Top Seeds Stevens and Ithaca Advance to Empire 8 Men's Tennis Championship Final
April 26, 2008
Top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology and second-seeded defending champion Ithaca College advanced to the title match of the Empire 8 Men's Tennis Championship. The Ducks defeated fourth-seeded Rochester Institute of Technology 8-1 in one semifinal and the Bombers defeated third-seeded St. John Fisher by the same score.
No. 1 Stevens 8, No. 4 RIT 1
From Stevens Institute of Technology Sports Information Release
MENDON, N.Y. (April 26, 2008) – Top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology won all six singles matches and captured two of three doubles flights en route to posting an 8-1 win over fourth-seeded Rochester Institute of Technology in the semifinals of the Empire 8 Men’s Tennis Championship on Saturday afternoon. All three doubles matches were completed outdoors on the RIT campus, but bad weather forced the singles contests to take place indoors at the Mendon Racquet and Pool Club in Mendon, N.Y.
With the win, the Ducks (14-6) advanced to Sunday’s championship match where they will take on second-seeded Ithaca College at noon. The Empire 8 champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. Stevens has now won three matches in a row and 11 of its last 12. The Tigers, who had won six straight matches, fell to 8-5 with the loss.
At first doubles, senior Ricky Bawa and sophomore Piotr Rusinkiewicz posted an 8-5 win over juniors Jose Guzman (Guatemala) and Han Chong (Penang, Malaysia). Freshmen Zhi Wei Ko and Arik Zeevy followed with an 8-4 victory against senior Joe Schember (Erie, Pa.) and sophomore Jon Albers (Grand Rapids, Mich.) in the second flight. In the third-doubles match, freshmen Jay Lee and Jason Ringstad lost to junior Chris Muench (Fairport, N.Y.) and sophomore John Traver (Clifton Park, N.Y.) by the score of 8-2.
Ko led off first singles with a 6-1, 6-4 victory against Guzman. Zeevy dropped just one game in his 6-0, 6-1 win over sophomore Gean Yip (Palo Alto, Calif.) at No. 2 singles. Bawa rolled to a 6-1, 6-0 victory against Traver at third singles. Rusinkiewicz was also a straight-sets winner (6-2, 6-2) versus Chong in the fourth-singles match. Lee picked up his 12th-straight victory with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Schember at No. 5 singles. Ringstad added a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Muench at sixth singles.
No. 2 Ithaca 8, No. 3 St. John Fisher 1
From Ithaca College Sports Information Release
Rochester, N.Y. - The second-seeded men's tennis team routed third-seeded St. John Fisher in the semifinal round of Empire 8 Championship Tournament Saturday. The Bombers will take on top-seeded Stevens Institute of Technology in Sunday's final.
Five Bombers won two matches Saturday. Sophomores Taylor Borda (West Morris-Mendham/Chester, N.J.) and Danny Wolk (The Field School/Potomac, Md.) improved to 18-6 at first doubles with a 8-2 victory, winning for the 13th time in 14 matches. Borda’s won 6-1, 6-1 at first singles for his team-leading 19th singles win of the season, while Wolk won his ninth straight singles match with a 6-3, 6-3 win at fourth singles.
Sophomore Liam Berkowitz (Pleasantville/Pleasantville) and senior Jeff Buffum (Morristown/Morristown, N.J.) won for the seventh straight time at third doubles, defeating their opponents from St. John Fisher 8-2. Berkowitz and Buffum were both singles winners as well, with Berkowitz winning 6-4, 6-3 at fifth singles and Buffum winning 6-3, 6-2 at sixth singles.
The second doubles pairing of freshmen Alex Stoler (Pascack Valley/River Vale, N.J.) and Josh Rifkin (Homestead/Fort Wayne, Ind.) improved to 16-6 on the year with a 8-4 win.
Ithaca will play for the program's third straight Empire 8 title (and fifth in six years) in Sunday's championship match. The match will begin at noon in Rochester.