Dynamic duo

After serving as Long Beach’s top two singles players during the regular season, sophomores Eric Rubin and Matt Barry emerged as Nassau County doubles champions and went on to place third in New York State.

“It’s not a big surprise,” Marines coach Sue Hirschbein-Bodnar said. “Eric and Matt work extremely hard and understand the game and each other. They’re great friends off the court and a formidable team on the court.”

Seeded third in a field of 48 at the county tournament, Rubin and Barry dropped only one of nine sets on the way to winning the title. “We were playing really well going into the tournament,” Barry said. “We took an aggressive approach. We wanted to attack our opponents and keep them under pressure.”

After a first-round bye, they defeated Wantagh’s Ryan White and Brent Henig, 10-0, in the second round, followed by Great Neck South’s Daniel Grungerger and Raymond Zhar, 10-2, in the third round. The last three rounds were the standard best-of-three sets. Rubin and Barry disposed of Jericho’s Matt and Chris Lam in the quarterfinals, 6-2, 6-3, and overcame a poor second set in the semifinals to beat Farmingdale’s Ignacio Casali and Brandon Henry, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3. The final hurdle, Friends Academy’s Jon DeFrancesch and Andrew Yaraghi, was accomplished in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5.

“Eric and Matt play on the USTA circuit and know the competition well,” Hirschbein-Bodnar said. “They’ve played doubles in the past. It’s not like they were on the court together for the first time. They were confident in their ability to win.”

Rubin and Barry reached the semifinals of the state tournament at Flushing Meadow June 5-6 before stumbling. All told, they went 9-1 in postseason matches. “It was a great accomplishment, especially for two sophomores,” Hirschbein-Bodnar said. “I’m very proud.”

The tandem had a rooting section, Hirschbein-Bodnar said, both at the county tournament at Oceanside High School and two weeks later in Queens. “It was great to see their teammates come down to root them on,” Hirschbein-Bodnar said. “They had tremendous support, starting with their parents.”   

During the regular season, the duo helped Long Beach reach the Conference 1-B playoffs. Rubin compiled a record of 10-2 at first singles, while Barry went 12-0 at second singles.

Barry said it’s too early to decide if they’ll attempt to defend the doubles crown next spring. “We’re thinking of trying to repeat, but there’s a chance we’ll play singles,” he said.