ASTON, Pa. – The Neumann University Men's Tennis team opened the 2025-2026 campaign on Thursday afternoon with a 7-0 loss against Rowan-South Jersey.
The Knights dropped all three doubles matches to give up the doubles point. The closest match was in 1
st doubles as Mike Brown and
Trevor Lodge fell by a score of 6-4. Brown was in the 1
st singles match, and it was a tight one. He fell in the first set 7-5 before falling in a difficult tiebreaker in the second, 7-1. Lodge split the first two sets of his 2
nd doubles match by identical 6-2 scores before falling in the final set.
James Leuzzi went to a tiebreaker in the first set of his 3
rd singles match, falling 7-5 then tumbled in his second set.
Adam Barisa was in the 6
th singles match and after taking the first set, 6-3, he dropped the final two sets, 6-1 and 6-2.
Today's matchup marked the beginning of a new era for the Neumann University Tennis program as former Knights player,
Jason Petrin, takes the reins. He noted, "It was great to get the first-match jitters out, both for myself as head coach and for the players this fall. Being on the other side of the fence for the first time was an odd experience, however it gave me the same feeling of competition. Even though the match did not pan out the way we wanted, I am proud of the team as they showed heart and comradery through it all."
Petrin's first match was an even more unique situation as it came against the school that he started his collegiate career with. "Each opportunity we get to play Rowan-South Jersey is extremely helpful" said Petrin. "It is always a battle; multiple matches going into third sets is inevitable. Having come up through their system before my time at Neumann, I enjoy getting to see my old coaches, now getting to compete against them. Their culture and environment are very similar to Neumann, focusing on respect and integrity in every situation. I am very glad that I was able to compete for teams like Rowan-South Jersey and Neumann who shaped me into the leader I am today, able to pass those qualities onto the next generation of student-athletes."
Neumann (0-1) will be back in action on Saturday, October 11
th when they entertain DeSales University for a 12:00 PM start.
