Sept. 23, 2009
Complete Results
LATHAM, N.Y. - The Marist men's tennis team swept its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference dual match of the season on Wednesday afternoon. The Red Foxes defeated Siena (2-2 overall, 0-1 MAAC), 7-0. Senior Loic Sessagesimi (Blonay, Switzerland) and Matt Himmelsbach (Longmeadow, Mass.) held their opponents at love at second and fifth singles respectively.
All six singles matches were decided in straight sets. Senior Christian Coley (Glastonbury, Conn.) defeated Michael Amico, 6-1, 7-5 at first singles. Juniors Marcus von Nordheim (Munich, Germany) cruised past Jarett Siwiec, 6-0, 6-2, and Hank Bessinger (Klovis, Calif.) beat Kevin Gioia, 6-3, 6-4 in the first MAAC dual match of his career. Sophomore Ian Sims (Stow, Ohio) outlasted Nick Godbole, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6).
Marist (1-0 overall, 1-0 MAAC) swept the doubles point to win all nine matches contested in the afternoon. The first doubles team of Coley and von Nordheim triumphed over Amico and Siwiec, 8-5. Sessagesimi and Bessinger warded off Gioia and Vikaran Kadaba, 8-6 at second doubles. Sims and Himmelsbach proved too strong for Jay and Nick Godbole. The Marist third doubles team won 8-2.
"This was a good example of where our depth helped the team," head coach Tim Smith said. "We were allowed to keep some of our players in classes hence allowing other players not as high in the lineup to get match time against a conference foe."
Marist will return to the courts this weekend, Friday, Sept. 25-27 at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. The Red Foxes will partake in the USTA Collegiate Men's Invitational.
