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Men's tennis weekly release
3/19/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Bulls Pick Up Two of Three Victories on Spring Trip
The University at Buffalo men's tennis team went 2-3 on its excursion to South Carolina and Pennsylvania during the spring break. UB opened with a 6-1 loss to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference member South Carolina State on March 10. The Bulls rebounded two days later to bounce The Citadel of the Southern Conference, 6-1, in Charleston. UB then returned north to renew their rival with Duquesne, scoring a 7-0 shutout of the Dukes on Saturday, March 17. The Bulls are now 3-7 for the season.
Juggling the Doubles Lineup
The Bulls went 5-1 in the doubles contests against Citadel and Duquesne. In the win over the Bulldogs, UB claimed the opening doubles point with victories in the numbers one and two matches as they juggled the pairings of the top two teams. At number one, Damien David and Vusa Hove defeated David Orces and Dillon Berkabile, 8-3. In the number two contest, Wojciech Starakiewicz and Travis Zappia knocked off Josh Cook and Peter Bleach 8-4. UB's number three tandem of Alex Kalinin and Yevgeniy Jason Shkodnik fell to Elliott Sperr and Alex Howie, 8-7. Against the Dukes, UB swept all three matches. At number one, David and Hove downed Max Rubin and Rich Robbie, 8-6. Starakiewicz and Zappia, at number two, knocked off Aram Abgaryan and Alex Alernan, 8-6. The number three duo of Kalinin and Shkodnik had a relatively easier time in disposing of Ben Klaas and Mehdi Mekaoui by an 8-3 margin.
Three Setters Abound
In singles play, UB won 11 of the 12 contests against Citadel and Duquesne, with number one player David recording the lone loss. Six of the wins came in three-set matches, Against Citadel, freshman Ivan Vereshchaga needed three sets to down Peter Bleach, 6-2, 0-6, 6-2 at number four while Kalinin, at number five, went back and forth with Elliott Sperr winning the first and third sets in tiebreakers. UB swept the singles matches against Duquesne although four of the matches needed to be decided in three sets. David scored his 17th singles win of the year with a victory over Aram Abgaryan. as he won a 10-8 super-tiebreaker in the third set. Also picking up three set wins were Hove at number two, Starakiewicz at number three and Kalinin at number five. UB's loss to South Carolina State also included a pair of three-set duels with Hove, at number two, and Kalinin, at number five, suffering losses.
St. Bonaventure, Marist on This Week's Slate
The Bulls face St. Bonaventure on Wednesday and travel to Marist on March 24. UB's match against the Bonnies is expected to be played at UB's outdoor facility, the University Tennis Center if the weather cooperates. However, if inclement weather arrives, the match will move to St. Bonaventure's indoor courts. The Bonnies are 1-8 in dual play this season, falling at Colgate on Sunday by a 6-1 margin. Marist meets Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rival Saint Peter's on Wednesday before taking on the Bulls.
