ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- Rocky River Boys' Tennis went 3-1 during the week of April 19, defeating Lakewood, Mentor, and Oberlin, and losing a hard-fought match against Hoover.

The Pirates (3-3) were swept by Hoover, 5-0, after earning a Great Lakes Conference win over Lakewood on Monday. The victory over the Rangers included wins at first and third singles and a sweep in double play.

On Thursday (after a Wednesday cancellation due to inclement weather), the River Racketeers earned what first-year head coach Scott Raiff termed the team's best win of the young season. The Pirates traveled to Garfield Park in Mentor and delivered an impressive 4-1 victory against the Mentor Cardinals.

"The guys showed a lot of mental toughness, and that helped us in some close matches," said Raiff.

River closed out its week with a 3-2 home win over the Oberlin Phoenix on Friday. The Tri City Park match included three hotly contested singles matches and a doubles sweep by the Pirates. A dramatic tie-break victory at third singles by freshman Will Gecsi pushed the home five over the top. Gecsi and junior Jack Bowers were the Pirates' top singles players on the week; both went 2-2. The doubles tandem of Jack Latham and Benjamin Greenfield went 3-1.

"Overall, the team continues to improve and demonstrate a willingness to compete for every point," said Raiff. "It was a great week for our doubles teams, especially."


by Skip Snow

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