ORANGE, CA (March 18, 2017) – The Vassar College men's tennis team rebounded from a 6-3 loss to Whittier College on Wednesday evening, knocking off both the College of Wooster 7-2 and Chapman University 5-4 in non-conference play from out in California.

Vassar 7, Wooster2
The Brewers (8-5) started the day with a strong 7-2 victory over the Fighting Scots of Wooster, as doubles propelled Vassar into a strong singles display. Wooster got on the board early with a win at No. 1 doubles, as Juan Felipe Laso teamed with fellow senior Alexander Luckmann were knocked off by Jack Buchan and Davis Elkins 8-0.

Vassar freshman pair Allen Sokolov and Jeremy Auh eked out a win over Titas Bera and Jesse DeWitt at No. 2 doubles, pulling clear to pull the Brewers even at one match apiece with an 8-6 decision. Senior Nick Litsky and sophomore Nick Zuczek gave VC the advantage going into singles action, as the pair knocked off Andrew Long and Nathan Devereux 8-3.

In singles, Laso put the Brewers up with a nice win in come-from-behind fashion, as the senior dropped the first set at No. 3 singles 6-2. Laso would break three times in the second set to blank Elkins 6-0, forcing a super-tiebreaker. In the breaker, Laso controlled play to the tune of 10-3 to put Vassar up 3-1. Litsky had no problems at No. 1 for VC, pulling the Brewers to within one win of a team victory with a 6-1, 6-1 straight set triumph.

Freshman Zamir Birnbach would get the clinching victory for the Brewers at the sixth position, as the newcomer won his third match in four attempts this season, knocking off Long 6-3, 6-4 to give Vassar the win. Sokolov added to his win total at No. 2, turning it on late in the match to cruise to a 6-4, 6-1 straight set win.

Sophomore Jamie Anderson played a strong match at No. 4, knocking off DeWitt in a super-tiebreaker. In the opening set, Anderson fell in the tiebreak 7-6 (3) to go down a set, but came right back with an emphatic 6-0 win. In the tiebreaker, Anderson dominated play, picking up 10 of the 11 points played to earn his seventh win of the year.

The last win for Wooster would come at No. 5 singles, as Devereux topped sophomore Nick Lee in a marathon match. Devereux won the opening set 7-5, but Lee rallied to deadlock the match at a set apiece after a 6-3 win. In the super-tiebreaker, Devereux barely edged Lee 10-8 to claim the victory.

Vassar College 7, College of Wooster 2
Mar 17, 2017 at Orange, Calif. (Chapman University)

Singles competition
1. Nick Litsky (VCMT) def. Titas Bera (WOO) 6-1, 6-1
2. Allen Sokolov (VCMT) def. Jack Buchan (WOO) 6-4, 6-1
3. Juan Felipe Laso (VCMT) def. Davis Elkins (WOO) 2-6, 6-0, 1-0 (10-3)
4. Jamie Anderson (VCMT) def. Jesse DeWitt (WOO) 6-7 (3-7), 6-0, 1-0 (10-1)
5. Nathan Devereux (WOO) def. Nick Lee (VCMT) 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (10-8)
6. Zamir Birnbach (VCMT) def. Andrew Long (WOO) 6-3, 6-4
 
Doubles competition
1. Jack Buchan/Davis Elkins (WOO) def. Juan Felipe Laso/Alexander Luckmann (VCMT) 8-0
2. Allen Sokolov/Jeremy Auh (VCMT) def. Titas Bera/Jesse DeWitt (WOO) 8-6
3. Nick Litsky/Nick Zuczek (VCMT) def. Andrew Long/Nathan Devereux (WOO) 8-3
 
Match Notes
College of Wooster 4-7
Vassar College 7-5
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (,3,1,6,2,4,5)
T-3:00

Vassar 5, Chapman 4
The Brewers were able to outlast the host Panthers of Chapman University late on Friday night, as VC claimed their second win of the day with a 5-4 victory. Chapman, which came in ranked No. 15 in the West region, picked up two of the three doubles points to take a 2-1 lead going into individual play.

Vassar earned the first win of doubles, as Litsky and Zuczek earned their second win of the day with an 8-1 win over Darrus Lee and Len Kamemoto at No. 3. Chapman tied the match at one with a victory at No. 2 doubles, as Laso and sophomore Robin Drummond fell 8-3 to Mathew Mead and Brock DeHaven.  

At No. 1, Auh and Sokolov played well and worked hard, but couldn't top Charlie Werman and Josh Sarsfield as CU took a 2-1 advantage. Vassar would pull even with the first singles match to finish, as Laso breezed past Mead 6-0, 6-1 to mark the match score 2-2.

Litsky chalked up his second win of the day with another straight set victory, as his return game played key as usual in a 6-3, 6-3 win. The victory marked his team-leading 12^th of the season, as he has won his last three matches, going 7-3 in his last 10 singles outings.

Vassar pushed its lead to 4-2 thanks to Sokolov at No. 2 singles, as the freshman dominated the first set 6-1 before clinching VC's fourth point with a 7-5 victory in the second set. Sokolov has started to settle in for the Brewers, as he has won his last three times in singles.

The Brewers clinched the winning point at No. 5, as Auh would earn a 6-2 win in the opening set, and followed by taking a 4-3 edge in the second. Auh would claim an important break of serve to help claim the straight set win, giving the Brewers the win.

Chapman would claim the last two singles matches, but it wasn't enough as the Brewers chalked up their eighth win of the year. "It was a good day of tennis for us," said head coach Alex Wong. "We played two tough teams and needed everybody to play well to win these matches. We had to fight hard because we knew it was going to be a long day."

"I'm proud of how we all competed because we needed to be mentally tough to win these matches. We have a quick turnaround and play a really good CalTech team tomorrow. We are looking forward to finishing our spring break trip."

Vassar will take on CalTech in Pasadena, CA Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. PDT in its final Spring Break match before heading home from California.

Vassar College 5, Chapman University 4
Mar 17, 2017 at Orange, CA (Chapman Tennis Courts)

Singles competition
1. Nick Litsky (VCMT) def. Charlie Werman (CHAPMAN) 6-3, 6-3
2. Allen Sokolov (VCMT) def. Josh Sarsfield (CHAPMAN) 6-1, 7-5
3. Juan Felipe Laso (VCMT) def. Mathew Mead (CHAPMAN) 6-0, 6-1
4. Darrus Lee (CHAPMAN) def. Jamie Anderson (VCMT) 6-7, 6-2, 10-4
5. Jeremy Auh (VCMT) def. Igor Silva (CHAPMAN) 6-2, 6-3
6. Len Kamemoto (CHAPMAN) def. Alexander Luckmann (VCMT) 6-4, 6-3
 
Doubles competition
1. Charlie Werman/Josh Sarsfield (CHAPMAN) def. Jeremy Auh/Allen Sokolov (VCMT) 8-5
2. Mathew Mead/Brock DeHaven (CHAPMAN) def. Robin Drummond/Juan Felipe Laso (VCMT) 8-3
3. Nick Zuczek/Nick Litsky (VCMT) def. Darrus Lee/Len Kamemoto (CHAPMAN) 8-1
 
Match Notes
Vassar College 8-5
Chapman University 1-7; Regional ranking #15
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (,3,1,2,5,6,4)
T-3:10 A-30