By Mick Kowaleski ‘14

The Lafayette men’s tennis team finished an unspectacular season on Monday, closing out in Syracuse, NY during the Patriot League Quarterfinals.  The Leopard men fell 4-0 to Bucknell in the first round, finishing 5-12 overall and 1-5 in the Patriot League.

Bucknell’s Evan Zimmer ‘13 and Aidan Lynch ‘14 took the first doubles point with an 8-2 victory over Brandon Goldstein ‘15 and Scott Gelbman ‘13 at No. 1. Lafayette doubles No. 3, Brian Stafanowicz ‘16 and Jake Lazer ‘15, fell 8-4 toOctavio Canibe ‘15 and Kelly Morque ‘13 before Zimmer returned to stomp Gavin Studner ‘16 6-0, 6-0 at No. 3 singles to put Bucknell up 2-0.

Josh Katten ‘13 (No. 4) and Canibe (No. 6) posted straight-set wins to clinch the match for the Bison.

It was the fourth straight meet where Lafayette failed to win a point en route to a blowout loss. They had fallen 7-0 toBucknell, Navy, and St. Josephs to close out the regular season.

The Leopards finish second-to-last in the Patriot League above only Holy Cross (1-12, 0-3). Meanhwhile, rival Lehigh won the doubles point and three straight singles to trounce Navy 4-0 to clinch the Patriot League title.

The Leopard women, on the other hand, are in even more dire straits following the conclusion of their regular season. Though they still have the quarterfinal match to make a statement, the Lafayette women’s tennis squad finished the standard season of play 4-9 overall and 0-5 in the Patriot League. They enter the tournament as the last seed, facing No. 1 Army in the first match.

Like their male counterparts, they have ended the season on a losing streak. Their skid, currently at four games, includes shutouts at the hand of Lehigh and Navy.

The women will travel to West Point on April 26 to determine their fate in the Patriot League Tournament.