Acosta Propels Bobcats Past 14th-ranked TCNJ

April 16, 2008

EWING, N.J. — A thriller at No. 6 singles decided the match for the No. 27 Bates College men’s tennis team, which defeated No. 20 The College of New Jersey at TCNJ’s Tennis Complex on Wednesday.

Bates senior co-captain Danilo Acosta (Quito, Ecuador) battled back from being down 5-3 in the third set, fending off multiple match points to clinch the match in a 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (4) thriller over the Lions’ Jonathan Yu at No. 6 singles.

The Bobcats finished their three-match southern swing a perfect 3-0 with wins over TCNJ, Swarthmore and Division I Lehigh, raising their overall record to 11-3. TCNJ dropped to 9-4 and saw their five-match win streak come to an end.

Bates’ top doubles pair, junior Ben Stein (Pelham, N.Y.) and sophomore Amrit Rupasinghe (Colombo, Sri Lanka), extended their record to 10-2 this spring with an 8-4 victory over Lions seniors Mike Klimchak and Roger Mosteller. Stein and Rupasinghe are the top-ranked doubles team in the Northeast, while the TCNJ pair is ranked third.

Sophomores Max Berger (Concord, N.H.) and Ryan Mannelly (New Canaan, Conn.) won an 8-5 decision at No. 3 doubles to give Bates a 2-1 edge heading into singles.

Stein, the No. 7 ranked singles player in the Northeast, dropped a 6-4, 6-3 decision to Klimchak at No. 1 singles, but Rupasinghe, currently unranked regionally, recorded a 6-3, 6-3 victory over No. 19-ranked Eric Ferriere at No. 2 singles. Berger defeated Mosteller at No. 4 singles in straight sets and Acosta won at No. 6.

Bates will host NESCAC rivals Connecticut College and Williams College this weekend. The Camels visit Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by the Ephs Sunday at 2 p.m.

Acosta has recently been awarded the Lindholm Scholar-Athlete Award, which goes to the male and female Bates varsity athletes who graduate with the highest respective grade point averages in their class.

#23 Bates College 5, #14 The College of New Jersey 4

Doubles
1. Benjamin Stein/Amrit Rupasinghe (BATESM) def. Michael Klimchak/Roger Mosteller (TCNJ-MEN) 8-4
2. Jeremy Eckardt/Eric Ferriere (TCNJ-MEN) def. Zach Fenno/Danilo Acosta (BATESM) 8-3
3. Maxwell Berger/Ryan Mannelly (BATESM) def. James Vance/Jonathan Yu (TCNJ-MEN) 8-5

Singles
1. Michael Klimchak (TCNJ-MEN) def. Benjamin Stein (BATESM) 6-4, 6-3
2. Amrit Rupasinghe (BATESM) def. Eric Ferriere (TCNJ-MEN) 6-3, 6-3
3. Jeremy Eckardt (TCNJ-MEN) def. Michael Reiss (BATESM) 6-1, 7-6 (6)
4. Maxwell Berger (BATESM) def. Roger Mosteller (TCNJ-MEN) 7-5, 6-1
5. Matt Pierson (TCNJ-MEN) def. Zach Fenno (BATESM) 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3
6. Danilo Acosta (BATESM) def. Jonathan Yu (TCNJ-MEN) 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (4)

Men Blank Swarthmore, 9-0

April 15, 2008

SWARTHMORE, Pa. — The Bates College men’s tennis team won its 10th match against three losses this year Tuesday with a 9-0 non-conference victory at Swarthmore College.

The Bobcats, ranked No. 27 in Division III and No. 7 in the Northeast, won in straight sets at five out of six singles positions and outlasted the host Garnet (5-8) at all three doubles spots.

Bates concludes its Southern swing with a match at The College of New Jersey, ranked No. 5 in the Northeast, tomorrow.

Tennis Match Results
Bates vs Swarthmore
Apr 15, 2008 at Swarthmore, Pa.

#27 Bates 9, Swarthmore 0

Singles
1. Benjamin Stein (BATES) def. Jonathan Lo (SWAT) 6-2, 6-2
2. Amrit Rupasinghe (BATES) def. Kevin Shaughnessy (SWAT) 7-5, 6-1
3. Michael Reiss (BATES) def. JJ England (SWAT) 6-3, 6-1
4. Maxwell Berger (BATES) def. Mark Wee (SWAT) 6-1, 6-1
5. Zach Fenno (BATES) def. Mark Greenburg (SWAT) 6-0, 6-7 (3-7), 10-7
6. Danilo Acosta (BATES) def. Justin diFeliciantonio (SWAT) 7-5, 6-0

Doubles
1. Amrit Rupasinghe/Ben Stein (BATES) def. Jonathan Lo/Kevin
Shaughnessy (SWAT) 8-6
2. Zach Fenno/Danilo Acosta (BATES) def. JJ England/Mark Greenburg (SWAT) 8-6
3. Maxwell Berger/Ryan Mannelly (BATES) def. J. diFeliciantonio/Mark Wee
(SWAT) 8-4

Men Dominant at Division I Lehigh

April 13, 2008

Stein	Rupasinghe
Reiss	Berger
Fenno	Acosta

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The Bates College men’s tennis team scored a 6-1 victory at Division I Lehigh University on Sunday inside the Lewis Tennis Center, moving to 9-3 on the season.

Bates lost its lone point at No. 6 singles in dominating the host Mountain Hawks with victories at all three doubles positions and posting straight-set wins at Nos. 2 through 5 singles. Junior Ben Stein (Pelham, N.Y.) won 9-7 in a pro-set tiebreaker at No. 1 singles over Lehigh’s John Nespoli, and teamed with sophomore Amrit Rupasinghe (Colombo, Sri Lanka) to win 9-7 at No. 1 doubles.

Rupasinghe and sophomore teammtes Mike Reiss (Rockville Centre, N.Y.), Max Berger (Concord, N.H.) and Zach Fenno (Armonk, N.Y.) took singles wins at 2 through 5, respectively. Fenno teamed up with senior Danilo Acosta (Quito, Ecuador) for an 8-4 win at No. 2 doubles, and Berger partnered with sophomore Ryan Mannelly (New Canaan, Conn.) for an 8-6 win at third doubles.

Bates continues its southern swing with a match at Swarthmore College on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Bates 6, Lehigh 1

Doubles
1. Stein/Rupasinghe (Bates) def. Nespoli/List (LU) 9-7
2. Fenno/Acosta (Bates) def. Pacheco/Silbert (LU) 8-4
3. Berger/Mannelly (Bates) def. Bolcar/Bolcar (LU) 8-6

Singles
1. Ben Stein (Bates) def. John Nespoli (LU) 9-7
2. Amrit Rupasinghe (Bates) def. Troy List (LU) 7-6, 6-3
3. Mike Reiss (Bates) def. J.T. Bolcar (LU) 6-2, 6-3
4. Max Berger (Bates) def. Arnaldo Pacheco (LU) 7-6, 6-2
5. Zack Fenno (Bates) def. Chris Collins (LU) 6-4, 7-5
6. Cameron Silbert (LU) def. Danilo Acosta (Bates) 7-6, 3-6, 6-3

Women Triumph at Smith, Mt. Holyoke, 8-1

SOUTH HADLEY and NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — Fueled by singles sweeps in both matches, the Bates College women’s tennis team picked up a pair of 8-1 victories on Saturday, first at Mount Holyoke on Saturday morning and later in the afternoon at Smith College.

The Bobcats raised their overall record this year to 4-7, 4-6 against Division III opponents.

Bates’ 8-1 victory over Mount Holyoke College Saturday morning at the Mount Holyoke Indoor Courts was the Bobcats’ third consecutive win over the Lyons (2-5).

Senior Cecilia Grissa (Doylestown, Pa.) and sophomore Alex Piacquad (Yardley, Pa.) teamed up for an 8-6 win at No. 1 doubles, before both players registered 6-3, 6-1 victories at first and second singles, respectively. Senior Liz Fleming (Weston, Conn.) and sophomore Jean Gulliver (Falmouth, Maine) teamed up to win at No. 3 doubles and also won at fifth and sixth singles, respectively.

The Bobcats traveled to nearby Smith College and handed the host Pioneers their sixth loss of the season against three wins.

Bates is slated to visit Lehigh University next Sunday for Bobcats’ third of five straight road matches.

Bates 8, Mount Holyoke 1
Doubles
1. Cecilia Grissa/Alexandra Piacquad (BAT) def. Natalie Hsiang/Meaghan Sloane (MHC), 8-6
2. Sarah London/Beatrix Hartmann (MHC) def. Caryn Benisch/Mallika Raghavan (BAT), 8-5
3. Liz Fleming/Jean Gulliver (BAT) def. Eleni Scordilis/Elise Marifian (MHC), 8-4

Singles
1. Grissa (BAT) def. Sloane (MHC), 6-3, 6-1
2. Piacquad (BAT) def. Marifian (MHC), 6-3, 6-1
3. Benisch (BAT) def. London (MHC), 6-0, 6-3
4. Raghavan (BAT) def. Hartmann (MHC), 6-1, 6-4
5. Fleming (BAT) def. Elizabeth Tighe (MHC), 6-3, 6-1
6. Gulliver (BAT) def. Scordilis (MHC), 6-4, 6-0

Bates 8, Smith 1
Doubles
1. Diana Fiumefreddo/Miyu Kikuchi def. Cecilia Grissa/Alex Piacquad, 8-6
2. Mallika Raghavan/Caryn Benisch def. Catherine Hill-Lydecker/Alanna Dick, 8-6
3. Liz Fleming/Jean Gulliver def. Tina Jackson/Seiko Fujii, 8-3

Singles
1. Grissa def. Fiumefreddo, 6-3, 6-1
2. Piacquad def. Kikuchi, 6-2, 6-3
3. Benisch def. Hill-Lydecker, 6-4, 7-6 (4)
4. Raghavan def. Fuji, 6-1, 6-7 (5), (10-5)
5. Fleming def. Dick, 6-1, 6-1
6. Gulliver def Mincy Chu, 6-2, 6-1