Elmira Rolls in 8-1 Drubbing of Farmingdale State
Score: Elmira College 8, Farmingdale State 1
Records: Elmira (2-3), Farmingdale (0-1)
Location: Murray Athletic Center Tennis Dome – Pine Valley, NY
Pine Valley, NY -- Elmira College men's tennis got back into the win column this evening, as the Soaring Eagles claimed an 8-1 win over Farmingdale State in the opening match of the Elmira College Spring Kickoff Invitational. Today's frigid temperature did little to cool down the play of Elmira, as the Purple and Gold secured their most lopsided win of the 2015-16 season. Additionally, Elmira saw
Austin Mansell '16 move into sole possession of third place in program history for total career wins (47).
Elmira jumped out to a 3-0 lead in today's match thanks to a solid effort in doubles.
Chris Konow '18 and Mansell teamed up for an 8-3 win at second doubles. Mansell and Konow never trailed, as the newly formed doubles tandem cruised to the win.
Another newly formed doubles team,
Satchal Waters '16 and
Patrick Tracey '18, prevailed at the first spot 8-4. The early stages of the match were a back-and-forth affair, as EC held a slender 3-2 lead. However, Elmira won five of the next seven games to clinch the victory.
Rounding out Elmira's doubles wins was its third doubles team of
Yu Ikeda '16 and
Yaniv Kogan '18. After falling in a 3-0 hole, the duo rattled off seven straight games to take control of the match, which would ultimately end in an 8-4 win.
Tracey put Elmira ahead 4-0 after claiming a 6-4, 6-1 straight set victory at fourth singles. The second-year talent pulled out a tight first set, earning a break of serve to take a late 5-4 lead. He insured the break in the following service game with a hold to win the set at 6-4. Tracey's strong performance to close out the first carried over into the second set, as the Bardonia, NY, native cruised to a 6-1 win.
Shortly after Tracey's win, Mansell clinched the match for the Purple and Gold at third singles with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win. Mansell controlled the match early on with his aggressive play at net, putting away volleys and overheads with relative ease. With the straight set win, Mansell won 24-of-30 games played this afternoon.
Farmingdale got on the board with a win at the first spot, as Ikeda fell in straight sets 6-2, 6-3. The first-year netter suffered breaks of serve early in both sets which he was unable to recover from.
Waters put Elmira out in front 6-1 with a hard fought win at second singles. The fourth-year talent trailed 5-3 in the opening set, but rattled off four straight games for a 7-5 win. Credit Waters' ability to close the net for the win in the first, as the Elmira, NY, native utilized his slice approach to setup winners on the overhead and volley. Waters continued his steady play in the second, controlling the set from the opening serve, as he went on to win it 6-3.
Sixth singles was the next match to finish, as Kogan rallied for a three-set victory. Kogan dropped the opening set 3-6, but was able to rally in the second for a 6-1 win. The lopsided second set was mostly due to Kogan's ability to outlast his opponent from the baseline, as his consistency proved to be a determining factor. That consistency trickled into the third-set super tiebreaker, as Kogan claimed a 10-2 win.
The last match to finish this afternoon was Konow at the fifth spot. Konow won the first set by a single break at 6-3, but the second set was much tighter. After holding a slight lead in the opening stages of the second, Konow found himself in a battle down the stretch and was eventually forced into a tiebreaker. Similar to Kogan's match, consistency was the underlying factor, as Konow's refusal to make mistakes helped him secure the breaker at 7-4, sealing a 6-3, 7-6(4) win.
In His Own Words…
Coach
Tom Linhart shares his thoughts on how his team performed today…
"I was very pleased at the workmanlike performance our team had today. We really just focused and took care of business in pretty convincing fashion against a solid team."
Coach Linhart on his team's effort in doubles this evening…
"Doubles is always crucial in college tennis and our guys I thought really clicked today, especially after starting a little slow and having to battle back. Despite the early set back we came out and played smart aggressive doubles and it really allowed us to dictate the match."
Coach Linhart shares his thoughts on what the key was in singles action tonight…
"Our guys are mentally tough and don't give up loads after doubles, so having a good lead really fired them up and got us going early in singles. Again, our guys came out and were just a little more consistent and mentally tough, which I thought was the difference. Overall, I was impressed at how we played a complete match today.
Turning Point
Today's turning point took place early in the day, specifically in doubles action. The early goings of doubles was fairly tight, as EC held slim leads at first and second doubles, while also trailing 3-0 at the third spot. However, Elmira took over the net and the match, securing wins at each spot to head into singles play with a 3-0 lead.
Match Recap
- Elmira won all three doubles matches.
- Tracey and Waters were 8-4 winners at first doubles.
- Mansell and Konow rolled at second doubles, winning the match 8-3.
- Ikeda and Kogan logged an 8-4 comeback win at the third spot.
- Singles action was also dominated by Elmira, as it won 5-of-6 matches.
- Ikeda suffered a straight set loss at first singles, 6-2, 6-3.
- Waters downed his opponent at the second spot, 7-5, 6-3.
- Mansell clinched the match for Elmira, as he rolled at third singles, 6-2, 6-1.
- Tracey pulled out a tight first set, before rolling in the second for a 6-4, 6-1 win at fourth singles.
- Konow also prevailed in a pair of tight sets at the fifth spot, 6-3, 7-6(4).
- Kogan rallied from a set down for an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 10-2 win at the sixth spot.
News and Notes
- Today's victory was Elmira's most lopsided win of the year.
- Elmira swept the doubles matches for the first time this season.
- EC improved to 2-1 at the Murray Athletic Center this season.
- Mansell moved into sole possession of third place in EC history for career total wins (47).
- Mansell also moved into a two-way tie with recent EC grad, Keith Bujak '15, for third place in program history for career doubles victories (22).
- Konow and Tracey are tied for the team-lead in singles wins with three apiece.
Scores
Singles
1. Palacios, Kevin (FSC) def.
Yu Ikeda (ELMIRA) 6-2, 6-3
2.
Satchal Waters (ELMIRA) def. Drago, Joseph (FARM) 7-5, 6-3
3.
Austin Mansell (ELMIRA) def. Kafka, Daniel (FARM) 6-2, 6-1
4.
Patrick Tracey (ELMIRA) def. Beaubrun, Marvin (FARM) 6-4, 6-1
5.
Chris Konow (ELMIRA) def. Baruch, Dan (FARM) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
6.
Yaniv Kogan (ELMIRA) def. Madigan, Patrick (FARM) 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-2)
Doubles
1. Tracey/Waters (ELMIRA) def. Palacios/Beaubrun (FARM) 8-4
2. Mansell/Konow (ELMIRA) def. Drago/Kafka (FARM) 8-3
3. Ikeda/Kogan (ELMIRA) def. Kaplan/Madigan (FARM) 8-4
Up Next
Elmira returns to action tomorrow night, when the Soaring Eagles take on Purchase College in a non-conference match. Saturday night's match is slated for 6:00 p.m. at the Murray Athletic Center Tennis Dome in Pine Valley, NY.