By JAKE GROGAN
STAFF WRITER
In 2013, the Rams saw the fruits of their labor net them a 10th seed in the Atlantic 10 tournament, an opportunity on which they failed to capitalize. The first round exit at the hands of Richmond was not particularly surprising, though it came with a brand of disappointment that is synonymous with finality.
Fast forward three months and the Rams are entering their fall season minus their 2013 MVP Srikar Alla, who transferred to Rice in the offseason. The loss of a first-team all-conference player in the singles and doubles rotations would no doubt hurt Fordham, as it would any team in the country. However, Fordham’s roster is loaded with talented upperclassmen. The loss hurt, but it certainly wasn’t devastating.
The Rams’ fall season, which served as a way to break up the off-season, ended with split results in two matches on Sept. 28, 2013. Fordham dropped the first match 4-3 against an NYIT team that would cause some problems in the spring season, while it topped Adelphi 5-2 later that day. Matty Najfeld, Kuba Kowalski and J.J. Tauil competed as individuals in the Columbia Classic from Oct. 4-6, where Tauil advanced to the finals of the C Singles Backdraw. Najfeld and Kowalski both fell in the first round of the A Singles Bracket. Najfeld competed a few weeks later in the ITA Regionals at Yale, where he lost in the first round to Dartmouth’s Sam Todd.
The fall season indicated two things: that Fordham’s doubles game has the potential to be dangerous and that Najfeld has the talent, and the production, to be a first-team all-conference player. Both are shaping up to be true so far this spring season. The doubles teams are scoring points with consistency and efficiency, and Najfeld has been a constant bright spot on a team that is just now finding its footing.
The spring season started with three straight losses, with Fordham falling to Fairfield, NYIT and nationally ranked Concordia before pulling out a win against Bucknell. While most of the losses were closer than the score would indicate, starting a season with three straight losses is never good for morale. However, the doubles game was strong and the singles game, while underperforming, showed flashes of good play.
The win against Bucknell, a 4-3 contest in which the doubles point was the difference, provided evidence that both the doubles and singles games were improving. The Rams took the doubles point thanks to their second and third teams winning their sets 6-2 and 6-3. The singles round, which ended in a 3-3 tie, featured strong outings from Najfeld, Alastair Barnes and Tauil, who all won at spots two through four. The value of the win lies not only in the proof of improvement but also in the confidence gained from putting a tally in the win column.
“I feel like going into conference the guys are starting to gain more confidence, which is really what it’s all about for us,” said Tauil when asked about the team’s mentality heading in to conference play. “I don’t see it being a problem for us to make a run at the A10 tournament.”
While these matches do not mean much when comparing them to conference games, the urgency to build confidence and establish a winning culture before A10 play was and continues to be very much present. In the past three weeks, the Rams have been able to sandwich a loss to Temple with wins against Bucknell and Queens College. The loss featured no doubles competition and four three-set matches in the singles competition, so the damage done to morale is minimal. The loss also provided Fordham with a chance to bounce back, which they did in the form of a 6-1 victory of Queens College. Momentum is certainly on the Rams’ side as they head in to a March 8 match-up against Binghamton, their final match before starting A10 play.
Fordham has a chance to earn a top five seed in the A10 tournament in June if the team plays to its full potential. The Rams can go into every doubles competition confident that they will secure the doubles point, making a .500 winning percentage acceptable in terms of securing a win. They continue to show signs of improvement, so the idea of a prolific singles game by the time the conference tournament comes around is not outside of reality. The talent and potential is there for the Rams. The success of this season will be predicated on living up to it.
