Men's Tennis Stumbles at NYIT, 7-2
SYOSSET, N.Y. –The sixth-ranked Merrimack College men's tennis program – according to the most recent Oracle/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Collegiate Division II Men's East Region rankings – dropped a 7-2 decision to top-ranked NYIT on Saturday evening in Syosset, N.Y.
The Basics
Score: NYIT 7, Merrimack 2
Records: Merrimack (2-4) | NYIT (5-1)
Location: Syosset, N.Y.
How It Happened (Doubles)
- No. 1 – Ranked as the fifth-best doubles tandem in the region in the Oracle/ITA regional rankings, senior Nick Majewski (Brewster, Mass.) and junior Mikhail Belov (Krasnoarmeyskoy, Russia) took on NYIT's David Jiang and Maxton Cook, but faltered by an 8-6 decision.
- No. 2 – NYIT's top regionally ranked doubles duo of Rafal Charkiewicz and Rares Ispas took the court at the second flight, and dispatched the Warriors' combination of freshman Alex Fedorov (Guilderland, N.Y.) and junior Frank Vega (Lima, Peru), 8-4
- No. 3 – Senior Tayyab Sheikh (Longmeadow, Mass.) and sophomore Alex Slobin (Fairfield, Conn.) continued their run at the third flight, winning five games before falling by a three-game margin
How It Happened (Singles)
- No. 1 – Belov battled Jiang –the 15th-ranked singles player in the region – and took home an impressive straight-sets victory, 6-3 and 6-1, to give Merrimack its first point of the evening
- No. 2 – The top-ranked singles player in the East Region, Charkiewicz trotted out at No. 2 for the Bears and defeated Vega in two sets, 6-3 and 6-1
- No. 3 – Merrimack's senior captain, Majewski picked up the Warriors' second point of the night by sweeping his opponent at the third flight, 6-3 and 6-4
- No. 4 – Playing in the lone three-set match of the contest, Fedorov won his opening frame against Francisco Caldas, 7-6. NYIT's fourth-flight option rallied to even the tilt at one-set apiece before prevailing in the third frame, 11-9
- No. 5 – Sheikh drew a tough opponent at No. 5, as he matched up with Ispas, the 18th-ranked singles player in the region. Merrimack's senior won a pair of games in each match, but fell at the fifth flight
- No. 6 – At sixth singles, Slobin lost in a pro set, 8-5, against NYIT's Kevin Huynh
Results
Doubles
1. David Jiang/Maxton Cook (NYIT) def. Nick Majewski/Mikhail Belov (MER) 8-6
2. Rafal Charkiewicz /Rares Ispas (NYIT) def. Alex Fedorov/Frank Vega (MER) 8-4
3. Jaime Salvador / Francisco Caldas (NYIT) def. Tayyab Sheikh / Alex Slobin (MER) 8-5
Singles
1. Mikhail Belov (MER) def. David Jiang (NYIT) 6-3, 6-1
2. Rafal Charkiewicz (NYIT) def. Frank Vega (MER) 6-3, 6-2
3. Nick Majewski (MER) def. Jaime Salvador (NYIT) 6-3, 6-4
4. Francisco Caldas (NYIT) def. Alex Fedorov (MER) 6-7, 6-4, 11-9
5. Rares Ispas (NYIT) def. Tayyab Sheikh (MER) 6-2, 6-2
6. Kevin Huynh (NYIT) def. Alex Slobin (MER) 8-5
Up Next
The Warriors are set to return to Northeast-10 Conference on Tuesday afternoon, travelling to Worcester, Mass. to face Assumption College at 3 p.m.
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