Tribe Men’s Tennis Falls at No. 24 Texas, 5-2

W&M’s Kane and Russell Upset Nation’s 10th-Ranked Doubles Team

03/09/04 11:00PM

AUSTIN, TX - William and Mary’s men’s tennis team, ranked 47th in the nation, lost at No. 24 Texas, 5-2, this evening at the Penick-Allison Tennis Center. The loss drops the Tribe’s record to 5-6 on the year, while the Longhorns improve to 8-6.

W&M won the doubles point with victories at one and three to take the team point. In the top match, the Tribe’s duo of senior Geoff Russell (Phoenix, AZ) and freshman Steven Kane (Nokomis, FL), ranked 38th in the nation, upset No. 10 Antonio Ruiz and Jose Zarhi, 8-4. On court three, junior Alex Fish (Scituate, MA) and sophomore Stephen Ward (Douglaston, NY) defeated Will Clinton and Ryan Haymond, 8-5.

Texas bounced back in singles, winning on courts four, one and five, to take a 3-1 lead, just one point away from clinching the team match. The Green and Gold responded with a win at No. 6 by Fish, who defeated Hubert Chodkiewicz, 7-5, 6-4, to close the score to 3-2. Needing to win the remaining two singles contests, the Tribe mounted a comeback on both courts two and three, dropping the first sets, but winning the second to force a third. However, the Longhorns won each of the matches, with Zarhi defeating junior Sean Kelleher (Forty Fort, PA), 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 at two, and Pete Stroer taking the match at No. 3 over Kane, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

The Tribe returns to action later this week at the Blue-Gray Classic in Montgomery, Alabama, beginning Thursday March 11. The prestigious event annually matches up 16 of the top men’s tennis teams in the nation.


#24 Texas 5, #47 William and Mary 2
Singles
1. #91 Antonio Ruiz (UT) d. #31 Jeff Kader; 6-2, 6-2
2. Jose Zarhi (UT) d. Sean Kelleher; 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
3. Pete Stroer (UT) d. Steven Kane; 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
4. Jimmy Haney (UT) d. Geoff Russell; 6-1, 7-5
5. Ryan Haymond (UT) d. Stephen Ward; 6-4, 6-4
6. Alex Fish (W&M) d. Hubert Chodkiewicz; 7-5, 6-4

Doubles
1. #38 Kane/Russell (W&M) d. #10 Ruiz/Zarhi; 8-4
2. Haney/Stroer (UT) d. Kelleher/Colin O’Brien; 8-6
3. Fish/Ward (W&M) d. Will Clinton/Haymond; 8-5