BY BRET BOTFELD
The Brooklyn College women’s tennis team lost all six singles and three doubles matches in their last road game of the season at Ramapo College on Monday. The Bulldogs’ record dropped to two wins and six losses overall for the season while the Ramapo Roadrunners remain undefeated at 4-0 after the decisive win.
The first match of the day was a battle between the number two ranked players from each team. Allison Dubrow from the Bulldogs faced off against Mackenzie Dates of the Roadrunners. In a best of 15 match, Dubrow started off hot with a convincing win in the first game, putting her opponent in unfamiliar territory. “Allison’s forehand shot is the strongest part of her game, which gives her a chance against any opponent,” teammate Diana Rezk said.
Things got chippy after Dates, who hadn’t lost a game in her two prior matches, began questioning Dubrow’s out calls as there were no line umpires in attendance. “If she plays her game and doesn’t beat herself she will win,” Roadrunners coach Raza Baig said after Dates dropped the first game.
The match went south for Dubrow after that as she went on to lose the next eight games. “Tennis is a very mental sport so once she started arguing with me, every-time I saw a ball I knew was out, it made me afraid to call it,” Dubrow said after the match.
Many of her first serves throughout the day were put in bounds while keeping her double faults to a minimum, but she was unable to settle into her style of play against the fast-paced Dates. “Her strokes were good during the match but she performs at her best when she slows the game down and gives herself time to set up the shot she wants,” Bulldogs coach David Wallace said.
The second match was a contest between the number one ranked players from each team. Brooklyn’s Veronika Tsiko went head to head versus Ramapo’s Melanie Bretnall. Tsiko won the first game to take a 1-0 lead while showcasing her backhand shot. “The fact that Veronika’s a lefty makes the shot even more deadly due to its spin rate,” Rezk said.
The placement of her serves and return volleys were consistent throughout the match but it wasn’t enough to hold off Bretnall as she stormed back to win eight straight games. “She was able to get almost every single ball no matter where or how strong I would hit it,” Tsiko said after the match.
Tsiko has been nursing a knee injury and it showed as she was seen with k-tape wrapped around her right knee, grimacing throughout the match. Bretnall took full advantage, her ability to place the ball at any quadrant had her running around the entire match on that gimpy knee. “During the match I was hesitant to run faster or jump because I was worried the pain would get sharper and lead to an even more serious injury,” Tsiko said.
The Bulldogs will host their final home match of the season on Thursday at 2 pm against the rival Cannoneers from Pratt Institute.