The UB men's tennis team may be without Randy Rocchio, who was injured and missed this Wednesday's match in Rochester, but the Bulls were able to overcome the loss of their best player to defeat the University of Rochester by a score of 5-2.
Rocchio, one half of UB's self-titled "Rock and Roll" doubles tandem injured his elbow and may be out for a prolonged amount of time.
"We don't know quite yet as to the extent of how long he'll be out," said head coach Russ Crispell. "His not being there was definitely a factor."
Nick Zieziula, the other half of "Rock and Roll," stepped in for his partner at first doubles and defeated Rochester's Avinash Reddy in straight sets to set the tone for UB. That victory for Zieziula put him at 20 wins on the year, which ties a school record.
"Nick isn't happy with just 20, he's set his goal at 30," said Crispell. "He's not out to win one for himself, his purpose is to benefit the team."
And there's no better way to benefit the team than by demolishing a record for wins in a single season, especially against the competition the Bulls have seen this year.
"Our objective was to face the toughest opponents we could face," Crispell said.
The team has certainly done that and more, facing top-ranked opponents like St. Bonaventure, Manhattan College and Binghamton. Each of those schools was picked to win its respective conference for this year.
On Wednesday, the Bulls won five of the seven matches played, including Nick Zieziula's singles and doubles match. Zieziula's doubles partner for Wednesday was Ivan Chamdani, who also stepped in for Rocchio in his singles spot.
"Ivan Chamdani, who hasn't started for us in over a year, started and played magnificently," said Crispell.
UB is going to juggle around a few different lineups in the upcoming matches to get ready for the MAC tournament.
"We're playing two non-conference matches, so we're going to try a lot of new formations," Crispell said. "Over the next couple matches we're going to be giving our young players a lot of opportunities."
Those players will be getting their first opportunities against Bucknell and Duquesne tomorrow in a pair of neutral-site matches at St. Bonaventure. After that, the MAC season will begin, and the team's real test with it.
Crispell knows that the toughest road is ahead.
"We're not playing light teams, we have three teams in this conference that are nationally ranked," Crispell said. "But you're going to see these guys go out swinging."
The Bulls next match is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday in St. Bonaventure where they will take on Duquesne.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
