GUILDERLAND — Guilderland senior Kevin Gioia was in the midst of the final in Thursday’s Class A Section II championship contest against Bethlehem when he started breaking down.

He couldn’t control his emotions much like he couldn’t control the outcome of the match that took place on the court directly behind him.

When the number-three doubles match ended, so did the Gioia’s dream of a repeat of the sectional title.

Bethlehem won that doubles match and five others for a 6-3 win over the Dutchmen to win the sectional title.
"They came out fast and furious," said Guilderland Coach Curtis Snyder. "We got in a hole early and we couldn’t come back. They got the better of the play.
"Warming up, I thought the guys were ready," Snyder added. "But when the matches started we fell down in five or six of them. It takes a lot of energy to try and come back and, at the end, the guys didn’t have enough in the tank."

Gioia ended up losing his number-two singles match by a 6-4 decision in the third set. The Dutchmen got wins from top singles player Alex Kolomeits, number-four singles player Jon Ellenbogen, and the top doubles team of Joey Millstein and Dan Bakst.
"I knew the match would be tough," Snyder said on Thursday. "I was hoping we would win two out of three doubles. It didn’t work out that way. When you only win one doubles match, it puts a lot of pressure on the singles players. We struggled a bit today and we did not get in the groove."

Number-three singles player Joe Shawky lost his match as did Mike Griggs and Pat Ryan in the number-five and number-six slots. Chad Caplan and Joel Malerba lost their number-two doubles match and Ben Ellenbogen and Scott Purga lost in the number-three doubles.

Seniors move on

The loss marked the end of the careers of a talented group of seniors.
"I feel bad for the seniors," Snyder said. "It’s disappointing. There are seven seniors and a lot of them have been with me for four years. But getting to the finals is a nice way to end the year."

Guilderland beat Colonie, 9-0, in the quarterfinals and Shaker, 8-1, in the semifinals, but Snyder thinks his team was ready for a close match in the finals.
"We talked before and they had the confidence that they would win," Snyder said. "But I don’t think it was overconfidence. We had beaten them [Bethlehem], 8-1, so were going in with confidence."

The Eagles handed the Dutchmen their only other loss this year earlier in the season. Guilderland won the regular-season re-match.

The Dutchmen had a goal of winning its second consecutive sectional title.
"We won it last year and we wanted to get back to the finals and win it," Snyder said. "We certainly had an opportunity. It’s not that we played bad. I give the credit to Bethlehem, they upped their game when they had to."

Kolomeits, Gioia, and Shawky have put a lot into the Guilderland program. The seniors have helped the Dutchmen amass 50 wins and just four losses.
"Alex and Kevin have been on varsity for five years," Snyder said. "They have been my one and two so it’s going to be different next year. My first year coaching [varsity] was their first year.
"Joe has been on the team for four years," Snyder added. "Pat has been on the team for four years. When you talk about , you talk about those guys. I’m sure there were a lot of teams in the Suburban Council that are glad to see these guys go."

The future looks bright for the Dutchmen, though, as the junior varsity team lost just one match during the season.
"We have good young talent," Snyder said. "It’s just they have to gain varsity experience. We might struggle for one year."

Though his team lost, Snyder said his players should take pride in a lot of the things they accomplished.
"Of course it’s disappointing," the coach said. "But you are not going to be able to win every single match. For three years we were in the sectional final and we were able to win one. Some teams don’t win. This is a great group of guys. The Suburban Council is the best tennis in the area and to be the second-best team is quite an honor."