NEWTON TWP. — Scranton Prep defeated Abington Heights, 4-1, in a Lackawanna League boys tennis match April 28, but brothers Arjun and Varun Iyengar ensured the Comets wouldn’t be swept.
They teamed up to defeat Scranton Prep’s Adwitya Singh and Harrison Oven, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, in the No. 2 doubles match.
Despite the final score, Abington Heights head coach Tom Lavelle felt the Comets played quality tennis.
“We didn’t walk away with the win; nevertheless, it was an incredibly competitive match across the board,” Lavelle said.
Scranton Prep’s Jack Habeeb defeated Abington Heights’ Timmy Christman in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 1 singles to give the Cavaliers a 1-0 lead in the match.
Christman led 4-3 before Habeeb took the next three points to clinch the first set.
“We were both serving well,” Habeeb said. “We didn’t have any breaks in the first seven games and I was still on serve. I just changed my mindset a little bit on returning the serves. I got a little closer to the service box and that helped a lot.”
The Cavaliers took a 2-0 lead in the match when Daniel Zych and Jesse Farley teamed up to defeat Abington Heights’ Christopher Hobbie and Samuel Weis, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), at No. 1 doubles.
Matthew Tressler clinched the match for Scranton Prep (12-1) with a three-set victory, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5, over Rory Harris at No. 3 singles.
“I stayed aggressive and put points away at the net when I needed to,” Tressler said.
Scranton Prep’s Rhys Kelly held off Owen Holland in a thrilling match that featured two tiebreakers, at No. 2 singles.
Holland led both sets 4-3, but Kelly rallied to win the first 7-6 (7-3) and the second 7-6 (7-5).
“I just slowed everything down in the tiebreakers,” Kelly said. “I had to make sure I wasn’t missing any shots because it could have gone either way.”
Abington Heights (11-2) had not suffered a Lackawanna League loss since 2009 prior to this season, but Lavelle remains confident in his squad’s ability to finish the season strong.
“We have a lot of opportunities to succeed because we have a lot of talent on the team,” he said. “Although we took a loss today and earlier against Holy Cross, there is a lot of motivation to really make team districts successful.”
