Box Score

HOBOKEN, N.J. (April 2, 2014) – In a nearly five-hour seesaw clash, No. 23 New York University narrowly edged the Stevens Institute of Technology men's tennis team 5-4 on Wednesday in Hoboken.
 
The loss drops Stevens to 5-8 while NYU moved to 4-0.
 
Stevens benefited from its freshmen duo of Charles Drake and Michael Feldman, who gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead with a win at second doubles over junior C.J. Leong and sophomore Sidd Thangirala. It was the fourth win of the season for the pair, as they stormed out to an early lead and cruised to an 8-1 win.
 
NYU would answer with a win at No. 3 for the freshmen team of Han Ran Lim and Matt DeMichiel over sophomores Ben Foran and Tyler Tisdale, 8-6. The loss was the first of the season for the partners. Needing a win to gain the edge, sophomore Matthew Heinrich and freshman Antonio Perich delivered with an 8-6 win over senior Steven Wu and sophomore Aaron Meltzer. Wu and Meltzer came into the match with an undefeated record, and a No. 8 ranking in the Northeast.
 
The Violets seized control of the match once it shifted to singles with a 6-2, 6-2 win for Wu over Heinrich at No. 1, followed by a 6-4, 6-4 win for DeMichiel over Perich at No. 5. NYU extended their lead to 4-2 at No. 6 with Ren Lim's win over Tisdale, but Stevens stormed back with two straight wins.
 
Foran broke a 1-1 tie at No. 2 with a 6-3 win in the third set over Leong, followed by a come from behind win for Drake over Thangirala at No. 4. After dropping the first set 6-3, Drake rebounded with a 6-2 win in the second, then won in a tiebreaker in the third to tie the score at four. The match-up lasted nearly three hours.
 
The match came down to No. 3 between Feldman and Meltzer, where Meltzer won 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in a close, three-and-a-half-hour classic that had to switch courts midway through due to darkness. Meltzer is currently ranked the No. 25 best singles player in the Northeast.
 
Stevens will return to Empire 8 play this weekend when they host Houghton College at 10 a.m., followed by Alfred University at 2 p.m. on April 5. Both matches will take place on the Stevens tennis courts. Be sure to follow the team on stevensducks.com, and on Twitter @stevensducks and @duck_tennis.
 

Doubles
 
Heinrich/Perich (STE) def. Wu/Meltzer (NYU) 8-6
Drake/Feldman (STE) def. Leong/Thangirala (NYU) 8-1
Ren Lim/DeMichiel (NYU) def. Foran/Tisdale (STE) 8-5
 
Singles
 
Wu (NYU) def. Heinrich (STE) 6-2, 6-2
Foran (STE) def. Leong (NYU) 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-3
Meltzer (NYU) def. Feldman (STE) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
Drake (STE) def. Thangirala (NYU) 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8)
DeMichiel (NYU) def. Perich (STE) 6-4, 6-4
Ren Lim (NYU) def. Tisdale (STE) 6-4, 0-6, 6-3
 
 
 
 
Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks