FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Stags wrapped up their 2015-16 tennis campaign with plenty of positives heading into next season.
The men's team compiled a 6-15 overall record with a 4-3 mark in MAAC play. The team reached the semifinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament before falling to No. 1 Monmouth.
Throughout the season, Fairfield had four players pick up at least 10 singles wins on the season. Led by sophomore Brad Orban, playing almost exclusively in the first positon he went 14-15 this season. Orban had a winning record in MAAC play at 4-3. Freshman Anthony Caputo had the second most victories on the team with a record of 12-16 during his rookie campaign. Caputo played the majority of his matches in the fourth position and posted a 5-2 record against MAAC opposition. Another freshman in Jeffrey Rodgers, posted an 11-19 record mainly playing in the third spot. He too had a winning record in conference at 4-3.
“It was impressive for freshman to come in and play at a high level right away. I think they matched up with any team in the conference,” said Head Coach Jeff Bricker.
Senior Ofir Solomon completed his Fairfield career with 111 total wins which ranks ninth most in Fairfield history. He also has the sixth most singles wins (58) and the 11th most doubles wins (53). Solomon has also produced some of the winningest single seasons in program history. In his freshman year, he recorded 20 singles wins, tied for fifth most in a single season. And in his sophomore campaign he posted a 19-4 record (.826 win percentage), the second best single season in Fairfield history.
The team earned two All-MAAC selections in the doubles teams of Brad Orban/Ofir Solomon and Anthony Caputo/Jeffrey Rodgers. The sophomore and senior duo earned All-MAAC First Team honors at No.1 Doubles. Orban and Solomon posted a perfect 5-0 record in conference play. The freshman duo was named All-MAAC Second Team at No. 2 doubles after posting an impressive 4-2 league record. Even against the league's toughest teams, both duos excelled. The pairs each grabbed wins at Monmouth and at Marist, both of which earned a share of the MAAC Regular Season crown.
The women struggled to win matches with such a young team, but all season long they picked up valuable experience against quality opponents. Overall, the team ended the season at 2-17 with both wins coming in conference play. The team had 6-1 victories over both Rider and Saint Peter's to give them a 2-5 MAAC record, placing them seventh in the league.
“This was the most enjoyable women's team I've ever coached,” added Coach Bricker. “They worked really hard every day in practice, and I couldn't have asked for any more than that.”
Sophomore Nicole Aragones led the team with six singles wins. In her second season as a Stag she mainly competed at the No. 1 spot. Classmate Meghan Zimmer had three individual wins for the Stags mostly at the No. 3 spot. Both second year players had two wins in MAAC play. Freshman Cecilia Parla also posted three wins in just her first year as a Stag. The rookie had a winning record in conference play at 3-2 mainly in the sixth position.
In doubles action, the duos of Nicole Aragones/Sarah Stuhlmann and Cecilia Parla/Meghan Zimmer saw the most success for Fairfield. The sophomore combination of Aragones and Stuhlmann posted a winning conference record of 3-2 at the No. 1 spot. Parla and Zimmer paired to play mainly at No. 2 for a 2-1 conference record.
“I was very pleased with the way they performed, and this season will definitely help going forward as they know what it takes to get better,” explained Bricker.
With new talent being added to both squads for next season, this young team will continue to improve in the upcoming years.
