The UB men's tennis team walked onto their home court last Sunday looking to regain momentum. Having suffered two tough losses the day before to Western Michigan and St. Bonaventure, the Bulls wanted to bounce back in a big way.
Buffalo did just that, dominating local rival Niagara University 6-1 Sunday afternoon at the Village Glenn Tennis Center in Williamsville, N.Y.
"We played over seven hours of tennis the day before. To come back today and play the way we did shows the desire of this team to work hard and play at their best," said Bulls Head Coach Russ Crispell.
Singles competition got off to a bang when Niagara University's Jonathan Bozanich, upset over officiating, the crowd, and his opponent, UB senior Fery Kasiman. Bozanich went on a tirade that resulted in his forfeit, and caused a scene as he stormed out of the tennis complex.
"NU has a talented group of kids but they're undisciplined," Crispell said. "Win or lose, it is about how you behave to bring respect and honor to the university."
In other singles action Buffalo commanded the court, winning five of their six matches. UB's Randy Rocchio defeated Eric Roslansky, 6-3, 6-3. Justin Brtko grabbed the team its third singles victory beating Mike Kelly, 6-3, 6-0. Buffalo freshman Nick Zieziula scored an easy victory over Kris Hrisovulos, 6-0, 6-0, and Sean Kelley defeated Tom Rees, 6-1, 6-0.
UB's lone loss in singles competition was a tight match-up between Buffalo's Josh Liederman and Niagara's Jason Pope. Liederman eventually fell to Pope, 6-3, 6-2.
Buffalo proved to be just as successful in doubles competition, winning two of their three matches. The teams of Liederman/Rohan Raikar and Rocchio/Zieziula rang up important victories for the Bulls, scoring UB a point in doubles.
"We played pretty well today. The rivalry was real intense in the beginning, but they lost their focus, and that will never happen to us," said Rocchio.
Bulls Drop Pair at Bona
Saturday afternoon the team suffered a 7-0 loss to the Western Michigan Broncos, followed by a 6-1 defeat at the hands of the St. Bonaventure Bonnies in a doubleheader held in Olean, N.Y.
Against the Broncos, Buffalo lost each of their six singles matches, failing to win a set. The team's lone win in the match came at doubles when Rocchio/Zieziula worked overtime for a 9-7 win over WMU's Christian Brattstrom and Thomas Dennis.
UB won one of eight matches again in their nightcap against the Bonnies. Kasiman was Buffalo's only victor, defeating Vili Nurmi, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). The Bulls fell in their five other singles matches, and were swept in three doubles matches.
Buffalo's current record is 7-6 overall and 0-1 in the Mid-American Conference. Their next competition will be a long way from home, March 25 against Rollins College in Orlando, Fla.
