Jan. 24, 2009

Final Stats

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy tennis team improved its record to 4-0 on the year by winning both ends of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon in the Tose Family Tennis Center. Navy opened by battling to a 5-2 win over Georgetown (1-2) early in the afternoon before posting a 6-1 victory over St. Francis (N.Y.) (0-1) in the early evening.

"Our guys really came to play today," stated Navy head coach John Officer. "We had a great crowd and we stepped up our play. The Georgetown match was very close with many guys coming through for us in the clutch. Our doubles tandems of Johnny Waters/Nate Nelms and Jason Hill/Nick Birger came up to get the doubles point. Nate had a difficult situation in his singles match, but came back and Ramsey Lemaich did a great job."

In the opener against the rival Hoyas, Navy's duo of Ramsey Lemaich (Jr./Danville, Calif.) and Owen Bullard (So./Concord, N.C.) dropped the No. 2 doubles match, 8-3, in the first completed doubles event. Needing to win the other two doubles contest to claim the doubles point, Navy stepped up with a pair of close victories. Team captain Jason Hill (Sr./Marietta, Ga.) and Nick Birger (So./Belleville, Ill.) teamed up to win the No. 3 match, 8-6, to put the point squarely on the No. 1 doubles match. A few minutes later, Johnny Waters (Sr./Papillion, Neb.) and Nate Nelms (Sr./St. Mary's, Ga.) put the finishing touches on a close 8-6 triumph and doubles point for Navy.

The singles matches would prove to be just as highly contested, as every match went three sets or required a tiebreaker. Just like the doubles action, Georgetown took the first completed match before Navy rallied back. Lemaich won the first of four-straight matches for the Mids by defeating Michael Clarke in the No. 5 match in two sets, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. Bullard claimed victory at No. 6 singles over Will Lowell, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, before Marcus Rebersak (Fr./Pittsburgh, Pa.) defeated David Tillem in No. 2 singles, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4, to earn a team victory over Georgetown. Nelms completed the streak with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 win against Ned Samuelson at No. 1 singles before Waters fell in a grueling 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3) No. 4 singles match to Andrew Bruhn.

Following the marathon match against Georgetown, the Midshipmen came back onto the court and continued their winning ways against St. Francis (N.Y.) by claiming victory in each of the three doubles matches. Joe Wiggins (So./Acworth, Ga.) and Jarrad Smoke (Jr./Belmar, N.J.) posted a clean 8-0 win at the No. 3 match before Hill and Berger won 8-2 at the No. 2 contest and Lemaich and Zach Nicholson (Fr./Bowie, Md.) came away victorious at the No. 1 match, 8-4.

Each of Navy's five victories at singles play would come by two-set sweeps. Jeremy New (So./Glen Allen, Va.) delivered a perfect 6-0, 6-0 win over Atiba Fraser at No. 6 singles prior to Eddie Konrad's (Fr./Woodlands, Texas) 6-0, 6-1 victory over James Brennan Tsung in the No. 5 match. Hill jumped up to the No. 2 match and registered a 6-1, 6-3 win over Danlhadi Robinson before Nicholson recorded a solid 6-1, 6-0 victory against Daniel Gonzalez in the No. 4 event. Bullard went up to the No. 3 level and produced a 7-5, 6-1 victory against Esteban Mesa.

Rebersak, Navy's No. 2 singles player, competed in the No. 1 match against talented Jindrich Chaloupka in the final completed match of the night. Rebersak took the opening set, 6-2, before Chaloupka answered with a 6-4 second set victory to force a tiebreak third set. There, the Navy freshman battled but just came short against the St. Francis senior, 10-7.

The Midshipmen, currently in the midst of a seven-match homestand, will return to action on Friday, Feb. 6, when they play host to Maryland in the Tose Family Tennis Center. Start time is 3 p.m. and there is no admission charge to any Navy home tennis match.

NAVY 5, GEORGETOWN 2
Doubles
1. Johnny Waters/Nate Nelms (N) def. Mieszko Tomczyk/Michael Clarke (G); 8-6
2. Andrew Bruhn/Adam Gross (G) def. Ramsey Lemaich/Owen Bullard (N); 8-3
3. Jason Hill/Nick Birger (N) def. Ned Samuelson/Will Lowell (G); 8-6
Singles
1. Nate Nelms (N) def. Ned Samuelson (G); 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
2. Marcus Rebersak (N) def. David Tillem (G); 5-7, 7-5, 6-4
3. Adam Gross (G) def. Johnny Waters (N); 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3)
4. Andrew Bruhn (G) def. Jason Hill (N); 7-6 (10-8), 6-3
5. Ramsey Lemaich (N) def. Michael Clarke (G); 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
6. Owen Bullard (N) def. Will Lowell (G); 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Order of Finish
Doubles - 2,3,1
Singles - 4,5,6,2,1,3

NAVY 6, ST. FRANCIS (N.Y.) 1
Doubles
1. Ramsey Lemaich/Zach Ncholson (N) def. Jindrich Chaloupka/Esteban Mesa (S); 8-4
2. Jason Hill/Nick Birger (N) def. Danlhadi Robinson/James Brennan Tsung (S); 8-2
3. Joe Wiggins/Jarrad Smoke (N) def. Vihren Todorov/Darrius Marcellin (S); 8-0
Singles
1. Jindrich Chaloupka (S) def. Marcus Rebersak (N); 2-6, 6-4, 10-7
2. Jason Hill (N) def. Danlhadi Robinson (S); 6-1, 6-3
3. Owen Bullard (N) def. Esteban Mesa (S); 7-5, 6-1
4. Zach Nicholson (N) def. Daniel Gonzalez (S); 6-1, 6-0
5. Eddie Konrad (N) def. James Brennan Tsung (S); 6-0, 6-1
6. Jeremy New (N) def. Atiba Fraser (S); 6-0, 6-0
Order of Finish
Doubles - 3,2,1
Singles - 6,5,2,4,3,1