KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- The Kutztown University men's tennis team suffered its first defeat of the 2024-25 season, Friday, falling 7-0 to a tough Fairmont State squad at the Keystone Courts.
Fairmont State seized momentum with a comeback victory at second doubles and did not drop a set in singles on its way to the victory.
Chances were there for the Golden Bears (7-1), who were facing their strongest opponent to date. After the Falcons took first doubles, 6-2,
Emmitt Robinson (Ingersoll, Ontario/Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute) and
Linus Vennekold (Laatzen, Germany/) answered with a 6-4 win at third doubles.
KU led 5-2 at second doubles before Kan Watanabe and Mohamed El Helaly staged a furious rally to win it, 7-5, and give the Falcons a 1-0 lead in the match.
Though Fairmont State won singles in straight sets across the board outside of a retirement at No. 2, Kutztown won five games or more in four of the six matches.
Vennekold and
Terrell Arejola (Quezon City, Philippines/Southville International School and Colleges) claimed seven games each in 6-3, 6-4 setbacks at No. 5 and No. 6.
Dang Nguyen (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam/) took six games off Watanabe at No. 1 in a 6-2, 6-4 loss and Robinson battled Gabriel Masu in a 6-2, 6-3 defeat at No. 4.
Fairmont State (2-2) was the runner-up in the Mountain East Conference last year and has reached the NCAA Division II Tournament in each of the last three seasons.
Kutztown, which broke into the ITA National Poll for the first time in program history at No. 46 on March 5, never got to play a match as a ranked team after falling out of the most recent poll released Wednesday.
The Golden Bears continue non-conference play this coming Wednesday, March 19, when they travel to Division III Moravian for a 4 p.m. start.
