Sophomores Yana Nikolaeva and Elizabeth Tsvetkov were entrenched in a thrilling doubles tiebreak, as Stony Brook Men’s and Women’s Tennis faced Long Island rival Hofstra on Wednesday afternoon.
Tsvetkov hit three consecutive volleys at the net with the tiebreak knotted 6-6 before her teammate stepped into a baseline forehand winner between the two Hofstra opponents. Two points later, Nikolaeva hit a passing shot that dropped on the opponents’ baseline. The shot wrapped up the Stony Brook women’s 3-0 doubles sweep — equalling the clean slate the men’s team had wrapped up minutes before.
The tiebreak was one of the day’s only points of excitement, as the Seawolves crushed the Pride. Stony Brook Men’s Tennis beat Hofstra 6-1, while Stony Brook Women’s Tennis held firm for a 7-0 shutout over the Nassau County opponents.
Junior Raphael Termat led the men’s effort, defeating Hofstra freshman Marcus Smith in the No. 1 singles, 6-2, 6-4. The win came despite his falling down a break of serve early in the second set.
The single Seawolves’ loss of the day for either team was from freshman Samuel Taieb in the No. 2 singles match. Taieb fell to sophomore Niko Vulinovich, 7-5, 6-3.
For the women, both Nikolaeva and Tsvetkov took care of business, leading the way for their team.
Nikolaeva, facing senior Sarah Bowen, won a very tightly contested match, 7-6 (6), 7-5. The two combatants in the No. 1 singles match were unable to break the other’s serve through the entire first set, before Nikolaeva — like she had in her doubles match — bested Bowen in the tiebreak.
Tsvetkov — relegated from her usual top-flight perch after losing a three-set match at UMBC last weekend — claimed victory in the No. 2 match after her opponent, junior Carmen Pestano, retired from the match early in the first set with an apparent injury.
Stony Brook held its annual senior day ceremonies before the match, as Louise Badoche and Becky Shtilkind were honored from the women’s team and Jose Morales and Kenzo Kauffman were honored from the men’s team. The quartet dominated, as all four players won their singles matches in straight sets.
Badoche had the contest’s only perfect match, beating Hofstra sophomore Ria Shah, 6-0, 6-0, in No. 5 singles. Just after Badoche finished, Shtilkind won the No. 6 match in nearly-as-impressive fashion. Shtilkind surrendered just one game in a 6-0, 6-1, match-clinching win.
Morales won his No. 3 match, 6-1, 4-5, after freshman opponent Yahn Gawrit retired midway through the second set. Kauffman took less than an hour to take No. 6 singles, winning 6-0, 6-1, as he was the first player to conclude his match.
Freshman Devanshi Bhimjiyani and junior Nadia Smergut both won their matches for the women’s team, while junior Tyler Hoffman and freshman Rodrigo Ristow Hadlich each won their match for the men. Hadlich’s victory clinched the Stony Brook win.
Both teams will be back in action on Saturday, as the men’s team plays at Sacred Heart for a match beginning at 12:30 p.m., while the women will stay home for a 1 p.m. tilt with NJIT.
