Boys' Latin edges Beth Tfiloh to win 2024 MIAA B Conference tennis championship
Lakers capture their third consecutive league title
by Derek Toney
Boys’ Latin tennis understands its place in the school’s athletic hierarchy, especially with the tradition rich lacrosse program garnering a huge majority of the attention in the spring months.
But Laker tennis is doing just fine. Boys’ Latin won its third straight MIAA B championship with a 3-2 decision over Beth Tfiloh in Roland Park.
Eli Holder and Neil Curley each won singles matches for the Lakers (9-2 overall), who completed a perfect run through league play. Max Riter and sophomore Logan Roth won in doubles.
Boys’ Latin is the first team to three-peat in B tennis since Archbishop Curley rolled off four in a row (1996-2000) at the inception of MIAA tennis.
“It’s hard to believe…it’s an impressive achievement that really hasn’t sunk in,” said Lakers coach Rich Zielaskiewicz. “It’s something obviously we had in the back of our heads but we never really wanted to talk about, just play one match at a time.”
“We were underdogs the first year we won the championship, but we kept on getting better and better,” said senior co-captain James London, who played No. 2 singles. “We had confidence the entire season and knew we could get it done.”
The Lakers returned all but two letterwinners from last spring’s squad which topped Beth Tfiloh, 3-2, in the final at Suburban Country Club.
Thursday’s rematch was far from a given.
In Wednesday’s semifinals, Beth Tfiloh, the third-seed, handled No. 2 Mount St. Joseph (4-1), which only lost to Boys’ Latin in the regular season. Boys’ Latin needed a marathon three-set victory by Curley in No. 3 singles to put away fourth-seed Park.
“You can’t take any match for granted. We had a lot of confidence going into it,” said London, whose team defeated Park, 4-1, in the regular season. “A couple of matches didn’t go the way they went the first time and it made a huge difference.”
Holder, whose victory in No. 2 singles secured last spring’s title, got the Lakers started Thursday as his opponent, Beth Tfiloh senior Elan Vogelstein, retired before the start of the third set in No. 1 singles. Curley, a sophomore, swept Jake Schreiber
Riter, a junior, and Roth swept Beth Tfiloh’s Guy Taylor and Jerry Floubaum. The Warriors (7-3) received triumphs from Brandon Rybalnik (No. 2 singles) and Jacob Blum and Sammy Statman in No. 1 doubles.
As the crowd roared from the junior varsity lacrosse match about 100 yards away at J. Duncan Smith Field late Thursday afternoon, Boys’ Latin tennis squad took pictures with another championship plaque.
“It gives us a little motivation, but we get great support from the lacrosse team,” said London. “We had a good amount of students coming to the semifinals and championship match. This is really good.”
MIAA B CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
BOYS’ LATIN 3, BETH TFILOH 2
NO. 1 SINGLES - Eli Holder (Boys’ Latin) def. Elan Voglestein (Beth Tfiloh), retired
NO. 2 SINGLES - Brandon Rybalnik (Beth Tfiloh) def. James London (Boys’ Latin), 6-4, 6-4
NO. 3 SINGLES - Neil Curley (Boys’ Latin) def. Jake Schreiber (Beth Tfiloh), 6-1, 6-1
NO. 1 DOUBLES - Jacob Blum & Sammy Statman (Beth Tfiloh) def. Evan Rosen and Charlie London (Boys’ Latin), 6-1, 6-1
NO. 2 DOUBLES - Max Riter and Logan Roth (Boys’ Latin) def. Guy Taylor and Jerry Floubaum (Beth Tfiloh), 6-1, 6-1