HAMDEN, Conn. – Junior Victor Pugliese (Boulogne, France/CNED [San Diego]) completed the regular season a perfect 6-0 at No. 1 singles in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play, as the Monmouth University men's tennis team defeated Quinnipiac, 6-1, in the season finale at the QU Outdoor Tennis Courts. The Hawks, who conclude one of its best seasons in recent memory, improve to 15-7 overall and 6-1 in league play, while the Bobcats see their season come to a close at 7-11 and 3-4 in conference action.
Competing in its first year as a member of the MAAC, Monmouth secures the second seed in the upcoming league tournament, held at Mercer Country Park April 26-27. The Hawks will take on third-seeded Niagara, who they defeated 4-3 in early April, with the winner taking on the victor of top-seeded Marist and No. 4 Fairfield in the title match.
After MU locked up the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3, Pugliese capped off a stellar first year in a Monmouth uniform with his three-set victory over Kei Ezaka. After Pugliese earned a 6-1 win in the opening set, Ezaka notched a 6-4 win to force a third set, which Pugliese held on to win 7-6 (3). With the victory, the junior's 13 consecutive triumph, Pugliese finished 15-1 overall at No. 1 dual matches and 21-4 in singles events dating back to the fall slate.
Freshman Bee Kumthonkittikul (Bangkok, Thailand/Pendleton School) earned a three-set win of his own at No. 3, coming from behind for a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 win, while junior Freddy Marcinkowski (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) downed Ryoma Haraguchi 7-5, 6-2 at No. 4. Freshman Luke Adamus (Mosman, New South Wales/Redlands) posted a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 5, while classmate Christian Vieira (Houston, Texas/Memorial) earned his 14th dual match, his eighth win at No. 6, by defeating Corey Morgenstern, 6-3, 7-5.
"I was worried our guys would come out flat after a tough loss to Marist, but the team stayed tough and were able to pull through and get the win,” comment head coach Cory Hubbard, who helped guide the Hawks to the successful turnaround in his first complete season at the helm. “It has been a long stretch of almost 15 matches in about 30 days so we need to recover and get reenergized this week leading up to the MAAC Championships. It will be a very competitive tournament and we have a great shot to achieve our goal, but it will take a tremendous team effort and we will have to play with more energy than we have all year. It's so exciting to be in this position to compete for a championship and we are looking forward to the opportunity."
The Hawks' semifinal matchup with the Purple Eagles will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 26th.
@MUMtennis
Tennis Match Results
Monmouth vs Quinnipiac University
Apr 18, 2014 at Hamden, Conn.
Monmouth 6, Quinnipiac 1
Singles competition
1. Pugliese, Victor (MU) def. EZAKA_Kei (QU-MT) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6
2. AMBROSIO_Eric (QU-MT) def. Filipek, Przemyslaw (MU) 6-4, 6-4
3. Kumthonkittikul, Bee (MU) def. ROSER_Luke (QU-MT) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6
4. Marcinkowski, Freddy (MU) def. HARAGUCHI_Ryoma (QU-MT) 7-5, 6-2
5. Adamus, Luke (MU) def. FERNANDEZ, Carlos (QU-MT) 6-3, 6-4
6. Vieira, Christian (MU) def. MORGENSTERN, Corey (QU-MT) 6-3, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. Pugliese, Victor/Vieira, Christian (MU) def. AMBROSIO_Eric/ROSER_Luke (QU-MT) 8-4
2. EZAKA_Kei/HARAGUCHI_Ryoma (QU-MT) def. Marcinkowski, Freddy/Bekhiet, Ramy (MU) 8-6
3. Filipek, Przemyslaw/Kumthonkittikul, Bee (MU) def. FERNANDEZ, Carlos/MORGENSTERN, Corey (QU-MT) 8-1
Match Notes:
Monmouth 15-7, 6-1 MAAC
Quinnipiac University 7-11, 3-4 MAAC
Doubles Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles Order of Finish: 5, 6, 4, 2, 1, 3
