Mercy Men's Tennis Set for NCAA Tournament
Tilt with Assumption
Flyers hoping third time is the charm versus
Greyhounds 
DOBBS FERRY, NY - The Mercy College men's tennis team will be making its third straight trip to the NCAA Division II Championships, beginning with an East Regional first round match versus Assumption on Thursday, May 4, at 11:00 a.m. The Flyers, seeded No. 4 in their region, and the No. 5 seed Greyhounds will meet for the second straight year in NCAA Tournament play, this time, at Stonehill College in Easton, MA.
Mercy is currently 10-3 overall and posted a 5-1 mark in New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) play to earn a share of the regular season title with Concordia and Queens. The Flyers are currently ranked No. 4 in the Fila Northeast regional rankings and put together two separate five-match win streaks this year. They dropped their last two matches, falling to Queens in their regular season finale and to Concordia in the NYCAC Tournament semifinals, but fifth-year Head Coach Barbaros Ozdogan takes the approach that those defeats are past them.
"We're a very confident team," said Ozdogan, the 2006 NYCAC Coach of the Year. "Now we're adjusting our mindset and mentality heading into Thursday's match."
Assumption, the No. 5 seed, won the Northeast-10 Tournament title for an eighth straight year. The Greyhounds are currently 17-3 overall and went undefeated in league play at 11-0.
"We have a lot of respect for Assumption," said Ozdogan. "They have a talented and experienced team, and we need to play our ‘A' game."
In 2004, Mercy dropped a 5-2 decision to Dowling in the NCAA Tournament first round, and last year, Assumption dealt the Flyers a 5-0 defeat. Ozdogan is hoping the squad's experience from the last two NCAA appearances will pay off this time around.
"I think our experience will be helpful," said Ozdogan. "Last year we learned that going to the site early and practicing on the courts the day before helped our performance. We plan to do that again this year. They will also be focused on tennis for two straight days."
Mercy has a strong mix of veterans and youth from top to bottom of its lineup and Ozdogan has assembled a program full of international flair. Headlining the roster is senior Hans Peter Gartner from Vienna, Austria, the team's captain and No. 1 singles player. Gartner was an All-NYCAC First Team selection and is currently ranked No. 7 in the Northeast region.
Freshman Vyacheslav Glebov out of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, is the team's No. 2 singles player. He was named NYCAC Rookie of the Year and was an All-NYCAC Second Team pick. Sophomore Carl Johnson of Antigua is the Flyers' steady No. 3 man, who also earned a nod on the All-NYCAC Second Team, and Yusufcan Koksal, a freshman from Ankara, Turkey, has fared extremely well at No. 4. Rounding out the singles lineup is freshman Timon Prosper from Grenada at No. 5 and senior Pavol Vasko from Slovakia at No. 6.
Mercy's doubles combinations are also potent, starting with the duo of Gartner and Koksal who are currently ranked No. 7 in the Northeast, while Johnson and Glebov rolled to 11 straight wins at the end of the season at No. 2, and Vasko and Prosper will battle at No. 3.
"Overall I'm very happy with our performance this year," said Ozdogan. "We have the talent, now it's going to take dedication, passion, perseverance and commitment to get that win."
If the Flyers advance, they will face the winner of Concordia (No. 1) versus Stonehill (No. 8) in the second round on Friday, May 5, at 11:00 a.m. at Stonehill. The winner of each first- and second-round tournament will advance to the finals in Kansas City, Missouri, with the Kansas City Sports Commission and Rockhurst University serving as co-hosts, May 10-13. The championships consist of a 16-team single elimination tournament.
About Mercy College:
Mercy College is a private, nonprofit institution founded in 1950. Its mission is to provide motivated students with the opportunity to transform their lives through higher education. An engaging and personalized learning experience is offered at five unique campuses, where high-quality education is made affordable for all students. Mercy offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in business, social sciences, health sciences, education, computer sciences, and the liberal arts. Mercy's current enrollment is roughly 9,500, and students attend classes in the Bronx, Dobbs Ferry, Manhattan, White Plains, Yorktown, and online.
