May 13, 2011

Marist-California Box Score

BERKELEY, Calif. - The Marist men's tennis team had its season come to an end on Friday with a 4-0 loss to #14 California in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championship. Two Red Foxes - senior Nicolas Pisecky (Lausanne, Switzerland) at third singles and freshman Will Reznek (Toronto, Canada) at sixth singles - each won the first set of their matches prior to play being halted, marking the first time in program history that a Marist player won a set in NCAA play.

"I was very proud of the way not only the team competed, but handled itself on the entire trip," Head Coach Tim Smith said. "It's something Marist can be very proud of."

Pisecky's and Reznek's matches were both tied at one set apiece when Cal clinched the decisive fourth point to end the match. Pisecky prevailed 6-4 in the first set against Nick Andrews, ranked 96th in the country, before dropping the second set 6-2. Reznek won the first set against Bozhidar Katsarov 6-3, and fell in the second set by the same score.

Cal opened the match by taking the doubles point. The 23rd-ranked team of Nick Andrews and Christoffer Konigsfeldt downed Pisecky and senior Landon Greene (Palos Verdes, Calif.) 8-1 at first doubles. The Bears clinched the point at second doubles when Ben McLachlan and Pedro Zerbini defeated junior Joris Van Eck (Ospel, The Netherlands), 8-4. Reznek and freshman Lorenzo Rossi (Lugano, Switzerland) had their match against 87th-ranked Carlos Cueto and Jonathan Dahan stopped with the Red Foxes trailing 5-2.

Cal took a 2-0 lead when Cueto, ranked 64th in the country in singles, defeated Van Eck 6-1, 6-3 in the number two spot. The Bears went up 3-0 when 20th-ranked Pedro Zerbini recorded a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Rossi at first singles. The match concluded at fifth singles, when McLachlan wrapped up a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Greene. Himmelsbach was trailing at fourth singles against Konigsfeldt 6-4, 5-4 when his match was halted.

Marist's season ends with a record of 18-4, as the Red Foxes reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year and ninth time in program history. The Red Foxes will lose four seniors - Greene, Pisecky, Rhys Hobbs (Sydney, Australia) and Marcus von Nordheim (Munich, Germany) - who combined for 384 victories in their careers. However, in Rossi, Van Eck, Himmelsbach and Reznek, the Red Foxes will return four of their top six in singles.