By Ezra Gennello, staff writer.

As the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the country, the NCAA and the Northeast-10 Conference made the difficult decision to suspend, and ultimately cancel, the remainder of the spring season. Because of this, many teams, including the men’s tennis program at Franklin Pierce University, missed the opportunity to honor its Class of 2020 members on Senior Day. Men’s tennis was scheduled to host Stonehill in the regular season finale over the weekend. Today, we continue our Virtual Senior Day series to recognize the team’s senior student-athletes.

While the men’s tennis program at Franklin Pierce is a multi-season sport, the entirety of the team’s NE10 schedule was in the spring, and the squad only completed one of seven NE10 matches before the season was suspended. This is in contrast to the women’s team, which contested its NE10 season in the fall, did not have a home match on the spring schedule and, as such, was able to honor its seniors on the court in the fall.

On the men’s tennis roster this year were three seniors: Yuval Barak, Ryan Plummer, and Matthew Toombs. They may have had three different paths to Rindge, but have all had an impact on both the tennis program and school in their time on campus.

Yuval Barak

Barak, an Israelite from Zicron Ya’akov, made his way to Franklin Pierce as a freshman and immediately found success. Through his four years, Barak went a total 30-34 in singles play, and 40-32 in doubles play. During the fall and the beginning of spring this season, Barak was 7-3 in doubles play with sophomore Preston Gordon. In 2018-19, Barak was named to the All-Northeast-10 Conference Third Team at fourth singles after an impressive 9-4 record over the year. Along with his success on the court the health sciences major was also been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll in each of his seven semesters thus far.

Ryan Plummer

Plummer is a biology major from Windham, Maine. Plummer attended the University of New England for a semester before transferring to Franklin Pierce and joined the team during his sophomore year. He has landed on the NE10 Academic Honor Roll in each of his five semesters on campus.

Like many people who consider their team to be a second family, Plummer said just that about his teammates: “I have made a family at Franklin Pierce, and with that family a whole lot of memories.” Plummer specifically notes the crew’s spring break trips to Florida and head coach Peter Arsenault’s many U-turns on the way to away matches.

Matthew Toombs

Toombs is a three-sport athlete from Pleasanton, Calif., who came to Franklin Pierce as an ice hockey player, but has also spent time with the tennis team and as a kicker with the football team during his time in Rindge. Despite the heavy workload, he has also been a seven-time selection to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll, in addition to NE10 All-Rookie Team honors in ice hockey as a freshman. On the tennis court, Toombs posted a career record of 13-17 in singles and 12-21 in doubles play.

Toombs came to Franklin Pierce through hockey after wrapping up his studies nearby at The Winchendon School, but after thinking it over decided to play for the tennis team as well, beginning with his freshman campaign. “Coach Peter [Arsenault] and the guys were very understanding that hockey came first, and welcomed me with open arms,” Toombs said. He added his best memory as a part of the tennis program at Franklin Pierce was the opportunity to play at one of the most famous courts in the world, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York: “Going to the ITAs and playing at the [site of the] US Open. It was a great bonding experience and opportunity to play at such a prestigious arena.”

When discussing the trio for the NE10’s ongoing “Teams of the Week” series, Arsenault called this senior class “remarkable.” He continued and added, “Even from their very first practice as freshmen, I saw in them an unquenchable thirst for personal and team excellence.”