Box score

HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 17, 2013) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's tennis team defeated Vassar College, 5-4, on Wednesday evening.  The Ducks, ranked No. 13 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III Men's Rankings for the Northeast region, clinched the match over the Northeast No.12-ranked Brewers at 5-2 after going up 2-1 in double play.

Stevens improves to 9-6 this spring, with all six losses at the hands of national top-27 opponents.  Vassar drops to 6-12 with the loss.

The victory marked the Ducks' seventh in their last eight matches, which includes a perfect 4-0 start to Empire 8 Conference play.

Senior Chris Rosensteel (East Windsor, N.J.) and freshman Matthew Heinrich (Hendersonville, Tenn.), the No. 3-ranked doubles team in the Northeast region, went up a break early on at first doubles, but the third doubles pairing of junior Derek Smith (Boise, Idaho) and freshman Tyler Tisdale (Grapevine, Texas) was broken quickly as well while second doubles stayed on serve.  Third doubles ended quickly, with Vassar taking the point, 8-3.  Rosensteel and Heinrich added another break to take a commanding lead and stretched it out to 7-2, but the Brewers fought back to get within two games before the Ducks could close out it out at 8-6 to even the match overall.  Meanwhile, freshman Ben Foran (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) and senior Shota Tasaki (Greenwich, Conn.) were broken early but responded with a break of their own to get back on serve, then followed up with another break to take a 5-4 lead.  They held serve for two more games before finally finishing things off, 8-6, giving Stevens the 2-1 lead heading into singles play.

Tasaki was broken immediately at third singles and Heinrich suffered an early break as well while Rosensteel and Foran each recorded early breaks to go up 3-0.  Tasaki responded quickly with a break and Heinrich also recovered to get back on serve minutes later.  Foran was broken in the interim, but all three would hold their leads from that point while Rosensteel, cruised to a 6-0 victory at second singles.  Meanwhile, across campus, Smith took his first set at sixth singles while Tisdale dropped a tiebreaker at #5, giving the Ducks a one-set advantage on five of the six courts.

With the match already on the line, Vassar began to rally, breaking Tasaki again at third singles and forcing Smith into a third set at #6.  Rosensteel, ranked the No. 8 singles player in the region, dominated the second set as well at second singles and handed the Ducks a 3-1 lead with his 6-1, 6-0 victory.  Foran jumped out to another 3-0 lead at fourth singles and soon closed out his match, 6-2, 6-0, to put the Ducks within one of the overall victory.

At the same time, Tasaki had broken back-to-back serves and forced a tiebreaker at third singles.  The senior took a quick 2-0 lead, extended it to 6-1 and finally clinched the match for Stevens with a 6-1, 7-6 (2) victory.

Tisdale and Smith fell at fifth (7-6 [5], 6-1) and sixth (4-6, 6-4, 6-2) singles before long, leaving only Heinrich, ranked No. 15 in the Northeast, and senior Andrew Guzick, ranked No. 5 in the region.  Guzick had recovered from the first-set loss to edge Heinrich out in the second, forcing a third.  Heinrich fell behind by two breaks as the rookie wore down against the veteran, but with some fight left he took one break back before falling, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Head Coach Steve Gachko and the Ducks will head up to Vermont for a matchup at No. 9 Middlebury College (14-1) on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. before continuing Empire 8 play at Utica College (3-3, 0-3) at 4 p.m.