April 20, 2008
FLUSHING, N.Y- For the sixth time in program history, the Marist men's tennis team is the champion of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Red Foxes dominated Fairfield from the start en route to a 7-0 shutout at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. Sophomore Loic Sessagesimi (La Tour-de-Peliz, Switzerland) was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the tournament.
"Coming so close so many times makes this all the more meaningful," Marist senior captain Greg Marks (Newburgh, N.Y.) said. "The entire team really banded together and worked hard to get where we are."
Marist (14-4, 9-0 MAAC) got things rolling in doubles action where they took two of three matches to earn the doubles point. Christian Coley (Glastonbury, Conn.) and Nicolas Pisecky (Lausanne, Switzerland) easily beat Ryan Berthod and Rob Ferronte 8-2 in first doubles. Marks teamed with Sessagesimi for an 8-2 second doubles win in which they scored the first six points of the match.
The freshman duo of Landone Greene (Palos Verde, Calif.) and Marcus von Nordheim (Munich, Germany) dropped their third doubles match to Chip Palumbo and Balas Szikla by an 8-5 score.
Coley, a sophomore, got the win in first singles over Berthod. He won the first five points of the first set to take the momentum, but Berthod battled back to pull within one. Coley was able to serve for the final point, took back the momentum, and dominated the rest of the match. The score was 6-4, 6-0.
"He came back a little bit in that first set, but I stayed composed," said Coley. "Once I finished that first set the momentum shifted, and I was able to really take control."
Sessagesimi had no trouble in his second singles match with Ferronte. He took control from the start, and executed a perfect game plan in which he applied pressure on every point. He won 6-2, 6-0 and finished an outstanding 3-0 weekend in the tournament.
In third singles, von Nordheim won a thriller in three sets over George Laffey. The rookie won 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 10-4. The two players were relatively evenly matched and showed no quit throughout. Von Nordheim just made the bigger shots.
Pisecky was once again dominant in fourth singles. He rolled over Balas Szikla 6-2, 6-1. Szikla couldn't get anything going, and Pisecky was relentless. Pisecky was 3-0 on the weekend.
Marks won his 13th straight match in fifth singles over Chip Palumbo and completed a perfect tournament. He won 6-2, 6-4.
"I just went out and executed my game and focused on getting the job done," said Marks.
Rookie Landon Greene completed the Marist shutout with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Chris Piasecki in sixth singles. Greene completely controlled the action, and it was clear Piasecki was overmatched from the start.
"I am excited and actually elated that this group of competitors will have the chance to represent Marist and the MAAC at the NCAA Tournament," Head Coach Tim Smith said following the win. "This is a first class group of young men that has been a pleasure to coach."
Marist will find out their first round match on Tuesday, April 29th during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show which will air on ESPN News at 2:00 p.m.
