Through the years Brookdale has been perhaps RCGC's top rival in Garden State Athletic Conference tennis, so it's no wonder that Friday's 8-1 road triumph over the Jersey Blues held special meaning.
The win keeps the surging Roadrunners atop the conference standings with a 4-2 overall and 4-1 league record. And beating Region XIX rival Brookdale, of course, makes it special, said head coach Brian Rowan.
"Anytime you can get a win over Brookdale you should feel good about it," said Rowan. "They have been our rivals through the years and continue to pose a challenge every time we play.
"Our first doubles team of Jake Carlson and Mark Gladkyy played well today and helped set a tone for the match with their win. We are getting more confident with the way we are playing and hope that will carry over through the rest of the regular season and upcoming tournaments. I am proud of the way our sophomores (Zach Carr, Paulo Claure, JP Ciliberto) have stepped up throughout the middle of the season and taken ownership of the team and that has really helped us."
RCGC captured four of the singles matches. Winners included Paulo Claure at No. 2 singles, J.P. Cilberfto at No. 3, Jake Carlson at No. 4, Zach Carr at No. 5, and Tate Merlino at No. 6.
In doubles competition, RCGC's No. 1 doubles team of Jake Carlson and Mark Gladkyy played flawlessly in earning a win.
"We keep improving with every match, and today was one of our best efforts," said Carlson. "The entire team worked hard and our confidence levels have really shot up. It's great to watch our progress as we're nearing the end od the regular season."
Other RCGC doubles winners included Zach Carr and Dylan Kelly at No. 2 and J.P. Ciliberto and Tate Merlino at No. 3.
Next up for the Roadrunners will be Williamson College at Penn State Brandywine campus on April 26 in a 3 pm start. The Runners will also see Brookdale again at home on Saturday, April 27 at 10 a.m.
JP CILIBERTO POST-MATCH INTERVIEW
MATCH NOTES: Freshman Jake Carlson with Brookdale CC Sophomore Patrick Lombardo - In the #4 singles match on Saturday, Roadrunner Jake Carlson took on Brookdale's Pat Lombardo. The two competitors are both members of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) at their college and bonded over that news. Both are leaders on the court and in the classroom and represent their teams in the organization. The match had outstanding sportsmanship and competitiveness.