it competed against. 

“Again, it was a really good day for us to get a lot of matches in, work on our doubles … we had a two week break from the ECAC’s and it was good for us to get back on the court,” said head coach Tony Bresky.

The Red defeated St. Francis, Buffalo and Colgate all by a score of 7-0. The most exciting win for the Red was probably against Buffalo, a team that usually puts up a tough fight against Cornell.

“Buffalo is a really good team,” Bresky said. “For the last two years, we’ve beaten them 4-3, so it feels really good to beat them 7-0. It shows the guys that all the work they have been putting in the past couple of weeks is paying off.”

The Red switched around some of their positions for the other two matches.

“In the other two matches [against St. Francis and Colgate], some other guys that usually don’t play got a chance to be in the lineup which is great,” said senior tri-captain Jeremy Feldman. “We won all three matches 7-0 so there’s not much more. We’re pretty happy about the results.”

One thing the team certainly agrees on as they continue through the season is that their practice and training regiments have contributed to their success, especially in triple-headers.

“Whenever we have to play three matches in one day, we have to stay mentally tough because it can be pretty tiring,” Feldman said. “Everyone is in great shape so I’d say that I’m most proud of everyone hanging in there, being tough and sticking through three matches.”

Coach Bresky agrees with this sentiment.

“From what I’ve seen, our team works as hard as any team out there and I think that gives us confidence,” he said. “Its really good [to win all three games] and I obviously attribute it to our fitness. Our guys walk into matches feeling confident that they wont be losing matches because they are tired or out of shape.”