NCAA Division II Men's Tennis Result
Sunday, April 20, 2008
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Yusufcan Koksal |
Mavericks Stopped at Bryant, 5-4
SMITHFIELD, RI - The Mercy College men's tennis team was edged by host Bryant University 5-4 on Sunday. The Mavericks and Bulldogs entered the match tied for No. 45 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rankings.
Mercy (4-6) got an 8-3 win from Timon Prosper (Mardigras, St. Georges) and Christian Cheque (Vina del Mar, Chile) over Dylan Whiting and Matt Shephard-Lupo at No. 3 doubles, but the Mavericks fell in a pair of tight matches at No. 1 and No. 2. Carl Johnson (St. John, Antigua) and Zeki Tukel (Istanbul, Turkey) were topped 8-6 by Kevin Gardiner and Christian Balestrieri at the top spot. Yusufcan Koksal (Ankara, Turkey) and Mehdi Rhazali (Rabat, Morocco) dropped a 9-8 (3) decision to Jose Rodriguez and Thomas Nowak.
In singles play, Rhazali knocked off Rodriguez at No. 2 in a marathon match, 6-4, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (1), and Prosper posted a 7-6 (3), 6-4 victory versus Whiting at No. 4. Koksal added a 6-4, 6-1 win against Gardiner at No. 5, but Bryant (17-3) picked up the necessary three points at No. 1, 3, and 6, to take the match.
The Mavericks will now enter the East Coast Conference (ECC) Championships as the third seed and will take on second seeded Queens College on Tuesday, April 22, in the semifinals.
