Men's Tennis Hands Adelphi First Conference Loss in 6-3 Victory Friday Afternoon
Links: Box Score
GARDEN CITY, N.Y – In a matchup of undefeated teams in Northeast-10 Conference play, the Merrimack College men's tennis team came away with a crucial 6-3 victory over the Adelphi University Panthers on Friday afternoon down on Long Island.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 6 | Adelphi 3
Records: Merrimack (5-5, 4-0 NE-10) | Adelphi (5-4, 5-1 NE-10)
Location: Garden City, N.Y.
What They Said
Head coach Aaron Bergeron: "I'm extremely proud of the fight and energy that the guys had today. We came out strong in doubles and battled through singles. Adelphi is a very strong team who we very well may see again. Mikhail pulled out a hard-fought three-set win and Frank clinched for us at No. 5. We have a lot of work to do to prepare for the next string of matches."
How It Happened
The Warriors entered Friday's contest with the opportunity to test themselves against one of the conference's best teams in the Adelphi Panthers. Merrimack entered the game winners of two straight matches, both of switch were 9-0 decisions.
With victories at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles, the Warriors entered singles play with the 2-1 advantage. For the first time this season, the pair of senior Vince Bellino (Amesbury, Mass.) and junior Miguel Belfort (Caracas, Venezuela) lost during conference play losing in a 9-8 (4) decision to Sander Brenner and Uladzislau Litvinchuk. Sophomore Steven Francis (Perth, Australia) and freshman Mikhail Belov (Krasnoarmeyskoy, Russia) handled their opponents at No. 1, 8-4, while sophomore Nick Majewski (Brewster, Mass.) and freshman Frank Vega (Lima, Peru) won easily at No. 3, 8-1.
Adelphi battled back during singles play by taking a 3-2 advantage after two-set victories at No. 1 and No. 2, but Merrimack responded by sweeping play at No. 3-6 singles. Rookies Belov and Vega came away victories in three-set decisions, with Vega clinching the match at No. 5. Majewski came from behind after dropping his first set, while Bellino was the only member of the Warriors to win in two sets.
Results
Doubles
1. Steven Francis/Mikhail Belov (MER) def. Matteo Cannavera/Chiwete Njokanma (ADE) 8-4
2. Sander Brenner/Uladzislau Litvinchuk (ADE) def. Vince Bellino/Miguel Belfort (MER) 9-8 (4)
3. Frank Vega/Nick Majewski (MER) def. Justin Vijungco/Sebastian Zapata (ADE) 8-1
Singles
1. Matteo Cannavera (ADE) def. Steven Francis (MER) 6-4, 7-6 (6)
2. Uladzislau Litvinchuk (ADE) def. Miguel Belfort (MER) 6-2, 7-6 (4)
3. Mikhail Belov (MER) def. Chiwete Njokanma (ADE) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
4. Vince Bellino (MER) def. Sander Brenner (ADE) 6-2, 6-4
5. Frank Vega (MER) def. Sebastian Zapata (ADE) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
6. Nick Majewski (MER) def. Justin Vijungco (ADE) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
Up Next
The Navy and Gold will travel to the reigning NE-10 champions in the Southern New Hampshire Penmen on Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. The Warriors were originally scheduled to host this game on March 18, but the contest will now be played up in Manchester, N.H.
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