Tournament MVP Arik Zeevy Rebounds to Clinch Empire 8 Men's Tennis Championship
Second-Seeded Stevens Defeats Top-Seeded Ithaca
Ben Badua, Stevens Sports Information Director
WEST WINDSOR, N.J. (May 9, 2010) – Junior Arik Zeevy recorded a dramatic, 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 come-from-behind, championship clinching victory in third-flight singles as the Stevens Institute of Technology men’s tennis team captured its second Empire 8 title with a 5-2 victory over Ithaca College at the Mercer County Tennis Center in West Windsor, N.J. The junior co-captain, who captured a No. 1 doubles victory earlier in the day, took home the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honors for his efforts. The Ducks improved to 18-3 overall on the season, while the Bombers fell to 16-3 on the year.
Junior Jason Ringstad and sophomore Gregory Klose helped set the tone for Stevens in doubles play, opening things up with an 8-4 victory over junior Dan Adelman (Hampton, Conn.) and freshman Josh Berggrun (Pepper Pike, Ohio) in the third slot.
Stevens senior Piotr Rusinkiewicz and freshman Chris Rosensteel then put the Ducks up 2-0 with an 8-5 triumph in No. 2 doubles over Ithaca senior Danny Wolk (Potomac, Md.) and sophomore Jimmy Newton (Englewood, Fla.).
Down 5-2 in No.1 singles, Ithaca’s top tandem of Josh Rifkin (Ft. Wayne, Ind.) and Taylor Borda (Chester, N.J.) – who entered the match with a 26-3 record – fought back to take a 6-5 edge, but not to be denied, Stevens’ Zeevy and freshman Shota Tasaki rallied, rattling off three-consecutive victories to complete the Ducks’ doubles sweep.
“Sweeping doubles was huge for us considering that we went down 2-1 (after doubles) the last time we played,” said head coach Steve Gachko
. “It certainly gave us the momentum, but we knew that they (Ithaca) would compete to the last point so it was important for us not to get too comfortable and to stick with it.”
True to form, Ithaca battled back, cutting it to 3-2 with Adelman’s 6-4, 6-3 victory over Klose in No. 6 singles and Rifkin’s 6-2, 6-4 triumph in the top slot over Tasaki. Ringstad secured the Ducks’ fourth win of the afternoon with a 6-4, 6-4, victory over Wolf in No. 4 singles, before Zeevy notched the championship clinching win with a gutsy, come-from-behind, 4-6, 7-5, 6-0, No. 3 singles win over Newton. The Irvington, N.Y. native, who lost the first set 6-4, trailed 5-2 in the second set before rallying for the win.
“That win showed his (Zeevy) tenacity,” Gachko said. “He was relentless and refused to accept defeat. This was a big win for him and should give him some added confidence moving forward.”
With the win, Stevens captured the league’s automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Tournament, while snapping Ithaca’s 20-match win-streak against conference opponents. The full tournament field will be announced on Monday, May 10.
“That was the biggest win of the season for us,” Gachko said. “Hopefully we can carry over that success and energy into the NCAAs next weekend. We’re a young team, but we’re certainly excited for the challenge.”