Tennis misses the volley

After facing a postponement due to rain, the Baruch tennis team was defeated by York College 5-3 in the quarterfinals of the CUNY Athletic Conference championship on Thursday, Oct. 20 in Jamaica, N.Y.

The loss puts Baruch, currently in sixth place, at 3-5 in their conference this year, and 3-10 overall for the 2011 season.

Beginning at 3:30 p.m., the teams competed in singles and doubles play at York College, and eventually finished the match at Liberty Park, due to darkness at the courts at York College.

Lead by two-time CUNYAC coach of the year Florin Giuglescu, the Bearcats fell to York in two out of the three doubles matches.

The only doubles victory for Baruch came in an 8-2 win by the team of junior Patricia Gomes Correia and senior Victoria Morozova.

In singles play, Baruch dropped three out of the five matches played.

The first win came from a pair of 6-0 victories by Patricia Gomes Correia, who defeated York's Valerie Roland. The second victory came in 6-0 and 6-3 victories by sophomore Amanda Naraine over Nina Olladikankwu.

York College had a 4-3 lead over Baruch when the match was moved over to Liberty park to be played under lights.

Tenzin Kunchok clinched the victory for York College at nearly 8 p.m., by defeating Baruch junior Lisa Kurner.

The loss marks the first time in more than six years that Baruch's women's tennis team did not advance past the quarterfinals round of the CUNYAC championship.

After the match, Amanda Naraine spoke about what she felt impacted the team the most during the matchup.

"The win was a problem," Naraine said. "It was very cold, and then it got dark and we had to be taken to other courts."

Naraine commented on what she thinks the team needs to do to improve on the rough season they have had:

"We definitely need to practice during the offseason, and we need to unite," Naraine said.

Junior team member Barbara Lucas also spoke about the teams struggles this year:

"The team needs to focus on our doubles," said Lucas. "Since the three doubles matches are vital for a victory."

With Baruch's elimination from the CUNYAC tournament, they are left searching for answers on how to improve play and recruiting.