Men's tennis drops match against N.C. Wesleyan
SALISBURY, Md. - The 30th-ranked Salisbury University men's tennis program got its first taste of NCAA action Friday as it hosted No. 14 N.C. Wesleyan College to open up the 2010 season at the indoor tennis center. The Battling Bishops won the match 8-1. The Sea Gulls are slated to play six other nationally-ranked teams this season.
The day started off with the doubles match of N.C. Wesleyan's Alexey Rumyantsev and Clayton Sonn against Salisbury's junior Giorgio Athans (Woolwich Township, N.J.) and sophomore Justin Smith (New Windsor, Md.). Rumyantsev and Sonn jumped ahead early, and did not relinquish control, as they won 8-2. The second doubles team of senior Marcus Robinson (Cambridge, Md.) and freshman Henry Stuhler (Bay Head, N.J.) fell short of Marcelo Prata and Artsiom Prostak of N.C. Wesleyan, 8-4. In the No. 1 doubles match Anton Filonov and Antti Saari defeated SU's team of seniors Scott Burtzlaff (Clarksville, Md.) and Evan Thomas (Salisbury, Md.), 8-4.
In singles action, Burtzlaff served up his first win of the season, as he defeated No. 20 Saari. Burtzlaff took the No.1 match in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. Rumyantsev defeated Robinson in the third singles match; he swept the first set, but Robinson pushed Rumantsev to the brink in the second, falling 7-5. Kalle Nikunen (NCW) needed three sets and a tie-breaker to knock off SU's Thomas. Thomas dropped the first set 6-1, then came back with a second set win 7-5. The third set required a tie-breaker, which Nikunen won 7-4. Athans and Stuhler lost their fourth and fifth singles matches 6-2, 6-0 and 6-1, 6-1, respectively. In sixth singles Sonn swept Smith in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.
The maroon and gold will look for wins this weekend, as they are slated to play Washington & Lee University Saturday and Swarthmore College on Sunday.
