By Emma Carmichael
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (February 17, 2008) –- The Vassar College men's tennis team won its second match in as many attempts in its spring schedule, defeating Stevens Institute of Technology 9-0 at Walker Field House Sunday afternoon. The Brewers dropped just one set of play in two matches this weekend and were perfect in their matches, going 18-0 over the past two days.
The Vassar doubles teams started the day off with three straight victories, two of which finished with close 8-6 decisions. At the #1 doubles spot, freshmen Max Willner (Bronx, NY/The Dwight School) and Greg Katz (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin Senior) cruised past Stevens' Zhi Ko and Ricky Bawa (Lyndhurst, NJ/Dwight Englewood) 8-1.
In singles play, Vassar swept the Ducks with similar ease. For Stevens, #6 Jay Lee (San Diego, CA/Francis W. Parker) managed to pick off one set from Vassar sophomore Robert Babbage (Lexington, KY/IMG Academy), but Babbage closed out the second set and a tiebreak to win, 6-7 (7-9), 6-1, (10-1).
At the #1 spot, Brewers sophomore Mike Mattelson (Great Neck, NY/Great Neck North) battled through a strong showing from Stevens' Zhi Ko and managed a 6-3, 6-2 victory. “ I played a tough match today,” said Mattelson following the win, “and even though I started out slow I'm happy with the way I played throughout.”
Jeremy Rosen (Paramus, NJ/Paramus), Vassar's #5 singles player, countered a competitive 6-3 first set against Jason Ringstad (Fairbanks, AK/Monroe Catholic) with a 6-0 score to finish his match in two sets.
“I felt like I played a solid match,” said Rosen. “I started out slow, then my serve finally came together. I started attacking his backhand and didn't let up. It's important to stay aggressive in matches like these.”
Next weekend, Vassar, ranked #12 in the northeast by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, will travel to play at #10 MIT on Saturday, February 23 and the Coast Guard Academy on Sunday, February 24. Stevens will play at the Drew University Invitational that same weekend.
Doubles
1. Max Willner/Greg Katz (VC) def. Zhi Ko/Ricky Bawa (SIT) 8-1
2. Mike Mattelson/Ashish Patil (VC) def. Arik Zeevy/Piotr Rusinkiewicz (SIT), 8-6
3. Jeremy Rosen/Joshua Jasso (VC) def. Jay Lee/Jason Ringstad (SIT), 8-6
Singles
1. Mike Mattelson (VC) def. Zhi Ko (SIT), 6-3, 6-2
2. Max Willner (VC) def. Arik Zeevy (SIT), 6-1, 7-5
3. Greg Katz (VC) def. Ricky Bawa (SIT), 6-1, 6-2
4. Ashish Patil (VC) def. Piotr Rusinkiewicz (SIT), 6-2, 6-0
5. Jeremy Rosen (VC) def. Jason Ringstad (SIT), 6-3, 6-0
6. Robert Babbage (VC) def. Jay Lee (SIT), 6-7 (9-7), 6-1, (10-1)
Emma Carmichael is a student assistant in the Sports Information Office
