POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – In a clash between the two remaining Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) unbeaten teams, the Marist men's tennis squad rallied to defeat Monmouth, 4-3, Monday afternoon at the East Campus Tennis Pavilion. With the loss, which snaps the Hawks' 12-match unbeaten streak, drops the Blue and White to 14-7 (5-1 MAAC) overall, while the Red Foxes improve to 13-4 (7-0 MAAC) on the year and clinch the MAAC Regular Season Title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference championships.
"Our guys played with so much heart and I'm so proud of them for battling in a long and intense match,” commented Head Coach Cory Hubbard. “Victor [Pugliese] played unbelievable and beat their guy who has been the top player in the MAAC for a few years.”
“You have to give Marist credit,” continued Hubbard. “They have been the top team in the league for six years. We showed we are right there and it was a matter of a few points. This winning streak has been great but I hope this will motivate us to work hard and focus for the tournament.”
Monmouth jumped out to claim the doubles point with victories at No. 1 and No. 3. The team of Victor Pugliese (Boulogne, France/CNED [San Diego]) and Christian Vieira (Houston, Texas/Memorial) downed Lorenzo Rossi and Will Reznek, 8-5, while freshmen Bee Kumthonkittikul (Bangkok, Thailand/Pendleton School) and Przemyslaw Filipek (Bedzin, Poland/Second Lo [Silesia]) edged Matteo Giudici and Dylan Fletcher, 8-6, to seal the point.
Marist, the preseason favorite, evened the score at 1-1 with a win at No. 3 to start singles play, but Pugliese won his 12th consecutive match at No. 1 singles, cruising to a 6-0, 6-3 win over Rossi to give the Hawks the one point lead. Puglises' victory, his 14th dual match win, gives him a 20-4 record in singles events this season. The Red Foxes responded, claiming the win at No. 2, but once again MU answered as Luke Adamus (Mosman, New South Wales/Redlands) downed Trym Nagelstad in three sets. Marist rallied in the final two singles matches and earned victories at No. 4 and No. 6 to complete the comeback win.
Monmouth will conclude the regular season with a trip to Hamden, Connecticut on Friday, April 18th for a battle with Quinnipiac. Opening serve is slated for 3 p.m.
@mumtennis
Tennis Match Results
Monmouth vs Marist
Apr 14, 2014 at Poughkeepsie, NY
Marist 4, Monmouth 3
Singles competition
1. Pugliese, Victor (MU) def. Rossi, Lorenzo (MARIST) 6-0, 6-3
2. Klassen, Dalen (MARIST) def. Filipek, Przemyslaw (MU) 7-6, 6-4
3. Reznek, Will (MARIST) def. Kumthonkittikul, Bee (MU) 6-1, 6-3
4. Dube, Joseph (MARIST) def. Marcinkowski, Freddy (MU) 7-6, 4-6, 6-2
5. Adamus, Luke (MU) def. Nagelstad, Trym (MARIST) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
6. Bjerke, Fredrik (MARIST) def. Vieira, Christian (MU) 7-5, 1-6, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Pugliese, Victor/Vieira, Christian (MU) def. Rossi, Lorenzo/Reznek, Will (MARIST) 8-5
2. Klassen, Dalen/Nagelstad, Trym (MARIST) def. Marcinkowski, Freddy/Bekhiet, Ramy (MU) 8-5
3. Kumthonkittikul, Bee/Filipek, Przemyslaw (MU) def. Giudici, Matteo/Fletcher, Dylan (MARIST) 8-6
Match Notes:
Monmouth 14-7, 5-1 MAAC
Marist 13-4, 7-0 MAAC
Doubles Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2, 5, 6, 4
