Upset Bid for #5 Men's Tennis Falls Short vs. #4 SNHU in Program's 11th Straight NCAA Tournament

Links: Box Score  

BRONXVILLE, N.Y. – Making adjustments to its singles lineup that saw successful results, the fifth-seeded Merrimack College men's tennis program nearly pulled off the upset of fourth-seeded Southern New Hampshire on Monday afternoon in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament from the Meyers Tennis Center at Concordia College. Sophomore Denis Davydov and senior Mikhail Belov switched singles flights, which saw the latter sweep second singles to account for one of three singles points on the day for the Navy and Gold. With the score deadlocked at 4-4, the Penmen won fourth singles in three sets to claim the win and advance to the second round.

The Basics
Score: Southern New Hampshire 5, Merrimack 4
Records: Merrimack (14-10) | Southern New Hampshire (16-6)
Location: Bronxville, N.Y.

2018 NCAA East Region I Schedule
First Round ­– Monday, April 30
Match 1: #4 SNHU def. #5 Merrimack, 5-4
 
Second Round – Tuesday, May 1
Match 2: #4 SNHU vs. #1 Concordia – 10:00 a.m.

Results
Doubles

1. Mikhail Belov/Frank Vega (MERM) def. Xavier Aubron/Bas Van Biezen (SNH) 8-5 2. Miguel Marreiros/Ricardo Marreiros (SNH) def. Alex Fedorov/Denis Davydov (MERM) 8-6 3. Tiago Fernandes/Jeremy Reichentahl (SNH) def. Tyler Clontz/Paul Weidinger (MERM) 8-6

Singles

1. Tiago Fernandes (SNH) def. Denis Davydov (MERM) 6-2, 7-5 2. Mikhail Belov (MERM) def. Ricardo Marreiros (SNH) 6-2, 7-5 3. Frank Vega (MERM) def. Miguel Marreiros (SNH) 6-3, 6-2 4. Xavier Aubron (SNH) def. Alex Fedorov (MERM) 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 5. Bas Van Biezen (SNH) def. Tyler Clontz (MERM) 6-0, 6-4 6. Paul Weidinger (MERM) def. Jeremy Reichentahl (SNH) 6-2, 6-4

Rapid Recap

• Avenging their loss last week at first doubles, Belov and senior Frank Vega evened the match at one point apiece after SNHU took a brief lead following an 8-6 win at third doubles.
• Second doubles determined who led entering singles, which saw the tandem of Davydov and junior Alex Fedorov battle through 14 games before ultimately falling, 8-6, as SNHU held a 2-1 advantage
• Merrimack's adjusted singles lineup paid dividends. Playing at second singles for just the second time this season, Below won his first set easily (6-2) before rallying from a 4-3 deficit in the second set to claim the sweep, 7-5
• Finishing within minutes of each other, Vega pulled away at third singles for a two-set win (6-3, 6-2). Davydov – jumping up to first singles for the second time in his career – nearly forced a third set against the NE10 Player of the Year Tiago Fernandez, but dropped the final game, 7-5
• The rivals entered the final three singles flights at a 3-3 deadlock. The Penmen took a brief advantage, 4-3, following a two-set win at No. 5, but sophomore Paul Weidinger evened the contest at sixth singles, 6-2 and 6-4, to create a winner-take-all decision at No. 4
• Fedorov won his opening set at the flight, 7-5, but saw Xavier Aubron recover in the second frame, 6-1, to even the match at one set each. Aubron outlasted Fedorov in the final set, winning by a 6-3 margin to claim the match

Notes and Notables

• Vega finished his career with 106 career victories, which is the fifth most among all Warriors from 2007 on. Belov wrapped up his four-year career with 103 wins, moving into a tie for the seventh-most during the Navy and Gold's 11-year run to the NCAA Tournament
• Fedorov finishing his second season with 37 victories, posting the second most wins in a single season in the program's NCAA Tournament era
• Merrimack now owns a 5-11 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament including a 5-6 mark in the opening round
• The fifth seed marks the program's highest since the 2014-15 campaign that featured the program's last NCAA win, a 5-1 triumph as the No. 3 seed
• The Warriors and Penmen are now 1-1 against each other all-time in the NCAA Tournament
• The Navy and Gold completed their 11^th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, which marks the second longest active streak in the region