MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (May 15, 2010) – Down 3-0 after doubles action, the Stevens Institute of Technology men's tennis team mounted a furious rally, scoring wins in first through third-flight singles, but the Ducks' comeback bid fell just short as Stevens fell to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 5-3, in the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Tournament in Middlebury, Vt.

MIT, ranked 24th nationally and sixth in the Northeast Region on the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll, began the day with a 3-0 sweep doubles sweep. Junior Kevin Pang (Torrance, Calif.) and freshman Larry Pang (Torrance, Calif.) set the tone for the Engineers with an 8-3 second-flight doubles triumph over Stevens' Chris Rosensteel (and Piotr Rusinkiewicz.

MIT junior Ken Van Tilburg (Kapellen, Belgium) and freshman Matthew Skalak (Cronton-on-Hudson, N.Y.) then notched an 8-1 top-flight singles victory over Shota Tasaki and Arik Zeevy before Enginners' freshmen Andrew Cooper (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Brian Oldfield (St.Thomas, Virgin Islands) rallied from a 4-3 deficit to take third-flight singles, 8-6.

Skalak upped the Engineers' lead to 4-0 with a 6-3, 6-0 win in No. 6 singles over Stevens' sophomore Gregory Klose before the Ducks' late surge. Zeevy put Stevens on the board with a decisive 6-1, 6-1, triumph over Larry Pang at No. 3 singles. Tasaki then followed suit, dispatching Van Tilburg, 6-2, 6-3, in the top-slot before Rosensteel pulled Stevens within one following a 6-3, 6-3, No. 2 singles victory over Kevin Pang.

Needing victories in No. 4 and No. 5 singles to complete the comeback, Ringstad and Rusinkiewicz hoped to stave off elimination, while keeping the Ducks' hopes of advancing alive. Having each lost the first set, the gutsy duo battled back – with Rusinkiewicz notching a 6-4 set two victory in the fifth slot, while Ringstad rallied from a 5-3 second set hole to take a 6-5 edge at No. 4 singles – but MIT freshman Tymor Hamamsy (New York, N.Y.) finally put the brakes on Ducks' momentum, clinching the match with a 6-0 third set win over Rusinkiewicz.

With the win, MIT advanced to the third round of the 2010 NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Tournament to face host Middlebury College on Sunday, May 16.