ORANGEBURG, NY -  In a tightly contested match that saw three slates decided in a tie breaker, the St. Thomas Aquinas men’s tennis team defeated NCAA East Region #8 Roberts Wesleyan, 6-3.  The Spartans came out of the gates hot, winning at first and second doubles to take a 2-1 lead into singles action.  Aaron Stahl ’18 (Dusseldorf, Germany) and Javier Munoz ’17 (Sevilla, Spain) teamed up to win at first doubles, 8-5, over Charles Farres and Robert Beer of Roberts. 

            Andreu Ferragut ’18 (Palma de Mallorca, Spain) and Roger Almato ’19 (Vic, Spain) were victorious at second doubles over Jose Lopez and Jose Carrillo.  Ferragut and Almato had leads of 5-2 and 7-4, but Lopez and Carrillo battled back to force a tie break.  With the tie break knotted at 3-3, Ferragut and Almato went on the offensive and took four of the next six points for the win. 

            At third singles, Ferragut continued his momentum from the doubles match and defeated Lopez, 6-1, 6-4.  Munoz was also a double winner on the day, winning at second singles over Beer.  After taking the first set 6-2, Munoz struggled in the second and faced a deficit of 6-5, but ground out a win via a 7-2 advantage in the tie break to win the second set 7-6 (3).

            The deciding point was won at fourth singles by Almato, who defeated Carrillo 6-4, 6-4.  Carillo was up 4-3 in the second set trying to force a third, but Almato won the next three games to clinch the match for the Spartans.

            Stahl had his work cut out for him at first singles, as he matched up with regionally ranked #13 Farres.  The back and forth showdown lasted almost two hours and saw Farres win the second set 7-5, after Stahl won the first 6-3.  In the third set super tie break, Stahl regained his footing and won 10-2.

            St. Thomas Aquinas improves to 8-4 on the season, while Roberts Wesleyan falls to 9-8.  Today’s victory marked the first ever by a Spartans team over a regionally ranked opponent.  Men’s tennis is back in action on Saturday, April 2 at 2:00 PM at Washington Township Tennis and Fitness Club.    

St. Thomas Aquinas 6, Roberts Wesleyan 3

1.  Aaron Stahl (STAC) def. Charles Farres (RWC) 6-3, 5-7, 1-0 (2)

2.  Javier Munoz (STAC) def. Rob Beer (RWC) 6-2, 7-6 (3)

3.  Andreu Ferragut (STAC) def. Jose Lopez (RWC) 6-1, 6-4

4.  Roger Almato (STAC) def. Jose Carrillo (RWC) 6-4, 6-4

5.  Rene Torti (RWC) def. Chris Jonas (STAC) 6-1, 6-0

6.  Dustin Eshlemen (RWC) def. Gilberto Lantigua (STAC) 6-1, 6-3

1.  Stahl/Munoz (STAC) def. Farres/Beer (RWC) 8-5

2.  Ferragut/Almato (STAC) def. Lopez/Carrillo (RWC) 9-8 (5)

3.  Gui Plentz de Liz/Torti (RWC) def. Jonas/Lantigua (STAC) 8-1