Monmouth University’s men’s tennis team found themselves extending their undefeated streak at Little Silver Tennis Club this weekend, securing victories over both Drexel and Villanova.
The two victories for the Hawks improves their record to 5-0 in head to head matches and extends their regular season winning streak to 15 consecutive matches without a loss. The Hawks continue to prove their legitimate status as a competitor in the MAAC, as they are yet to see a blemish on their record this season. Drexel, previously undefeated entering their matchup with MU and Villanova, both struggled at keeping up with the Hawks. MU trumped Drexel with five straight set singles wins and won every match versus Villanova in straight sets.
Monmouth’s senior Niels Van Noord was also named the MAAC Men’s Tennis Player of the Week following Monmouth University’s victory over Wagner College in the Hawks’ Spring opener. Niels Van Noord overwhelmed Wagner’s Tejasvi Mehra at number one singles in straight sets (6-2, 6-0) which was in the Hawks’ Spring opener to continue their winning streak into the new season. Van Noord also paired up with MU’s Trent Massam for a victory at number one doubles (6-4), completing Monmouth’s sweep over Wagner in a monumental Spring opening. This set the tone for a series of dominant performances in the Hawks’ following matchups.
Along with Van Noord and Massam, Monmouth’s sophomore Dmitry Bezborodov, juniors Gabriel Busato and Victor Castro, and senior Lucca Silva each contributed singles set victories over their Drexel opponents as the Hawks rolled past DU in the singles sets. MU’s victory over Drexel puts the first blemish on DU’s record, dropping them to 4-1 on the year. Adding to the singles contributions was Monmouth’s sophomore Charlie Penman, who completed Monmouth’s singles sweep of Villanova with his defeat of Nova’s Ryan Nguyen (6-2, 7-5). These performances saw Monmouth defeat Drexel and Villanova with scores of 7-0, dropping Villanova’s record to 1-2 on the year.
The Hawks victory over Wagner’s Seahawks on Saturday was the first of their victories on a weekend that saw them win every one of their matches, continuing their regular season undefeated streak into this Spring which was sparked by Niels Van Noord and company’s impressive performances across the board. MU’s consistency against their opponents this weekend is a good sign for the Hawks to keep rolling as they stake their claim as a force to be reckoned with this season.
Monmouth will look to continue their regular season streak and extend this season’s undefeated record this weekend when they travel to face NJIT on the road.
