BRONXVILLE, NY - Taking the court for the final time in the 2026 regular season, the Maccabees faced off against Sarah Lawrence College in a game with massive playoff implications, ultimately triumphing over the Gryphons by a score of 4-3 on Thursday, Apr. 23rd.
With both teams vying for the fourth and final slot in the Skyline postseason, YU's win has clinched the Macs a spot in the playoffs, with seeding to be determined as other schools' final games are played out.
The Maccabees came out of the gate on fire, taking two of three doubles matches to carry a 1-0 lead into singles. Singles play proved a back-and-forth affair, with both squads trading wins before a final victory in the No. 2 seeded match gave YU the decisive fourth point for their 4-3 win.
With the result, the Macs are now 7-8, 5-3 in conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Doubles:
- Yeshiva jumped out to an early advantage thanks to excellent play in doubles, with the duos of Akiva Gelernter/Elan Goldstein (6-4) and Israel Bussu/Josh Zahavi (6-1) coming out on top in the No. 2 and No. 3 matches respectively.
- While the pair of Jacob Feit/Matthew Esrail did fall in the No. 1 slot, the stumble was not enough to wrest control away from YU, as the men in blue and white carried a 1-0 lead into singles play.
Singles:
- Singles play started off with a trading off blows. Sarah Lawrence took the No. 3 match, downing Gelernter by a score of 7-5, 6-2, but YU quickly answered in the No. 4 slot, with Aidan Stephen triumphing, 6-3, 7[7]-6[5], putting the Macs back up, 2-1.
- The Gryphons shot back once again with a win in the No. 5 match, with Goldstein falling, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, before Mark Benzaquen responded with a win in No. 6 by a score of 6-0, 6-4, maintaining YU's margin at 3-2.
- Sarah Lawrence tied the dual match for a third and final time by taking the No. 1 seeded match, downing Feit in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
- At 3-3, all eyes turned to the No. 2 match, where Bussu clashed with his Gryphon counterpart. After dropping the first set, 6-4, Bussu rallied, winning the second 6-2 to force a third and final period of play. While back and forth, the Israel native ultimately triumphed, winning the set, 6-4, and securing the dual match win for Yeshiva at 4-3.
