In matches Saturday against visiting Bowdoin College, the men's and women's tennis teams began in different directions, but finished with similarly disappointing results. The men's team got off to a quick start, racing ahead 2-1 against the Polar Bears but couldn't secure the win, falling in all six singles matches to lose 7-2. The women's team, after starting sluggishly by surrendering all three doubles matches, also lost each of its six singles matches in a 9-0 shutout to Bowdoin, the 20th- ranked women's team in New England. While the men's team fell to 1-2 for the season, the women's team dropped to 2-2.

The men's team's doubles play put the team in the driver's seat early on. At No. 1 doubles, captains Sam Jonas '07 and Mike Vulfovich '07 came back to win the set 8-6. Meanwhile, Jordan Bieber '07 and Adam Sher '07 scored an 8-3 win at No. 3 doubles.

"That was about as good of doubles as we've played all year," coach Ben Lamanna said.

But whatever energy the team accumulated during doubles play fizzled before singles competition began. At No. 1 singles, Jonas suffered a 6-1, 6-0 loss to senior Sam Bitetti, the 39th ranked player in Division III. Shortly afterward, Vulfovich took a tough 6-4, 6-1 defeat at the hands of sophomore Alex Caughron.

"We just couldn't really get anything going in singles, from right off the bat," Lamanna said.

Although the Judges continued to battle at No. 3 and No. 4 singles, they came up short in both. Sher suffered a grueling 6-4, 6-4 loss to sophomore Alex White at the No. 3 spot, while rookie Alex Neystat '10 was the only player to take his match into a third set, before losing 3-6, 6-3, 2-6 to rookie Jamie Neely in the No. 4 spot. Losses by Scott Schulman '09 at No. 5 and Bieber at No. 6 completed the clean singles sweep for Bowdoin.

Lamanna attributed some of the team's struggles to a rash of injuries, most notably affecting Jonas, who is battling a groin injury, and Vulfovich, who is playing through a knee injury.

Still, Lamana couldn't lay all the blame on injuries.

"In terms of the singles, we just weren't as prepared," he said. "We've got to get in better shape."

The women's team seemed completely overmatched in the 9-0 shutout loss. Unlike the men's team, the women's woes surfaced immediately, with the Judges winning only two games in three doubles matches. At No. 1 doubles, Ana Katz '08 and captain Jenicka Hornung ''07 were shut out by junior Kristin Raymond and sophomore Sarah D'Elia, 8-0. Similarly, Rachael Barr '10 and Sarah Brem '08 were shut out by rookie Brett Davis and sophomore Rachel Waldman, 8-0 at No. 3 doubles.

Although the Judges displayed more of a fight in singles, Bowdoin continued to dominate play, sweeping the women in all six singles matches.

"It goes to show you, we're still a couple years away from making a run at the NCAAs," Lamanna said.

The women's team hosts the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Tuesday at 4 p.m., while the men's team will play in its last tournament of the fall season at the James Wallach Invitational in Lewison, Maine Oct. 13-15.