The UB men's tennis team will travel to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Northeast Men's Regional Championships. The tournament is scheduled to start on Thurs., Oct 21 and last until Tues., Oct. 26.
The Bulls will compete against tough athletic competition from all over the country in order to qualify for the ITA National Championships. The Bulls intend to play hard and play strong because once a participant loses then the tournament is over for that individual.
"It is a very interesting tournament because this is a regional qualifier. The winner of the singles and doubles gets a bid into the national tournament," said senior Nick Zieziula. "Every team gets to send at least one representative, so it's a pretty amazing tournament."
Tournament play is single elimination; once a player loses, he is eliminated from play. UB team captain Zieziula is one of the Bulls that will play singles in this tournament. He is excited about the tournament and understands it is necessary to have a strong drive and a strong desire to succeed in order to emerge from the opening round.
"Most of our schedule at UB is comprised of team events, where we are playing schools looking to see how we match up with them with our whole lineup. The ITA, however, is all about individual results. There is a draw set up just like if you were watching the U.S. Open, if you win you keep moving on, if you lose you're done," said Zieziula.
The Bulls will face competitors such as Brown, Yale, and Stony Brook. In last year's tournament, Brown senior Jamie Cerretani pulled off a tremendous double victory, winning the singles crown and teaming with junior Adil Shamasdin for the doubles title.
For Yale, Ryan Murphy made it to the fourth round before being eliminated. His teammates Brandon Wai and Milosz Gudzowski also fell in the third round and consolation quarterfinals.
Stony Brook's Michael Crooks posted two wins, while Tal Meir picked up a victory in the consolation bracket.
Head coach Russ Crispell knows that his veteran players such as Zieziula and sophomore Mike Rockman are extreme competitors; he believes both have a realistic opportunity to qualify for the ITA National Championships.
"Zieziula bleeds blue and white on and off the field and Rockman is one of the toughest players mentally and is determined to do what ever it takes to win," said Crispell.
The Bulls set the tone for the competitive nature of the competition that they will face this weekend by practicing and by adjusting their skills to prepare for the difficult competition.
"This year has been a lot of adjusting for my singles game, I have had to implement a much more aggressive style, it is always a work in progress," said Zieziula. "I have always loved competition; tennis has always captivated me because of the one on one battle that combines the physical and mental aspects of the game."
Last year at the ITA regional tournament, the Bulls put forth a great effort. However, they are anticipating exceeding those results this year.
Last year Rockman advanced to the second round following a 6-2, 6-3 win over Princeton's Hans Plukas. In the dual match sophomore Randy Rocchio and Zieziula moved into the second round with an 8-3 win over Maryland-Baltimore County's duo of Mike Keller and Luis Baraldi. However, Rocchio and Zieziula were bounced from the main draw by Brown's Kris Goddard and Zack Pasanen, who were seeded eighth to a tiebreaker.
"Despite this weekend being an individual event, I think that our strength lies in our commitment to the team," Zieziula said. "The entire team is dedicated to filling whatever role that they can, to help the team build off of last year's success."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
