March 13, 2010
Final Stats
VERONA, N.Y. - The three-time defending Patriot League champion Navy men's tennis team successfully opened defense of its latest league crown by posting a 6-1 victory over Colgate Saturday afternoon at the Turning Stone Sportsplex in Verona, N.Y. The Mids saw their record improve to 6-9 on the season with the win, while the Raiders fell to 4-3 on the year with the loss.
"I was really pleased with our effort today," said Navy head coach John Officer. "Everyone was ready to play."
The Mids quickly took a 1-0 lead in the battle for the doubles point as Zach Nicholson (So., Bowie, Md.) and Marcus Rebersak (So., Pittsburgh, Pa.) combined to post an 8-1 win over the team of Harry Jewett and Parker Lewis at No. 3 doubles. The Raiders evened the score when Phil Bernasek and Ruslan Goussiantnikov won an 8-6 decision over Nick Birger (Jr., Belleville, Ill.) and Ramsey Lemaich (Sr., Danville, Calif.) at No. 2 doubles. The Mids would earn the doubles point with an 8-6 win at No. 1 doubles by Owen Bullard (Jr., Concord, N.C.) and Nicholas Gutsche (Fr., Sarasota, Fla.) over the Colgate tandem of John Nogueras and Michael Yassky.
Navy earned its second team point of the afternoon when Jeremy New (Jr., Glen Allen, Va.) posted a 6-3, 6-3 win over Nogueras at No. 3 singles. After the advantage for the Mids grew to 3-0 when Bullard completed a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Bernasek at No. 1 singles, Nicholson clinched the overall team victory for Navy with his 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 4 singles against Alex Goldstein.
Navy's additional two points on the day were recorded in a pair of straight set wins by Gutsche at No. 5 singles and Matt Richmond (Fr., Kalamazoo, Mich.) at No. 6 singles.
Colgate's lone point of the day was tallied by Yassky, who outlasted Rebersak, 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (7-9), 1-0 (10-5), at No. 2 singles.
"We had a number of guys play very well today," said Officer. "Our plan at the start of the year was to play a challenging schedule in order to better prepare ourselves for the start of the Patriot League season, and it seems to have worked."
Navy will next be in action Thursday afternoon when the Mids face Bethune-Cookman in Jacksonville, Fla.
Navy 6, Colgate 1
Doubles (finish order: 3-2-1) - Navy wins the doubles point
1. Bullard / Gutsche (N) def. Nogueras / Yassky, 8-6
2. Bernasek / Ruslan Goussiantnikov (C) def. Nick Birger / Ramsey Lemaich, 8-6
3. Nicholson / Rebersak (N) def. Harry Jewett / Parker Lewis, 8-1
Singles (finish order: 3-1-4-2-5-6)
1. Owen Bullard (N) def. Phil Bernasek, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
2. Michael Yassky (C) def. Marcus Rebersak, 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (7-9), 1-0 (10-5)
3. Jeremy New (N) def. John Nogueras, 6-3, 6-3
4. Zach Nicholson (N) def. Alec Goldstein, 6-2, 6-4
5. Nicholas Gutsche (N) def. Sean Spellberg, 6-1, 6-1
6. Matt Richmond (N) def. Connor Feuille, 6-1, 6-4
