Colby Men’s tennis began their 2024-25 season at the Middlebury Invitational. Colby sent ten players to the tournament to compete across three flights of singles and two flights of doubles. The event hosted Colby, Bates, Middlebury, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Skidmore, and Brandeis.
In the B Flight of doubles, Jason Daley `28 and James Bogdonavioc `25 were seeded number one in the draw. They received a bye in the first round of play and defeated Middlebury opponents in a down-to-the-wire second-round match, winning 8-7 (3). Daley, in his first collegiate match, showed poise, striking winners from the baseline and attacking the net early and often. Returning from a full year abroad, Bogdonavoic showed no signs of rust, dominating the net and leading the duo to victory with his experience and communication. The newly formed duo found themselves in another duel in the semi-finals, barely falling to Brandeis opponents 7-8 (6).
Tiebreakers in doubles were a common theme for the Mules this weekend. A Flight doubles duo Marco Ziets-Segura `28 and captain Jake Cohen `25 lost their second-round matchup 7-8 (4) and won the first match of the consolidation bracket 8-7 (4).
As for singles play, Daley continued to impress in his collegiate debut, winning his first-round matchup in the B Flight against an RPI opponent 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (8). He faced a strong Brandeis opponent in the second round and pushed himself to the limit until he was forced to retire midway through the second set due to injury.
Captain Josh Kaplan `25 had a strong showing this weekend. Recovering from a shoulder injury that has prevented him from hitting any overhead shots, including serving, Kaplan’s entry into the Middlebury Invitational was a last-minute decision. Known as the most important shot in tennis, the serve is a game-changer in competition. Kaplan has resorted to serving underarm, a cheeky tactic used intentionally to throw opponents off from the regular overhead motion. However, when forced to use it because of injury, it becomes an easy approach shot for the opponent to take early and end the point quickly.
In his first-round matchup in the C Flight of singles, Kaplan’s Skidmore opponent did exactly that. In the first set, it seemed that Kaplan left his underarm serve a little higher than he would have liked and his opponent took advantage, attacking the ball and coming to the net to win points quickly, winning the first 6-1.
The following set was more competitive, Kaplan found rhythm with his serve and won big points to take a 4-3 lead in the second. Unfortunately, the Skidmore opponent found momentum and went on a run to finish the set and the match 7-5.
The next day, Kaplan found success in the consolation bracket, facing two Bates opponents and splitting the result. His first-round match was a commanding victory, coming out on top 7-5, 6-1. Kaplan’s opponent struggled to hit his underarm serve and when he did, Kaplan would hit forehand and backhand passing shots down the line. His opponent had a strong kick serve, but Kaplan stepped in on returns and grinded out rallies to win. After the tight first set, Kaplan broke his opponent’s confidence and ran away with the second set.
Set to face another C Flight opponent in the second round of the consolation bracket, Kaplan’s opposition pulled out, leaving him to face a Bates player who was in the B Flight consolation bracket. Regardless of the change in competition, Kaplan fought hard in the first three games, going down 1-2. His opponent began to take advantage of his underarm serve and won points in a hurry. Kaplan fell 1-6 0-6.
Despite the disappointing last match, Kaplan left on a high. Days prior to the weekend, Kaplan planned on resting his shoulder and cheering his teammates on. Leaving the weekend, Kaplan found a way to win a match and keep another competitive.
He reflected on his individual play after returning from Middlebury.
“I came in to win. I didn’t want to make any excuses. I wanted to be confident,” Kaplan said. “I just have to keep up the urgency. There’s really little room to let a few points slip and tactically that means cutting out mistakes. Even after a couple of tough losses, I’d say I’m actually more confident now. Seeing how I adapted to that sort of competition was a good test regardless of the serve.”
Kaplan also shared his thoughts on the team dynamic in their season’s debut.
“And team-wise I saw a lot of camaraderie, which only just gets better as the year goes on, and the on-court stuff was awesome. We have a lot of grit on this team.”
~ Julian Cangieter-Hernandez `25
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