STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The Merrimack College men's tennis team found their way back into the win column Sunday afternoon when they took on conference foe, Wagner College. The Warriors got key contributions up and down the lineup which propelled them to a 5-2 victory to get them back to .500.
Merrimack was led by freshman,
Valentin Riveros, who dominated his way through his singles match only allowing three points to be scored through a two-set sweep. The Warriors also got some great leadership from senior,
Jonathan Garcia, who captured an important point at singles #1 and also showed great determination in doubles #1.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 5, Wagner College 2
Records: Merrimack (4-4) | Wagner College (1-8)
Location: Staten Island, N.Y. | CSI Tennis Courts
Rapid Recap
- On the doubles side of things, the Warriors got great performances from the combo of senior, Conrad Koch, and freshman, Keita Duclos. The duo didn't start out hot as they went down 3-0, but they stay in it and brought things back tying the set at 4-4. With all the momentum in their favor they capitalized and took the match 6-4. Next up was freshman, Phil Grueninger, and Charles Robertson at doubles #3. This match was all Warriors as the newcomer combo went up 5-1 before winning 6-2, bringing home the doubles point for Merrimack.
- In singles, the Warriors returned to form capturing four out of the six matches. In singles #1, Garcia took the court and what a match it was. After securing the first set in dominant fashion by a 6-1 tally, the Seahawks came back winning the second set 6-3, setting up the all important third set. After a bit of a back and forth bringing things to 2-2, Garcia took over and didn't look back winning the match 6-3. In singles # 2, the Warriors sent out sophomore, Aryaan Bhatia, looking to make some noise. The Mumbai, India native did exactly that when he was faced with a tiebreaker set just like his teammate Garcia. Bhatia was surgical in the third set securing the point for the Warriors by a 6-1 tally. Riveros took to the court at singles #5 and put forth his most impressive performance of the season. The freshman swept the match winning both sets in short order by scores of 6-2 and 6-1. Rounding things out in singles #6 was junior, Pedro De Godoy Mancini. The Sao Paulo, Brazil native won the first set 6-2 and then dropped the second 6-3, setting up yet another tie breaker set for Merrimack. Mancini did not disappoint his team as he secured the point and the win for the Warriors with a 6-3 set win.
Up Next
The Warriors return home when they compete against Bryant University at 3:30 pm from Cedardale Health and Fitness on Friday, March 11
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