The tennis team lost 4-3 in the CCS semifinals against Bellarmine on May 13 in a match that left Saratoga players feeling disappointed and angry.
“It went down to the wire,” said senior Neel Bedekar, who plays No. 1 singles. “It was down to the third set.”
With the match tied at 3-3, the deciding factor fell to No. 3 doubles team match-up, which pitted senior Hans Sun and sophomore Matthew Kermin against freshman Joshua Leopold and senior Ian McGowen for the Bells, ordinarily the No. 1 pair for the Bells. Sun and Kermin lost the first set 7-5 and the match looked over when Bellarmine had two match points in the second set; however, the doubles pair came back to win the second set 7-6. The pair could not keep the momentum going and lost the deciding set 6-0.
The Falcons had beaten Bellarmine 5-2 earlier in the season. The team attributed the outcome to Bellarmine’s strategy of “stacking,” which Bedekar described as “legally cheating.”
Stacking is a method of deliberately matching a team’s weakest players against the strongest players to ensure enough victories to secure the match.
In this case, Bellarmine put the usual No. 3 and No. 4 singles players, junior Vikram Vasan and sophomore Coby del Rosario, respectively, as their No. 2 doubles team. Bellarmine’s No. 1 doubles team, Leopold and McGowen, and No. 3 doubles team, sophomore Jonathan Chung and junior Thomas Noonen, switched places in the lineup as well.
“[Kermin and Sun] had a tough match,” Bedekar said. “They took it to three sets, which was a valiant effort, but they were outmatched because of the stack.”
Although stacking is legal according to CCS rules, No. 2 singles player Karthik Padmanabhan said most teams consider it unethical.
“We hoped Bellarmine would be fair and honest,” Padmanabhan said. “That's the way the game should be played and stacking is only used when the team knows that they aren't better, and so that's what happened.”
Bedekar added that it was “disheartening” to see Bellarmine stack its lineup.
“It just reflects negatively on Bellarmine's team, as they had to resort to these tactics to win,” Bedekar said. “Every team is obviously trying to win, but maintaining a high level of class and integrity will always be our primary concern.”
Before the game against Bellarmine, the Falcons had won 7-0 against Homestead in the quarterfinals on May 11, and 6-1 against Stevenson on May 7. Bedekar said that in both matches the players “played pretty well and took care of business.”
Despite their narrow loss and disappointing end-of-season, the team had a successful run. With a league record of 11-1, the team was seeded No. 2 in the CCS matches. In addition, the team placed second in the California High School Tennis Classic in early March, a competition that included all the top teams in the state.
Most encouraging of all, the team proved its resilience, as it had to deal with Bedekar’s injuries. Players responded by improving throughout the season to compensate for the injury. The team ended up winning the De Anza League for the second year in a row and had an overall record of 16-3.
“I’m really proud of the way everyone fought the whole season, especially against Bellarmine,” Bedekar said. “It was a great season despite the way it ended.”
Bedekar said next year’s team can continue the school’s tradition of excellence.
“I like that there’s still a bunch of underclassmen. The upperclassmen can step up and fill my shoes,” Bedekar said. “I can see the team getting to the semis and the finals next year. I see a good future for them.”