The Ides of March have been mighty unkind to the men's tennis team. After starting the season 7-2, the Bulls have hit a slippery road that has seen their win percentage sent on a downward spiral.
Buffalo's troubles continued on March 15 as the Bulls (7-6) dropped its fourth straight match, losing to the St. Bonaventure Bonnies (8-6), 4-3.
The Bulls' top doubles team of sophomore Marcelo Mazzetto and junior Kirill Kolomyts started the match with the first of three doubles matchups. They bounced St. Bonaventure's duo of Jonathan Luce and Chris Post off the court with an 8-2 win. Mazzetto and Kolomyts improved their doubles record to 7-2.
Buffalo's next two doubles teams could not follow up after Mazzeto's and Kolomyts's success. Victor Lecina and Diego Valdenegro earned St. Bonaventure's first win with an 8-6 victory over sophomore Mitch Zenaty and freshman Alex Kalinin. Buffalo's duo of senior Octavian Stane and freshman Kristof Custers also fell 8-6 to the Bonnies' Mikhail Sudakov and Enric Larregola.
The Bulls looked to turn things around in singles play and did just that in their first three singles matchups.
Mazzetto, Buffalo's No. 1 singles player, defeated the Bonnies' Chris Post in straight sets, 6-4 and 6-1, for his second victory of the day. The singles victory pushed Mazzetto's record to 7-3.
Kolomyts also captured his second victory of the day. The No. 2 singles player dropped the Bonnies' Jonathan Luce in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3. Freshman Alex Kalinin continued the Bulls' winning streak with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over St. Bonaventure's Diego Valdenegro.
The match came down to the final three singles matchups that led to Buffalo's demise.
Custers dropped his second matchup in a 6-3, 6-1 loss to the Bonnies' Mikhail Sudakov. The Bonnies continued their success and tied the match when Victor Lecina knocked off Stane in straight sets.
The final and deciding match of the day determined the winner of the match. St. Bonaventure's Enric Larregola won the first set 6-4 against Buffalo senior Alexis Lluis. Lluis rebounded and tied the final with a 6-4, second set victory.
Lluis' win set up a match-deciding set that provided an anti-climatic ending. Larregola won the final set 6-0 and clinched St. Bonaventure's victory.
This Saturday, Buffalo looks for revenge against the Toledo Rockets after they eliminated the Bulls from last year's MAC Tournament. The match starts at noon.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
