Last weekend the UB men's tennis team suffered a series of defeats in a four-day tournament at Brown University, where they faced some of the top Ivy League schools in the Northeast.
Mike Rockman was the only Bulls singles player to advance in the tournament. Though the Bulls' doubles teams kept the scores of their matches close, they were ultimately dominated by their opponents.
Sophomore Mike Rockman was the only player to advance to the winner's bracket in singles action for the Bulls. Rockman opened his individual competition with a victory and then followed with a defeat at the hands of Manhattan's Filip Szymik, 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.
At the conclusion of the tournament on Sunday, Rockman lost to Brown's Phil Charm in the consolation round.
Although UB's double squads ended up sinking to the bottom of the tournament bracket, they were able to keep their competition in check with close game scores. UB's dual teams included Zieziula and junior Matt Kennedy, sophomores Albert Alant and Yules Hadisubroto and juniors Joe Popielarczyk and Mike Zappone.
Zieziula and Kennedy dropped a 9-7 decision to Brown's Phil Charm and Richard Moss and then an 8-5 decision to Villanova's Aaron Kusza and Dmitri Chimerakis.
Hadisubroto and Alant fell in the opening round to Szymik and Alon Cohen of Manhattan, 8-4. The UB pair came back strong and won 8-4 against Connecticut's Mason Viau and Brian Ravesloot. Popielarczyk and Zappone lost their first round match to a pair from Hartford, 8-6.
UB head coach Russ Crispell said the extremely close game scores, coupled with the diverse talent the Bulls faced in this tournament provides a solid foundation for the Bulls to build upon.
"There is always room for improvement, therefore the team doesn't quit," said Crispell. "We will do what ever it takes to improve; it's like climbing a mountain, taking one step at time to create progress."
Veteran player Nick Ziezula, a senior on the team, said the Bulls knew the tournament would be challenging before they made the trip.
"Any one of the individuals or programs that we face at a weekend like this requires that we be at our best, fighting and clawing for every point," he said. "The talent level at these tournaments is so deep that anyone can take anyone else out on any given day.
Ziezula said these tournaments often have unexpected results.
"You've got to know that if you keep your nose to the grindstone you can beat those guys, but it goes the other way too," said Zieziula. "A school that might not be in the national rankings has many players who can just as easily come out and knock you out. You've got to approach each match with the same focus and determination, the margin of difference between the guys at these tournaments boils down to a few inches, sometimes even less."
Regardless of the results posted by UB last weekend, the Bulls are still optimistic about their 2004-2005 season.
"The MAC is a tough conference but the team we have knows what has to be done to have a successful season," said Zappone.
Likewise, team leader Zieziula has the team focusing in the direction of success for the upcoming season.
"At the beginning of the year the team sat down together and decided on some goals for the year," Zieziula said. "We feel that if we can finish in the top three among the MAC schools during the regular season, we will be in a position to make it into the championship match. We try to take each day and seize the opportunities that day has for us to keep progressing towards our goals."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
