Men's Tennis Escapes with 6-3 Win at Assumption
Links: Box Score
WORCESTER, MASS. – The Merrimack College men's tennis team faced a tough Assumption College squad on Sunday afternoon as the Warriors used strong play at No. 3-6 singles to come away with the road victory.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 6 | Assumption 3
Records: Merrimack (8-6, 7-0 NE-10) | Assumption (6-8, 3-3 NE-10)
Location: Assumption Tennis Courts| Worcester, Mass.
What They Said
Head coach Aaron Bergeron: "Assumption came out ready to battle, I have to give them a lot of credit. Our guys were able to focus in the crucial moments and secured the victory."
Northeast-10 Postseason Outlook
The top-six teams advance to the NE-10 Championship, with the top-two finishers securing first-round byes until the semifinals. Merrimack has an opportunity to clinch the top seed in the tournament with wins against Stonehill and AIC this week. Standings as of 04/12/15
1) Merrimack 7-0
2) Adelphi 8-1
3) Stonehill 7-1
4) Bentley 5-2
5) Le Moyne 5-3
6) Assumption 3-3
7) Southern NH 3-4
8) Saint Anselm 1-7
9) Saint Michael's 1-7
10) Franklin Pierce 1-7
11) American Int'l 0-6
How It Happened
Merrimack prevailed in two of three doubles matches to begin the day. The pair of sophomore Steven Francis (Perth, Australia) and freshman Mikhail Belov (Krasnoarmeyskoy, Russia) lost for the first time in Northeast-10 Conference play at No. 1, 8-6. At No. 2 captains Vince Bellino (Amesbury, Mass.) and Miguel Belfort (Caracas, Venezuela) prevailed with a dominant 8-0 victory, and sophomore Nick Majewski (Brewster, Mass.) and freshman Frank Vega (Lima, Peru) took No. 3, 8-3.
Similar to how the Warriors came away with the win at Adelphi, the Navy and Gold had to battle adversity after losses at No. 1 and No. 2 singles. Francis lost in three sets (6-1, 5-7, 6-4) at No. 1, while Belfort also struggled in a three-set match at No. 2 (3-6, 6-3, 6-1).
Belov turned the match back in Merrimack's favor at No. 3. He won his own three-setter, 6-2, 4-6 and 6-1. Bellino pulled out two-set win at No. 4 to give the Warriors a 4-3 advantage, and Vega and Majewski won at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, to give the Warriors a three-point victory.
The Warriors now have won 37 straight regular-season conference matches.
Results
Doubles
1. Chris Waung/Viljami Rahnasto (ASM) def. Steven Francis/Mikhail Belov (MER) 8-6
2. Miguel Belfort/Vince Bellino (MER) def. Marco Leung/Jakob Zylak (ASM) 8-0
3. Nick Majewski/Frank Vega (MER) def. Casey Hodor/Tom Knight (ASM) 8-3
Singles
1. Chris Waung (ASM) def. Steven Francis (MER) 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
2. Marco Leung (ASM) def. Miguel Belfort (MER) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
3. Mikhail Belov (MER) def. Viljami Rahnasto (ASM) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
4. Vince Bellino (MER) def. Jakob Zylak (ASM) 6-3, 6-3
5. Frank Vega (MER) def. Casey Hodor (ASM) 6-2, 6-1
6. Nick Majewski (MER) def. Tom Knight (ASM) 7-5, 6-4
Up Next
The Navy and Gold return home on Wednesday to play Stonehill at 3 p.m. at North Andover High School. The match will be celebrated as Senior Day, as Bellino will be honored in a pre-match ceremony.
--
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
