Some teams can only dream of debuting new facilities with a dominating performance. For the UB men's tennis team, that dream was a reality as the Bulls broke in their new blue-and-white court with a shutout of the St. Francis Red Flash 7-0 on Saturday.
UB (1-0) did not drop a single set to St. Francis (0-4) in any of its matches at the University Tennis Club. Head coach Russ Crispell felt the score and overall good performance reflected a total team contribution.
"It was a team effort all the way down the line," Crispell said. "Whether it's at practice or play, we give everyone a chance to contribute. We will not let anyone come in our house with our new blue-and-white court and beat us."
Crispell also praised the efforts of junior Yules Hadisubroto and sophomore Nikesh Singh Panthlia in the number-one doubles match.
"The number-one doubles set the tone for the rest of the day," Crispell said.
The team of Hadisubroto and Singh Panthlia defeated the St. Francis combination of Andrei Sandu and Jeffrey Seevers 8-3. Hadisubroto and Singh Panthlia trailed 3-2 at one point and rallied for six consecutive wins to gain the victory.
Singh Panthlia feels confident in his teammate's abilities as well as their cohesiveness as a unit.
"When we play at a high intensity, we believe we can beat anyone," Singh Panthlia said. "When Yules is down, I support him. When I am down, he supports me. We speak the same language and have good communication skills, which helps give us confidence."
The other two doubles matches saw each UB duo dominate the competition to identical 8-1 victories. The team of senior Matt Kennedy and junior Albert Alant cruised through the number-two match as they downed the Red Flash's Robert Ford and Kyle Primeau.
In the number-three match the UB team of freshman Octavian Stane and senior Alenjandro Galindo defeated David Kirby and Mark Pell.
The shutout continued through the singles matches led by sophomore Mike Rockman as he defeated Sandu in the number-one match, 6-1, 6-1.
"I played really consistent," said Rockman. "My serve was on and I came up to the net. I made him cause unforced errors."
Hadisubroto and Singh Panthlia took their doubles success into each of their singles match and posted convincing victories. Hadisubroto defeated Ford in the number-two match, 6-0, 6-1, and Singh Panthlia overcame Ajay Nune 6-1, 6-3 in the number-three match.
The other singles victories consisted of Kennedy knocking off Seevers it the number-four, 6-2, 6-3, senior Mike Zappone defeating Brent Keough in the number-five with a 6-3, 6-1 decision and senior Joe Popielarczyk taking a 6-0, 6-1 decision over Tyler Jones.
Rockman added that this victory was a good start for the season.
"Any win is a confidence builder," Rockman said. "We've been off a couple weeks."
Crispell echoed his single leader's opinion noting that the win should be a good momentum builder for the Bulls.
"This win sets the tone for the rest of the season," Crispell said. "The Mid-American Conference schools will be incredibly tough. This definitely help builds confidence."
Crispell also said that the academic achievements of his squad have translated into success in competition as well.
"On the court and off the court we work hard. We are academically rock-solid with a perfect APR score, getting a 42 out of a possible 42 points," Crispell said.
Even after such a successful performance, Crispell feels that the team can still improve further.
"We don't preserve anything on the team," Crispell said. "We try to improve by at least one percent every time we come on the court. Eventually, you build up from your foundation."
The Bulls have some time off until their next match, which is not until October 20 when they take part in the ITA Regional Championships in Hanover, NH.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
