W&M Men's Tennis Defeats Michigan, 5-2

02/08/03

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - William and Mary’s 58th-ranked men’s tennis team knocked off No. 50 Michigan, 5-2, today in a neutral-site match at the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center. The win improves the Tribe’s record to 4-3, while the Wolverines drop to 3-3 on the year.

The Tribe opened the match winning the team doubles point with victories at the top two positions. At No. 2 W&M’s team of junior Geoff Russell (Phoenix, AZ) and sophomore Alex Fish (Scitutate, MA) rolled over Vineeth Gossain/Chris Shaya, 8-3. The College clinched the point with a tough win by sophomore Sean Kelleher (Forty Fort, PA) and rookie Stephen Ward (Douglaston, NY) at the top match, defeating Michael Rubin/Chris Rolf, 9-8 (6).

W&M continued to play well in singles, winning four of the six contests. At No. 3 sophomore Jeff Kader (Geneva, OH) came back after losing the first set to defeat Shaya, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, while sophomore Zack Malmgren (Cibalo, TX) defeated David Anving in straight sets at No. 4, 6-4, 6-4. Fish also won in straight sets, defeating Josef Fischer, 7-5, 6-3, and Ward closed out the Tribe scoring with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 win at No. 6 over Gossain.

Yesterday, the Tribe lost a close match at 22nd-ranked Wake Forest, winning the doubles point, before falling in four singles matches and losing, 4-3.

“It was a great effort by our team having played yesterday and suffering a devastating loss (6-4 in the third set of the deciding match),” said Tribe head coach Peter Daub. “But to come back today and take on a strong Michigan team, to come out and battle the way we did, was quite rewarding to see. Geoff Russell was an intricate part of the win with his enthusiasm and leading the team with his positive energy throughout. With his three wins over the weekend it helped a lot of his teammates to push forward at critical times.”

W&M returns to action next weekend with a pair of matches hosted by Virginia Tech. The Tribe will take on Yale in a neutral-site match Saturday at 1:00 PM, and will take on the Hokies Sunday, also at 1:00 PM.

#58 William and Mary 5, #50 Michigan 2
Doubles
1. Kelleher/Ward (WM) d. Chris Rolf/Rubin; 9-8 (6)
2. Fish/Russell (WM) d. Gossain/Shaya; 8-3
3. Fischer/Jackson (UM) d. Kader/Malmgren; 8-4

Singles
1. Michael Rubin (UM) d. Sean Kelleher; 7-5, 7-6
2. Anthony Jackson (UM) d. Geoff Russell; 0-6, 6-4, 7-6
3. Jeff Kader (WM) d. Chris Shaya; 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
4. Zack Malmgren (WM) d. David Anving; 6-4, 6-4
5. Alex Fish (WM) d. Josef Fischer; 7-5, 6-3
6. Stephen Ward (WM) d. Vineeth Gossain; 6-4, 4-6, 7-5

#22 Wake Forest 4, #58 William and Mary 3
(Yesterday, February 7)
Doubles
1. Brendon/Loewenthal (WF) d. Kelleher/Ward; 8-4
2. Fish/Russell (WM) d. Ross/Spice; 8-6
3. Kader/Malmgren (WM) d. Murray/Andrew Simpson; 8-4

Singles
1. #35 David Loewenthal d. Sean Kelleher; 6-2, 6-2
2. David Bere (WF) d. Jeff Kader; 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
3. Geoff Russell (WM) d. #109 Mike Murray; 7-5, 7-6 (5)
4. Derrick Spice (WF) d. Alex Fish; 7-6 (5), 6-2
5. #123 Trent Brendon (WF) d. Zack Malmgren; 6-4, 6-3
6. Stephen Ward (WM) d. Brent Ross; 6-3, 3-6, 6-2