HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 2, 2013) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men's tennis team will face off against New York University (1-2) tomorrow, Wednesday, April 3 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.

The Violets were ranked No. 13 in the Northeast in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III rankings last week, with the Ducks tabbed at No. 14 to provide the perfect setting for the rivals' matchup.
NYU started the spring season 1-2 but has not played a match in over a month, last falling at No. 22 Skidmore College on March 2.  The Violets dropped all three doubles matches, with second doubles the closest contest at 8-6.  NYU did not have much luck at singles either; freshman Aaron Meltzer (Bonita, Calif.), sophomore C.J. Leong (Singapore) and freshman Sidd Thangirala (Singapore) posted wins at third (6-2, 6-4), fourth (6-2, 7-6 [5]) and sixth (7-6 [2], 7-6 [6]) singles, respectively, with junior Steven Wu (Hillsborough, N.J.) taking the closest loss (2-6, 6-3, 6-1) at second singles. 

The Violets' greatest asset is their depth; Leong is a perfect 3-0 at fourth singles while Meltzer and Thangirala are both 2-1 at third and sixth singles, respectively.  Meanwhile, senior Harveer Bhalla (London, England) and Wu have combined to go just 2-4 at first and second singles, respectively.  Meltzer (5-3) and Thangirala (4-1) boast the only .500+ records over the entire academic year (including tour play in the fall).  NYU has struggled at doubles as well, with Bhalla and Meltzer in the #1 slot, although the Wu/Leong pairing is 2-1 at second doubles.  Still, Bhalla, a two-time All-Northeast Conference First Team selection at Division I Monmouth University, fronts the Violets; he crashed out in the third round of the ITA Northeast Regional Championship this fall but reached the semifinals in 2011-12.

The Ducks have started the season 3-5, with all five losses coming at the hands of national Top 23 teams, including a tight 5-4 loss at No. 23 Swarthmore College and 6-3 defeat at undefeated No. 20 MIT.  The Ducks are headlined by senior captain Chris Rosensteel (East Windsor, N.J.) and freshman Matthew Heinrich (Hendersonville, Tenn.), who were ranked the No. 8 and 19 singles players in the Northeast as of last week.  Rosensteel has posted a solid 4-4 record despite facing so many ranked teams' top individual players at first singles this spring while Heinrich has been a key weapon at second singles, playing to a 6-2 record.  The duo is also ranked No. 7 in the region as a doubles pairing, having posted a sensational 7-1 record, with their only loss coming a 9-7 decision versus No. 5 Bowdoin College.  Heinrich faced off against Meltzer in the fall in the ITA Northeast Regional Championship and came out on top, winning 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.

 Stevens has gotten plenty of help from freshman Ben Foran (Whitefish Bay, Wis.), who is 3-4 this spring, at third singles as well.  Foran and senior Shota Tasaki (Greenwich, Conn.) have been dangerous at second doubles as well, going 5-3.  Depth has been an issue, at least compared to the nation's top teams, as the Ducks have combined to win only six of the 24 matches at fourth, fifth and sixth singles and gone 2-6 at third doubles.  Tasaki defeated Wu in the second round of the ITA Northeast Regional Championship this past fall, outlasting the Violets' second singles player in a three-set marathon that included a 20-point tiebreaker (6-7 [5], 7-5 [5], 11-9).

Stevens will be looking to avenge last year's loss to NYU almost a year to the day later, as the Violets topped the Ducks, 6-3, on April 4 last spring.  Rosensteel and Tasaki dominated first doubles in an 8-1 victory and the Ducks took second doubles just as convincingly, 8-2, but Stevens won only one singles match at #3.  Wu and junior James Dean (Woodbury, N.Y.) won in straight sets at second and fourth singles while the Violets rallied from a set down to win on all three other courts.

The match could be especially meaningful for Rosensteel, as he is poised to become the all-time leader for combined wins in school history and can tie for the lead on the doubles chart with just one victory tomorrow.  He is also just two wins shy of matching the singles record.

Head Coach Steve Gachko and the Ducks will clash with the Violets at 3:30 p.m.