W&M Men's Tennis Defeats NC State, 6-1

03/26/03

WILLIAMSBURG, VA - William and Mary's 39th-ranked men's tennis team won its third-straight match with a 6-1 victory over North Carolina State this afternoon. The match began outside on the Busch Tennis Courts, but was moved indoors to the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center early in singles due to inclement weather. The win improves the Tribe's record to 12-6, while the Wolfpack drop to 4-12.

W&M began by sweeping the doubles contests to win the team point. In the top match, sophomore Sean Kelleher (Forty Fort, PA) and rookie Stephen Ward (Douglaston, NY) defeated Val Banada and R.J. Murray, 8-2. It was the 20th doubles win of the season for Ward, tied for the fifth-most by a freshman in school history. At No. 2, junior Geoff Russell (Phoenix, AZ) and sophomore Alex Fish (Scituate, MA) defeated Jon Davis and Rehman Esmail, 8-4. Junior Joe Brooks (Hagerstown, MD) and sophomore Jeff Kader (Geneva, OH) completed the sweep with an 8-5 win over Chris Mills and Will Shaw at No. 3.

The Tribe continued to roll in singles, winning five of the six matches. Russell finished first, easily defeating Davis at No. 4, 6-1, 6-0. Also winning in straight sets were Kelleher at No. 1 over Banada (7-5, 6-2) and Ward at No. 5 over Esmail (6-1, 6-4). At No. 2, Kader defeated Murray, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, while Brooks rounded out the Tribe's scoring with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win at No. 6.

"It was good to see our team take care of business," said W&M head coach Peter Daub. "We played with the same enthusiasm that we will need to have in our big matches to come."

William and Mary will return to action Friday, March 28 at 3:45 PM with a home match against Colorado.



#39 William and Mary 6, North Carolina State 1
Singles
1. Sean Kelleher (W&M) d. Val Banada; 7-5, 6-2
2. Jeff Kader (W&M) d. R.J. Murray; 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
3. Will Shaw (NCS) d. Alex Fish (W&M); 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-8)
4. Geoff Russell (W&M) d. Jon Davis; 6-1, 6-0
5. Stephen Ward (W&M) d. Rehman Esmail; 6-1, 6-4
6. Joe Brooks (W&M) d. Chris Mills; 6-3, 4-6, 6-3

Doubles
1. Kelleher/Ward (W&M) d. Banada/Murray; 8-2
2. Fish/Russell (W&M) d. Davis/Esmail; 8-4
3. Brooks/Kader (W&M) d. Mills/Shaw; 8-5