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W&M Men’s Tennis Falls at No. 9 VCU, 7-0
04/15/06 3:27PM
RICHMOND, VA - William and Mary’s men’s tennis team, ranked 70th in the nation, lost at ninth-ranked Virginia Commonwealth, 7-0, this afternoon at the Thalhimer Tennis Center.
The loss drops the Tribe’s record to 11-15 overall and 3-2 in Colonial Athletic Association play, while the Rams, winners of 12 straight, improve to 22-4 (4-0 CAA).
VCU took an early 1-0 lead, winning the top and bottom doubles matches for the team point. The match on court two finished first, with the W&M team of senior Stephen Ward (Douglaston, NY) and junior Colin O’Brien (Dublin, Ireland) defeating Georges-Alexandre Israel and Emil Lindgren, 8-3. The Rams answered with an 8-6 win at No. 3 by Sergi Arumi and Sebastian Ripoll over sophomore Kavi Sud (Allentown, PA) and freshman Alexander Zuck (Toms River, NJ). VCU clinched the point with a close, 9-8 (4) win in the top match by Arnaud Lecloerec and Petr Olsak over sophomore Alex Cojanu (Hallandale, FL) and rookie Billy Mulligan (Miami, FL).
VCU continued to play well from there, winning all six singles matches, starting with a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 5 by Damien Lacombe over freshman Marwan Ramadan (Alexandria, VA). Arumi defeated Cojanu, 6-2, 6-1 at court three to put the Rams one point away from the victory, which was clinched with Lindgren’s 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 6 over Sud. Israel then defeated Zuck, 6-2, 6-2 at No. 4 and Olsak came back to beat Ward at No. 2, 1-6, 6-4, 1-0 (12-10). Lecloerec, ranked 15th in the nation, ended the match with a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 1 over O’Brien.
W&M will return to action in next weekend’s CAA Tournament, which will be played at the Huntington Park Tennis Center in Newport News. The Tribe is likely to receive a first-round bye in the event, and will start play in the quarterfinal round on Friday, April 21. Seeding and schedule information will be released by the conference office early next week.
#9 Virginia Commonwealth 7, #70 William and Mary 0
Singles
1. #15 Arnaud Lecloerec (VCU) d. Colin O’Brien; 6-4, 6-4
2. Petr Olsak (VCU) d. Stephen Ward; 1-6, 6-4, 1-0 (12-10)
3. Sergi Arumi (VCU) d. Alex Cojanu; 6-2, 6-1
4. Georges-Alexandre Israel (VCU) d. Alexander Zuck; 6-2, 6-2
5. Damien Lacombe (VCU) d. Marwan Ramadan; 6-0, 6-1
6. Emil Lindgren (VCU) d. Kavi Sud; 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 5, 3, 6, 4, 2, 1
Doubles
1. Lecloerec/Olsak (VCU) d. Cojanu/Billy Mulligan; 9-8 (4)
2. O’Brien/Ward (W&M) d. Israel/Lindgren; 8-3
3. Arumi/Sebastian Ripoll (VCU) d. Sud/Zuck; 8-6
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
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