By Eric Weiss

Senior Writer

The men’s tennis team continued its march through the Patriot League at home last weekend with a dominating 6-1 win against Lafayette  and a tooth-and-nail victory over Lehigh 5-2 as it heads into the tournament.

On senior day against Lafayette, Mark Malloy ’11 and Anton Kovic ’11, the Bison’s dynamic duo, continued to show their ability to lead the Orange and Blue to the best campaign since 2008.

The Orange and Blue started the match by taking the doubles points with wins from the first and third pairings.

The Bison continued with brilliant play from Gregg Cohenca ’12, Evan Zimmer ’13, Kyle Rosen ’14, Malloy and Josh Katten ’13 in singles play. Even Kovic, falling at the second singles position, lost an extremely tight match 7-5, 5-7 (10-3). The day overall was completely dominated by the Bison.

“The cold weather does make it hard for our team to compete with other Patriot League opponents who do have indoor facilities,” Katten said. “While it does impede our practice, our guys have done a great job of making use with the hand that we have been dealt.”

Uncharacteristically, the Orange and Blue fell behind early as they dropped the doubles matches to Lehigh, allowing them to take a 1-0 lead.

“After losing the doubles point, we came out strong in singles,” Malloy said. “It just shows that no matter what happens at the beginning of the match, if you continue to play your game and have confidence in the team, we will come away with the win.”

Kovic was the first to secure a victory for the team, taking care of his opponent handily in straight sets. Next, Malloy retired his opponent also in straight sets to put the Bison back on the right side of the scoreboard.

Rosen, Zimmer and Cohenca rounded out the scoring for the Bison, helping to shut the door on any  of a Mountain Hawk comeback.

“This definitely builds confidence in that we know we can win close matches. It also teaches us not to take anyone lightly, too,” Morque said.

The next and possibly most important event for the Orange and Blue this season will be the Patriot League Tournament held at Lehigh University. The Bison will battle perennial foes Navy and Army in hopes of securing an NCAA berth.

“This year, the Patriot League Championship is up for grabs. The gap between all the teams is very tight, and on any given day, any team can come away with the win,” Malloy said.