The men’s tennis team took on a series of opponents this week, suffering losses to Villanova University, Bucknell University and Lehigh University, but picking up a 4-3 win over Boston University, marking the program’s first-ever victory against the Terriers.
“It was a big step for us to defeat the defending Patriot League Champions,” junior Sam Gelber said of the win against the Terriers. “Our sophomore Derrin Lerner was the clinching match to seal the 4-3 win, coming back from 3-1 down in the third set to win.”
The Leopards (2-5 Patriot League, 5-14 overall) began the weekend with a Friday afternoon matchup against Villanova (4-17 overall) at the Villanova Tennis Complex. The duo of senior Arman Ganchi and junior Nick McKenzie earned a convincing 6-1 win at first doubles, but the Wildcats responded by taking the next two doubles matches to secure the point.
“Doubles was unfortunate for us, a couple points in between each game,” junior Jake Magnusson said. “I was 4-1 up in the second set, and Arman was also, but that’s sometimes how games are decided.”
In singles, the Leopards were unable to notch a win before the match was clinched.
Returning to the court less than 24 hours later, the Maroon and White rebounded against the reigning Patriot League champions, taking on Boston University (0-5 Patriot League, 0-12 overall) at the Courtside Racquet Club in Clinton, New Jersey.
After dropping the doubles point, the Leopards stormed back in singles. Wins from Ganchi, Magnusson and freshman Owen Studdiford brought the score to 3-3, setting up a decisive final match. Sophomore Derrin Lerner sealed the historic victory with a come-from-behind win in three sets — 6-7 (3-7), 6-0, 6-3 — to cap off a standout team performance.
Wrapping up the weekend, the Leopards took on Bucknell (4-1 Patriot League, 14-6 overall) in another key Patriot League clash on Sunday.
Ganchi and McKenzie picked up another win at first doubles, but the Bison quickly recovered and swept the singles matches to close out the contest. Several matches went unfinished due to Bucknell reaching the 4-point threshold.
Magnusson called Bucknell a “tough team” and a “potential Patriot League winner.”
“Not the result we wanted, regardless,” Magnusson said. “I think the matches were competitive, and that’s important for us.”
The Leopards then turned their focus to their final home match of the season against rival Lehigh (5-1 Patriot League, 11-8 overall) on Wednesday. Magnusson and Gelber secured a convincing win in their doubles match, with Gelber’s strong forehand being the decisive shot that secured the Leopards their first point of the afternoon.
“We came out really strong at the beginning, taking the doubles point,” Gelber said. “They definitely were very shocked by that. All three courts really performed super well.”
However, the Mountain Hawks surged back in singles play, bouncing back from the doubles defeat to decisively win the match.
“Singles, they were able to turn it around pretty quickly on us by taking every first set,” Gelber said. “The guys did what they could. They fought hard, and they’re a tough team to beat.”
The Leopards are back on the road this weekend against Le Moyne College (7-9 overall) and Colgate University (2-3 Patriot League, 10-8 overall).
“It’d be nice to get another win against Colgate on the road,” Magnusson said. “Then take that into our Patriot League tournament with that confidence in probably one of the higher seeds we’ve had in the last 30 years as a team would be huge for us.”
A correction was made on April 11, 2025: A previous version of this article misidentified Derrin Lerner as a junior. Lerner is a sophomore.
