WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Sophomore Ramy Bekhiet (Robbinsville, N.J./Robbinsville) and freshmen Luke Adamus (Mosman, New South Wales/Redlands) and Christian Vieira (Houston, Texas/Memorial) all scored singles victories as the Monmouth University men's team wrapped up its home slate a perfect 8-0 with its 4-0 win over visiting Hofstra, Saturday afternoon at the MU Tennis Courts. The Hawks, who have recorded a shutout win in seven of their last eight matches, improve to 14-6 on the year and extend their winning streak to 12 matches. Hofstra falls to 6-5 overall with the loss.
"We came out a little slow and weren't quite ready, but we were able to tough out the doubles point,” commented Head Coach Cory Hubbard. “Our guys did a good job of controlling the match from the start of singles and never let them get in the match.”
The Hawks jumped out to a 1-0 lead by sweeping the three doubles matches. Przemyslaw Filipek (Bedzin, Poland/Second Lo [Silesia]) and his No. 3 teammate Bee Kumthonkittikul (Bangkok, Thailand/Pendleton School) earned an 8-4 victory before Victor Pugliese (Boulogne, France/CNED [San Diego]) and Vieira notched an 8-4 win of their own to seal the point. Freddy Marcinkowski (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) and Bekhiet rounded out play with by holding off Beau Wills and Joseph Erichsen, 8-5, at No. 2.
In singles play, Vieira held a 6-3, 4-1 advantage on Erichsen when he was awarded a default victory at No. 5, the rookies' eighth consecutive win, while Bekhiet turned in a 6-4, 6-1 triumph, downing Leo Pires at No. 6. Adamus clinch the Blue and White's victory with his 6-3, 6-2 win over Mathew Gemmell.
“It's nice to finish our home season undefeated; only dropping a few sets,” continued Hubbard. “I want this to be a tough place for opposing teams to play and I hope we can really build a good fan base going forward and create that big time feel.”
“To win 12 in a row takes a total team effort,” added Hubbard. “We have put a lot of energy in every one of these matches and now we have put ourselves in position to win the MAAC. Marist and Quinnipiac are tough teams with a lot of experience so these next two matches will require our best tennis of the season, but we are excited for the opportunity.”
With Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament seeding implications on the line, the Hawks will travel to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. on Monday for a showdown with preseason favorite Marist. First serve against the Stags (12-4, 6-0 MAAC) is slated for 3 p.m.
Tennis Match Results
Hofstra University vs Monmouth
Apr 12, 2014 at West Long Branch, N.J.
Monmouth 4, Hofstra 0
Singles competition
1. Pugliese, Victor (MU) vs. Ari Richman (HOFSTRA) 6-1, 2-5, unfinished
2. Filipek, Przemyslaw (MU) vs. Adrien Bailly (HOFSTRA) 6-2, 4-4, unfinished
3. Kumthonkittikul, Bee (MU) vs. Beau Wills (HOFSTRA) 6-3, 3-2, unfinished
4. Adamus, Luke (MU) def. Matthew Gemmell (HOFSTRA) 6-3, 6-2
5. Vieira, Christian (MU) def. Joseph Erichsen (HOFSTRA) 6-3, 4-1, 99-0
6. Bekhiet, Ramy (MU) def. Leo Pires (HOFSTRA) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Pugliese, Victor/Vieira, Christian (MU) def. Adrien Bailly/Ari Richman (HOFSTRA) 8-4
2. Marcinkowski, Freddy/Bekhiet, Ramy (MU) def. Joseph Erichsen/Beau Wills (HOFSTRA) 8-5
3. Filipek, Przemyslaw/Kumthonkittikul, Bee (MU) def. Leo Pires/Matthew Gemmell (HOFSTRA) 8-4
Match Notes:
Hofstra 6-5
Monmouth 14-6
Doubles Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles Order of Finish: 5, 6, 4
