HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 14, 2013) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's tennis team moved to 4-0 in the Empire 8 Conference with wins over Ithaca College and Elmira College on Sunday.  Stevens improves to 8-6 overall, with all six losses coming to national top-27 teams.

Ithaca drops to 2-11 (1-1) while Elmira falls back to .500 overall at 3-3 (1-2).


Stevens 9, Ithaca 0 - Box score

The Ducks, ranked No. 13 in the Northeast region on Thursday, started the day off with a sweep of Ithaca, with only one singles match even going into a tiebreaker.  Freshman Matthew Heinrich (Hendersonville, Tenn.) and senior Chris Rosensteel (East Windsor, N.J.) - the No. 3 doubles pairing in the region – started things off with a spotless 8-0 victory at first doubles and were followed shortly after by the third doubles pairing of freshman Tyler Tisdale (Grapevine, Texas) and junior Derek Smith (Boise, Idaho), who won 8-3, and the second doubles duo of freshman Ben Foran (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) and senior Shota Tasaki (Greenwich, Conn.), who edged out their opponents, 8-5.

Tasaki and Foran quickly dispatched their opponents at third (6-1, 6-0) and fourth (6-1, 6-0) singles, respectively.  Rosensteel, ranked the No. 8 singles player in the region, closed out his match at second singles with a 6-1, 6-3 win and Heinrich, ranked the No. 15 singles player, followed shortly after, moving to a perfect 2-0 at first singles with a 6-2, 6-4 victory.  Smith cruised to the win at sixth singles as well, 6-2, 6-4, and Tisdale finally capped the morning with a heart-pounding 6-7 (5), 6-1, 11-9 tiebreaker to complete the sweep.
 

Stevens 8, Elmira 1 - Box score

The Ducks carried the momentum straight into the second match just an hour later.  Heinrich and Rosensteel locked up another decisive 8-1 win at first doubles, followed by Tisdale's and Smith's 8-0 victory at second doubles as Foran and Tasaki were given a rest.  Sophomore Daniel Szwarc (Metuchen, N.J.) and freshman Jacob Thigpen (Birmingham, Ala.) put up a fight at third doubles but ultimately fell, 8-6.

Heinrich and Rosensteel swept their opponents by identical 6-0, 6-0 scores at first and second doubles, respectively, and were soon followed by Foran and Tisdale, who picked up the wins at third (6-2, 6-0) and fourth (6-3, 6-0) singles, respectively.  Smith and senior Brian Liebeskind (Basking Ridge, N.J.) rounded out the match with a 6-0, 6-3 victory at fifth singles and a 6-0, 6-2 win at sixth singles, respectively.

 
Head Coach Steve Gachko and the Ducks will host Vassar College (6-11), which is ranked No. 12 in the Northeast and boasts the No. 5 singles player in the region in Andrew Guzik, on Wednesday, April 17 at 4 p.m.