Men’s Tennis Rolls in Return to NE10 Play, 8-1, vs. Franklin Pierce Tuesday

Links: Box Score

BEVERLY, Mass. – Playing singles first due to court availability on Tuesday afternoon from Bass River Tennis Club, senior Mikhail Belov rallied to win the first flight in three sets, 3-6, 6-3 and 7-6 (9-7), to clinch a victory for the Merrimack College men's tennis program over Franklin Pierce University before the match even turned to doubles action. The Warriors promptly swept the doubles portion of the day to record an 8-1 victory over the Ravens, playing the program's first Northeast-10 Conference match in two weeks.

The Basics
Score: Merrimack 8, Franklin Pierce 1
Records: Merrimack (10-7, 5-0 NE10) | Franklin Pierce (8-8, 3-2 NE10)
Location: Bass River Tennis Club | Beverly, Mass.

Results
Doubles

1. Mikhail Belov/Frank Vega (MERM) def. Roberto Chong/Andrew Schadt (FPU) 8-5 2. Denis Davydov/Alex Fedorov (MERM) def. Yuval Barak/Marcus Lawrence (FPU) 9-7 3. Tyler Clontz/Paul Weidinger (MERM) def. James Bisazza/Matthew Toombs (FPU) 8-2

Singles

1. Mikhail Belov (MERM) def. Roberto Chong (FPU) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) 2. James Bisazza (FPU) def. Denis Davydov (MERM) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 3. Alex Fedorov (MERM) def. Yuval Barak (FPU) 6-1, 6-1 4. Frank Vega (MERM) def. Andrew Schadt (FPU) 6-1, 6-2 5. Tyler Clontz (MERM) def. Marcus Lawrence (FPU) 6-4, 6-4 6. Paul Weidinger (MERM) def. Matthew Toombs (FPU) 6-0, 6-2

NE10 Postseason Outlook
The top-six programs in the final NE10 men's tennis standings advance to the NE10 Championship. The top-two seeds earn byes to the semifinals (Apr. 19) while seeds No. 3-6 begin the tournament with first-round action on Tuesday, April 17

1. Merrimack (5-0)
2. SNHU (5-0)
3. Le Moyne (6-2)
4. Bentley (3-2)
5. Franklin Pierce (3-2)
6. Adelphi (2-2)
7. Assumption (1-2)
8. Stonehill (1-3)
9. Saint Michael's (0-6)
10. Saint Anselm (0-7)

Rapid Recap

• Merrimack blitzed Franklin Pierce to start the day, winning at sixth, fourth and third singles within the first hour of the match. Sophomore Paul Weidinger started the run with a sweep at No. 6 (6-0, 6-2), and was followed closely by senior Frank Vega at No. 4 (6-1, 6-2). Junior Alex Fedorov conceded just one game in each set in his two-set triumph at No. 3
• Junior Tyler Clontz moved Merrimack within one point of the match at No. 5. Clontz held a 4-1 lead in the second set before dropping back-to-back points. The Naples, Fla. native recovered to win two of the final three games, including a break in the deciding frame
• Belov's opponent at first singles won the opener, but Merrimack's top option mirrored his opposition with a 6-3 score in the middle set. The Russian native battled through a tiebreak, 9-7, to win the point and clinch the match
• In doubles, Clontz and Weidinger posted a convincing 8-2 win at the third flight. The senior tandem of Belov and Vega followed with a 8-5 triumph at No. 1. The closest match came at No. 2, where Fedorov and sophomore Denis Davydov won in 16 games, 9-7

Up Next:
Merrimack is set to play its first match of the spring at North Andover High School on Saturday afternoon when the Warriors host Assumption at 12 p.m.