Flushing, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Tennis team advanced to its fifth straight East Coast Conference Tournament Final with a 4-0 shutout victory over the University of the District of Columbia in the semifinal round on Friday afternoon at the Queens College Tennis Center.
#2 seeded STAC improves to 14-6 on the year, while UDC closes its 2023-24 campaign at 11-9.
STAC opened things up with a dominant performance in doubles play, taking two matchups to secure the team doubles point. The duo of Ondrej Sramek and Ludovico Truffelli slipped past Louis Mangeon & Louka Queguiner, 6-4 at No. 1, followed by the pair of Don Vinz Lominoque and Nathan Yacar taking another 6-4 win over Oskar Karos & Mauricio Corty at the No. 2 position.
Once the Spartans secured the doubles point, there was no turning back. St. Thomas Aquinas jumped right into singles play, taking the first three matches from the Firebirds to secure the win and advance to Saturday's championship. Seth Newman started the victory spree in the No. 3 slot, taking a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Antonio Simo Durall. Alberto Espinosa Navarro followed the trend taking a 6-0, 6-1 triumph over Mauricio Corty in the No. 5 slot to give the Spartans a commanding 3-0 lead and put UDC on the ropes, facing elimination. Ondrej Sramek delivered the final knockout blow in the No. 4 position, cruising to a 6-1, 6-2 win against Oskar Karos to end the postseason contest.
STAC 4/UDC 0 - OFFICIAL RESULTS
Order of Finish: 1, 2*
SINGLES
Order of Finish: 3, 5, 4*