West Chester, Pa. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Tennis team shutout West Chester University of Pennsylvania 7-0 on Wednesday afternoon at the WCU Tennis Courts.
The Spartans claimed the doubles point via a sweep, as Maximilian Kendler and Odysseas Papaioannou blanked Cesar DeJesus-Morale & Nic Balaci, 6-0, followed by Tony Khamassi & Ondrej Sramek besting Felix Weber & Rami Heiba, 6-2 and then Tobias Fuerschuss & Don Vinz Lominoque downing Andre Zequeira & Lucas Henke, 6-1.
Tobias Fuerschuss was the first winner in singles, claiming his match 6-1, 6-0. Ondrej Sramek next won at No. 2 singles by the score of 6-1, 6-3 to give STAC the 3-0 advantage. The Spartans picked up a win at No. 3 singles, as Don Vinz Lominoque earned a 6-4, 6-1 victory to clinch the match. Alberto Espinosa Navarro (6-2, 6-1), Ludovico Truffelli (6-3, 6-0) and Afik Harari (6-1, 6-3) also earned wins for St. Thomas Aquinas.
Tobias Fuerschuss, Ondrej Sramek and Don Vinz Lominoque all went 2-0 on the day, winning both their doubles and singles matches.
STAC 7/WEST CHESTER 0 - OFFICIAL RESULTS
2. Tony Khamassi & Ondrej Sramek (STAC) def. Felix Weber & Rami Heiba (WCU) 6-2
3. Maximilian Kendler & Odysseas Papaioannou (STAC) def. Cesar DeJesus-Morale & Nic Balaci (WCU) 6-0
Order of Finish: 3, 2*, 1
SINGLES
"Today was a day of a lot of firsts", said Coach Dan Rockhill. "Obviously, this was our first dual match of the year but also the first college match wins for our freshman: Vinz, Ondrej, Afik and Alberto. It was also the first match win for Tobi in a STAC uniform."
"We have a hungry team and I wish the NCAA would change the dual match format to 5 doubles matches and 11 singles matches. Our depth is a good problem to have but it makes for some difficult coaching decisions."
"We dealt with some early match nerves but eventually we started to move better and keep more balls in play", remarked Rockhill. "This was a good starting place for our freshman and at times they showed the promise of what I think will be four great careers in STAC uniforms."
"I like what I see from Alberto as I think he understands what he needs to do to raise his level and compete with the good players that are in our region. I hope he is willing to do the work."
"One of the things I am most pleased with is our senior leadership, especially from Max and Tobi. I am always pushing for a player driven team. Of course, we have coaches here who are happy to drive the bus but when players take responsibility for themselves and lead themselves, really good things tend to happen."
St. Thomas Aquinas College hosts Saint Michael's College in a non-conference tilt at the Riley Family Tennis Courts on Saturday, October 22 at 12:00 p.m.