Boris Kocherov earned a hard-fought three-set win at second singles against Babson.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (March 4, 2007) – After sweeping all three doubles contests, the Stevens Institute of Technology men’s tennis team earned victories in three of six singles matches to capture a 6-3 victory over Babson College on Sunday at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, N.J.  With the win, the Ducks improved to 2-3 on the year.

At No. 1 doubles, junior Ricky Bawa (Lyndhurst, N.J.) and freshman Piotr Rusinkiewicz (Califon, N.J.) defeated junior Ben Edick (Del Ray Beach, Fla.) and senior Jason Lynn (Andover, Mass.) by the score of 9-7.  Senior Boris Kocherov (Edison, N.J.) teamed with junior Arjun Mehta (Brooklyn, N.Y.) for a 9-7 victory over senior Mike Perkins (Roxbury, Conn.) and freshman Brian Lafayette (Burlington, Vt.) at second doubles.  Sophomore Kobe Attias (Brick, N.J.) and freshman Russ Suereth (Hewitt, N.J.) added an 8-3 win in the third flight.

In singles play, Bawa staked the Ducks to a 4-0 lead against the Beavers (1-6) with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Edick at the No. 1 position.  Rusinkiewicz clinched the match for Stevens with a 6-4, 6-3 win against Lafayette at third singles.  Kocherov rallied after losing the first set to post a 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-8) victory over Lynn at No. 2 singles.

In another close match, Attias went the distance with senior Doug Tough (Ridgefield, Conn.) at sixth singles.  Tough prevailed by the score of 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (10-3).  Mehta and senior Ian Mullican (Gillette, N.J.) dropped straight-set matches for the Ducks at fourth and fifth singles, respectively.

Stevens will resume action over Spring Break in Orlando, Fla.  On March 12, the Ducks will face Wesleyan University at noon.  Stevens will also face Springfield College, Colby-Sawyer College and Connecticut College while in Florida.