WILLIAMSVILLE, NY – At the Williamsville South High School tennis courts, visiting St. Thomas Aquinas College Men’s Tennis fought off a hard-charging Daemen College with a 4-3 road win on Tuesday.  The victory evened the Spartans’ East Coast Conference record at 3-3, and they will be the no. 2 seed in the upcoming ECC tournament on Friday.

            A shorthanded squad of only five members saw the visitors defaulting the no. 3 doubles position, giving Daemen a chance to take the doubles point by winning one match at either the no. 1 or no. 2 spot.  The Spartans were unable to repeat Monday’s doubles wins, and Daemen clinched the doubles point by winning 6-3 at the second position.  Kas Roosch ’21 (s’Hertogenbosch, Netherlands) and Ivan Laiz ’24 (La Orotava, Spain) would take the win at the first position after the doubles point was decided.

            Lennart Lehmann ’24 (Dusseldorf, Germany) got back in the win column with a 6-3, 6-0 victory at second singles to even the match score at 1-1.  Laiz made it 2-1 for the visitors with a 6-3, 6-2 win at fourth singles, while fellow Spaniard Alvaro Barranco ’21 (Lleida, Spain) made it 3-1 with a 6-1, 6-1 third singles triumph.  Enej Hasicevic ’20 ’21 (Palma de Mallorca, Spain) would clinch the match at fifth singles, giving him 97 career victories to date.  Roosch would drop his first singles match in a three set thriller.

            The Spartans clinched the no. 2 seed in the ECC tournament and will take on Daemen College for the fourth time this season as they meet in this Friday’s semifinal matchup.  First serve is set for 3 PM.  The winner will advance to meet no. 1 seed and tournament host Queens College on Saturday, also at 3 PM.

4/- St. Thomas Aquinas College 4, Daemen 3

Doubles

1.     Kas Roosch/Ivan Laiz (STAC) def. Ben Davis/Sam Greco (DC) – 7-6 (5)

2.     Jose Williamson III/Phillip Vance (DC) def. Enej Hasicevic/Lennart Lehmann (STAC) – 6-3

3.     Ross Belen/Marcos Lerma (DC) def. No Player/No Player (STAC) - default

Order of Finish:     3, 2*, 1

Singles

1.     Ben Davis (DC) def. Kas Roosch (STAC) – 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (7)

2.     Lennart Lehmann (STAC) def. Phillip Vance (DC) – 6-3, 6-0

3.     Alavaro Barranco (STAC) def. Jose Williamson III (DC) – 6-1, 6-1

4.     Ivan Laiz (STAC) def. Sam Greco (DC) – 6-3, 6-2

5.     Enej Hasicevic (STAC) def. Ross Belen (DC) – 6-4, 6-2

6.     Marcos Lerma (DC) def. No Player (STAC) - default

Order of Finish:     6, 2, 4, 3, 5*, 1

5/- STAC – 5-3 (3-3 ECC)

DC – 1-8 (0-6 ECC)