Why was the crowd for Monday evening's Team Tennis encounter between the New York Buzz and Boston Lobsters late arriving and a tad smaller than usual? Let us count the reasons. Recent road losses against Sacramento and Newport Beach extended the Buzz's winless streak to five, dropping their overall record to 2-6. The visiting Lobsters had fared no better in the season's first half, residing in the Eastern Conference cellar at 1-6. The biggest name on the court was Blake...and that was just Thomas Blake, the lesser known and semi-retired brother of Big Game James. Perhaps the biggest disincentive to would-be spectators was the sweltering weather, with the temperature hovering around 95 degrees at match time. Both teams took the court in seemingly good spirits, however, with the Lobsters keen to avenge a season-opening home loss against the Buzz.

First set: men's singles -- Scott Lipsky vs. Amir Hadad

It's been a humbling WTT campaign for Scott Lipsky, who came in sporting the worst men's singles record in the league. The native New Yorker (born in Merrick) has generally served well, but simply can't seem to win the big points. That would be the case again as he faced Amir Hadad, a burly Israeli with a smooth one-handed backhand. Blowing a 40-15 lead in the third game of the match, Lipsky was broken for 1-2. Hadad extended the lead to 3-1 even as he sweated up a veritable storm, calling on Lobsters coach Anne Smith to bring him a towel several times per game. Hadad wasn't the only one laboring -- a linesman in the obvious throes of heat exhaustion had to be led off the court immediately after Lipsky's hold for 2-3.

His backhand proving as dangerous as it was aesthetically pleasing, Hadad held for 4-2, then earned set points in Game 7. Lipsky saved the first, but his defensive forehand at 30-40 sailed long to give Hadad a 5-2 victory. Lipsky dejectedly threw his racquet while Hadad simultaneously returned to his chair with a raised, clenched fist. The matchup seems to be a good one for Hadad, who also beat Lipsky in a challenger last summer. "I know how he plays," says Hadad, who sees quite a bit of similarity in their games. "We're pretty much the same player, same type of player. We hit hard and we're not the best movers, but today I broke him, got the early break, and that gave me a lot of confidence for later."

OVERALL SCORE: LOBSTERS 5, BUZZ 2

Second set: women's doubles -- Ditty/Kutuzova vs. Pratt/Schlukebir

Like teammate Thomas Blake, 22-year-old Kristen Schlukebir is part of a noteworthy tennis family. She's following in the footsteps of older sisters Katie (who had a marginally successful pro career) and Karie (who played college tennis). The youngest Schlukebir has yet to break into the world's Top 200, but she does bring an infectious brand of enthusiasm to the court. Kristen was all smiles throughout the night, even happily fraternizing with Julie Ditty of the Buzz. Schlukebir closed out her opening service game with an ace, taking a 2-1 lead alongside partner Nicole Pratt.

Viktoriya Kutuzova's relative inexperience as a doubles player has been a liability all season and it really showed as she served in Game 4. Kutuzova spent the entire game parked at the baseline and lost all but one point (which came on questionable line call disputed by both Pratt and Amir Hadad). That break for 3-1 gave the feisty Pratt and upbeat Schlukebir all the momentum they'd need. The Lobsters held for 4-1 and broke Ditty to secure a 5-1 win of the set. Ditty and Kutuzova may look snazzy in their matching visors, but their league worst doubles record (losing 40 of 66 games) has been nothing to write home about.

OVERALL SCORE: LOBSTERS 10, BUZZ 3

Third set: women's singles -- Viktoriya Kutuzova vs. Nicole Pratt

Just when her career appeared to be on its last legs, 33-year-old Nicole Pratt had a renaissance at Wimbledon, virtually exploding with elation as she pulled off a tight second round upset over talented youngster Tatiana Golovin. A scrappy veteran capable of changing the pace and sneaking into the net, "Pratty" figured to be a tough out for 17-year-old Viktoriya Kutuzova. The first couple games of their bout consisted of long, tentative baseline rallies. Pratt found her groove in Game 3, however. Upon ending a lively exchange with a winning backhand volley, the ageless Aussie turned to her team's bench, struck a fist pumping pose, and shouted "yeah!" with an almost maniacal look on her face.

Kutuzova was certainly trying, but her forehand was going awry and both of her attempted drop shots fell harmlessly into the net. She was broken at love, giving Boston a 3-1 lead in the set and a borderline ridiculous 13-4 edge in the overall tally. Kutuzova did break back for 2-3, but squandered a lead in the following game. Pratt's tenacious creativity carried the day as she broke for 4-2 and served out a 5-2 win. The subsequent intermission couldn't have come sooner for the floundering Buzz and their shell-shocked fans.

OVERALL SCORE: LOBSTERS 15, BUZZ 5

Fourth set: mixed doubles -- Lipsky/Ditty vs. Hadad/Pratt

The trio of routine service games that opened Set Four lulled an already subdued Schenectady crowd into a virtual coma. "You look like deer in the headlights out there," bemoaned the PA announcer. "Make some noise!" Scott Lipsky did his part, attempting to engage teammate K.C. Corkery in a chest bump after Julie Ditty's hold for 2-2. The venue's DJ showed some flair as well, appropriately playing a snippet of Run DMC's "It's Tricky" after Amir Hadad opened Game 5 with a nifty, delicate drop volley winner.

Still on serve in Game 7, Lipsky hit a terrific roundhouse overhead to force a deciding point on Nicole Pratt's serve. Ditty rose to the occasion, sliding a return down the line for a clean winner. Ditty and Lipsky celebrated the service break with a big high five and drew the evening's biggest ovation. The lead would be short lived, however. Back-to-back Pratt winners allowed the Lobsters to break right back and force a first-to-five-points tiebreak...

AH serving: Pratt nets a touch volley -- 1-0 BUZZ

AH: Ditty wins a net exchange with a high forehand volley -- 2-0 BUZZ

SL: Lipsky unwisely lets Pratt's floating return fall in for a winner -- 2-1 BUZZ

SL: Lipsky responds with an unreturnable serve -- 3-1 BUZZ

NP: Ditty finds the net with a forehand return -- 3-2 BUZZ

NP: Big forehand pass by Lipsky forces a Pratt volley error -- 4-2 BUZZ

JD: Ditty bricks a backhand volley -- 4-3 BUZZ

JD: Lipsky puts the set away with a winning forehand volley -- 5-3 BUZZ

OVERALL SCORE: LOBSTERS 19, BUZZ 10

Fifth set: men's doubles -- Corkery/Lipsky vs. Blake/Hadad

Thomas Blake shares a large degree of his brother's looks (right down to the Sideshow Bob hairstyle James has since abandoned) and affable personality. Blake practically seemed to be running for office during the post-third set intermission, shaking countless hands and chatting with fans. The younger sibling got most of the talent, however, and Thomas has abandoned his own ATP Tour ambitions. He didn't look out of place in this set of men's doubles, but K.C. Corkery and Scott Lipsky of the Buzz did start picking on his suspect volleys. Nearly every ball was aimed at Blake in Game 6 and he ultimately lost it by steering a volley wide. That break of Hadad's serve was the first of the set and it gave the Buzz a 4-2 lead. As in the mixed, however, the Buzz lost their edge and would again need to settle matters in a tiebreak...

SL serving: Lipsky slips as his lunging forehand sails out -- 1-0 BUZZ

SL: A second mini-break as Lipsky badly shanks an overhead -- 2-0 BUZZ

AH: Fired up Corkery rips a winning forehand return down the line -- 2-1 BUZZ

AH: Hadad pushes a forehand volley long -- 2-2

KC: Corkery jams Blake with a winning body serve -- 3-2 BUZZ

KC: After having two passes rebuffed, Hadad rips a forehand into the net -- 4-2 BUZZ

TB: Corkery nets a forehand return -- 4-3 BUZZ

TB: A weak Lipsky lob is smashed away by Blake -- 4-4

TB: Blake blasts an ace out wide to end it -- 5-4 LOBSTERS

FINAL SCORE: LOBSTERS 24, BUZZ 14

With that, the New York Buzz officially extended their losing streak to six. Of course, the struggles of the 2-7 Buzz and 2-6 Lobsters seem awfully insignificant compared to the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East. Current events were of particular interest to Amir Hadad, whose home nation of Israel continues to clash violently with Lebanon. "Whenever I'm in the room, I'm watching CNN, Fox News, and all the news channels you have," Hadad told me after the match. "Plus I'm talking to my family almost every day. It's a tough situation. I think it's gonna be better, but I think it's gonna take time." Troubles back home don't negatively impact Hadad's focus on the court, though. "When you play tennis, you play tennis. You try not to mix it up in your head when you're playing, but of course my heart is with the people in Israel."

Hadad's doubles partnership a few years ago with Aisam-ul-Haq Quereshi of Pakistan symbolized the sport's ability to transcend geopolitical tensions. The pair earned the ATP's Arthur Ashe Humanitarian award, but drifted apart after injuries kept Hadad on the sidelines for much of 2004 and 2005. "I didn't see him for maybe two and a half, three years," notes Hadad, but the soft spoken Israeli doesn't rule out a reunion. "We're in touch by e-mail sometimes. I'm sure that if we're gonna be in the same tournament, we're gonna try to play together." As for the near future, Hadad sees improving fortunes for his Boston Lobsters. "Now we have Nicole back, Nicole Pratt, back from Europe. She played Fed Cup. Now I think the team will do better. We also have Todd Martin coming for three matches and Martina Navratilova, another match. Hopefully we can get some wins."

Also hoping for some wins is K.C. Corkery of the Buzz, who's sick of watching helplessly as his teammates fall into insurmountable deficits. "I like playing early. For me, I feel really bad when I have to come out here after sitting on the bench for however long, hour and a half, and then trying to come out knowing that we're already down by 15 or whatever." Corkery does understand that coach Jolene Watanabe has been scheduling the men's doubles last because it's been the strongest event for the Buzz in 2006. But even though he and fellow Stanford alum Scott Lipsky have formed a respectable tandem, Corkery expresses dissatisfaction with his own form. "I wish I could just play a little bit better. I don't know what I'm doing. I feel so uncomfortable on the court lately... I don't think I've played well yet this year. It's frustrating."

Fresh out of college and just getting his feet wet in professional tennis, the self-deprecating Corkery admits he's in no position to take a leadership role on the Buzz. "I'm pretty much out here to sit on the bench. I'm a cheerleader. I'll come out and play my one doubles match and do whatever I can, but I'm the warmup partner. I'm not gonna say anything." For what it's worth, Corkery insists that morale remains high among the Buzz. "I think the whole team gets along well... If there were clashing personalities on this team, losing would be harder. Every day people are laughing and having a good time." Corkery and Lipsky already knew each other from their days at Stanford, but K.C. has also meshed well with both Julie Ditty and Viktoriya Kutuzova. "The girls are very friendly and delightful. They're really nice. No matter how bad I play, they always congratulate me." The Buzz will surely need that positive spirit and camaraderie when Venus Williams leads the Philadelphia Freedoms into Schenectady on Wednesday.