Stony Brook Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams won their first conference matches of the season as both teams edged out UMBC, 4-3, in Baltimore on Saturday.
Doubles play proved to be easy going for the men’s team as they handled UMBC. Junior Tyler Hoffman and freshman Rodrigo Ristow Hadlich won Number Three doubles 6-0. In the first doubles match of the day, senior Jose Morales and freshman Samuel Taieb defeated UMBC seniors Justin Carter and Alex Drean, 6-4.
The second men’s doubles match did not finish. Juniors Raphael Termat and Kenzo Kauffmann tied their competition 5-5. However, the Seawolves were still able to win the doubles point.
Singles play proved to be more challenging for the men. While Termat was able to handle Carter and win the first singles match 6-3, 6-2, the next three matches were more difficult.
Taieb dropped his match against senior Melker Svard 6-3, 6-2 in the second-flight singles match. His doubles partner, Morales, then lost the No. 3 singles match to Drean 6-3, 6-4. The losses continued as Hoffman fell to senior Elliot Loubatie 6-3, 6-4 in the fourth singles match.
However, the Seawolves found success in the No. 5 and No. 6 matches to claim the team win for the day. Hadlich started it off with a win against sophomore Vijay Golla 6-2, 6-1. Kauffmann sealed the deal with a victory against junior Kevin Hsieh 6-4, 6-1.
The script was flipped for the women’s team. Head coach Gary Glassman’s squad struggled in doubles play.
Sophomores Elizabeth Tsvetkov and Yana Nikolaeva won the first doubles match of the day 6-3. But the Seawolves could not add another win in doubles play, falling two matches to one. However, whereas the men struggled in singles play, the women shined.
Although the singles session started on a sour note as Tsvetkov fell to freshman Maria Siopacha 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the No. 1 singles match, the Seawolves rallied.
Nikolaeva earned a win against senior Madlena Kurasz 6-2, 6-4 in the second singles match. Freshman Devanshi Bhimjiyani defeated sophomore Alice Taylor 7-5, 6-4 in the No. 3 match. Although she got off to a rough start, junior Nadia Smergut secured a win against senior Shannon Cleary 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
Senior Louise Badoche could not continue the Seawolves’ success in the fifth-flight match as she fell to sophomore Laura Ambrozic 7-6, 6-4. But senior Becky Shtilkind helped earn the win for Stony Brook as she defeated sophomore Charlotte Tonjann 6-0, 6-4.
The win is the women’s second win in a row. The team will look to extend that streak against Hofstra on Wednesday at home. The men will also face the Long Island rival that day, when the Seawolves will look to rise above the .500 mark on the season.
