Early in the season, the Jackson High School boys’ tennis team edged Toms River East by a single point. The match was close. It could have gone either way, but the Jaguars played the big points better and were able to escape with a victory.
Unfortunately, Jackson couldn’t pull off another squeaker against East. Competing in a Shore Conference Tournament second round match Monday afternoon, it was Toms River East that won the big points en route to a 4-1 victory over Jackson.
"They got the better of the play today," Jackson coach Tom Muldoon said. "It wasn’t our day. They were able to gain momentum in the early matches and rode that swing to victory."
With the loss, Jackson falls to 6-1 overall. The Jags are undefeated at 4-0 in A South.
The two teams meet again later in the season. Muldoon said his team will be looking forward to the match.
"It’s going to be close," Muldoon said. "We got the better of them the first time. They ran with this match. Who knows what will happen the next time we meet. I’m sure it will be interesting."
Jackson’s Nick Gkionis had his hands full against TRE freshman Alex Zuck at No. 1 singles. Zuck, a ranked player in the United States Tennis Association’s Middle States Division, topped Gkionis in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.
"He (Zuck) plays at another level," Muldoon said. "The balls just keep coming back at an unbelievable pace. Nick played well against him, but against that caliber of player, you need to have a lot of weapons."
Bob Boggi defeated Jackson’s Chris Tuite 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2, while Alan Kapuschinsky defeated Sandor Tussay 6-4, 6-0 at No. 3.
Tussay led 3-0 in the first set before Kapuschinsky regained his composure to win 12 of the next 13 games. In Jackson’s regular season win over TRE, Tussay knocked off Kapuschinsky in three sets.
"Tussay’s match got us that win," Muldoon said. "But Kapuschinsky reversed the outcome today. I think that match played a big part in the momentum getting swung in their favor."
Jackson’s only win came at No. 1 doubles. The combination of Bobby Schauder and George Gkionis defeated Brett Rogers and Jay Mierzoa 6-2, 6-1. At No. 2, Mike Whitney and Joe Psyzeysc needed three sets to beat Jackson’s Ryan Tierney and Mike Brown, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4. That marked the first loss of the season for the duo.
"They’ve been pretty unbeatable until today," Muldoon said.
In a 3-2 win over Southern last Wednesday, Tussay clinched the match with a win at No. 3 singles. Tussay knocked off Dale Aebischer 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to put the Jags atop the A South Division.
"He did a solid job to rebound for that win," Muldoon said. "There was once a time when Sandor had trouble rallying for a victory like that. He has grown tremendously as a player."
Jackson’s other two wins came in doubles. At No. 1, George Gkionis and Schauder downed Felix Klenheinz and Kyle Corrigan 6-2, 7-5. Brown and Tierney knocked off Dan Kiss and Rick Solomon 6-3, 6-2.
"This was a big win for us," Muldoon said. "It gives us an edge psychologically when we meet again later in the season."
— Mike White