Men's Tennis Concludes Regular Season with 8-1 Victory at Bentley
Links: Box Score
WALTHAM, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's tennis team concluded the 2015 regular season with an 8-1 victory over Bentley University. The Warriors increased their regular-season Northeast-10 Conference winning streak to 40 matches and have not lost a conference regular-season contest in the past four years.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 8 | Bentley 1
Records: Merrimack (11-6, 10-0 NE-10) | Bentley (12-7, 7-3 NE-10)
Location: Bentley Tennis Courts | Waltham, Mass.
What They Said
Head coach Aaron Bergeron: "I'm proud of how the guys finished the regular season. They played smart, tough tennis and capped off a great run this season. We'll enjoy the day and get right back to work."
Northeast-10 Postseason Outlook
Merrimack ends the 2015 campaign as regular-season champions. The Warriors and Adelphi Panthers receive byes until the semifinals, with Stonehill hosting Le Moyne and Bentley hosting Assumption in opening round action on Tuesday. The NE-10 Finals are scheduled for next Saturday, April 25.
1) Merrimack 10-0
2) Adelphi 9-1
3) Stonehill 8-2
4) Bentley 7-3
5) Assumption 6-4
6) Le Moyne 5-5
7) Southern NH 4-6
8) Saint Anselm 2-8
9) Saint Michael's 2-8
10) Franklin Pierce 2-8
11) AIC 0-10
How It Happened
Merrimack capped off a perfect conference slate by only losing one match, coming at No. 2 doubles. At No. 1, sophomore Steven Francis (Perth, Australia) and freshman Mikhail Belov (Krasnoarmeyskoy, Russia) defeated their opponents, 8-4. Sophomore Nick Majewski (Brewster, Mass.) and freshman Frank Vega (Lima, Peru) ensured the Warriors would have the lead entering singles action with an 8-2 win a No. 3
With the exception of No. 4 singles, the Navy and Gold won every other singles match in straight sets. Senior captain Vince Bellino (Amesbury, Mass.) was forced to comeback after losing hisfirst set, coming away with a 10-7 super break victory in the final frame. Fellow captain Miguel Belfort (Caracas, Venezuela) won easily at No. 2, 6-3 and 6-3, while Belov and Vega triumphed easily at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively.
Belov finished his rookie season with an 18-2 combined conference record, including a perfect 10-0 in singles play. Bellino, Majewski and Vega also concluded their regular-season campaigns with perfect singles record in league play.
Results
Doubles
1. Steven Francis/Mikhail Belov (MER) def. Alex DeMuth/Kamil Pilch (BEN) 8-4
2. Brendan McCarthy/George Samander (BEN) def. Vince Bellino/Miguel Belfort (MER) 8-6
3. Frank Vega/Nick Majewski (MER) def. Chase Rosa/Sam Frye (BEN) 8-2
Singles
1. Steven Francis (MER) def. Kamil Pilch (BEN) 7-5, 6-1
2. Miguel Belfort (MER) def. Brendan McCarthy (BEN) 6-3, 6-3
3. Mikhail Belov (MER) def. George Samander (BEN) 6-2, 6-2
4. Vince Bellino (MER) def. Chase Rosa (BEN) 4-6, 6-4, 10-7
5. Frank Vega (MER) def. Alex DeMuth (BEN) 6-1, 6-2
6. Nick Majewski (MER) def. Daniel Camacho (BEN) 6-3, 6-4
Up Next
The Warriors begin postseason play on Thursday when they host the NE-10 Semifinals at 2 p.m. from North Andover High School. The Navy and Gold will take on the winner of the quarterfinal match between Assumption and Bentley.
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