The Bulldogs took home three victories on Saturday and Sunday in West Point, N.Y., where they traveled to play St. Bonaventure, Binghamton and host Army.
The weekend began with a sweeping 7–0 win against St. Bonaventure on Saturday morning. Daniel Hoffman ’13 and Mark Powers ’13 set the tone for the match, defeating their opposition 8–0 in the first doubles match of the day.
“Daniel Hoffman ’13 in particular stood out during the Army match,” head coach Alex Dorato said. “He is on a tremendous winning streak, and is vital to both our doubles and singles matches.”
Hoffman, who defeated St. Bonaventure’s Elliot Fanshel, has won nine straight singles matches since mid-February.
After dominating in both the doubles and singles rounds against St. Bonaventure, the Bulldogs faced off against Binghamton on Saturday afternoon in singles and Sunday morning in doubles.
Although Dorato said Binghamton is a strong team, the Bulldogs took a lopsided 5–2 win. Marc Powers ’13 credited the victories to the team’s practice regimen and makeup.
“Our greatest advantage was the off-court training we’ve incorporated heavily into our practices,” Powers said. “No one was tired after the matches. Also, our depth is very strong. We were winning matches pretty safely.”
The Bulldogs finished off the weekend with another 7–0 victory on Sunday afternoon against Army. While the overall match scores were lopsided, Kyle Dawson ’14 said most matches were challenging.
The team’s victories come just two weeks before Ivy League play and the start of the chase for the Ivy League championship. But Dorato said the wins have not changed the Elis’ mindset for the Ivy League title.
“They may have given us a bit of confidence, but we also now have a clearer idea of what we need to work on,” he said.
Captain Erik Blumenkranz ’12 added that all of the teams competing in the Ivies are quite good, and the Bulldogs are focused on training hard in the next couple of weeks.
Powers said the team has been preparing for the championships since winter break and is ready to enter Ivy League play with confidence.
The Bulldogs will host St. John’s at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center on March 31.