Tribe Drops First CAA Match of the Year, Falls at VCU

Alex Cojanu and Dominic Pagon won their second straight match over a nationally ranked foe to help the College claim the doubles point.

03/29/08 11:30AM

Richmond, Va. - After a two-week hiatus, the No. 57 William and Mary men’s tennis team dropped its first Colonial Athletic Association match of the season, falling to No. 29 VCU, 5-2, on Friday evening at the Thalhimer Tennis Center in Richmond. W&M claimed the doubles point to open the tilt, and the match came down to a trio of three-set affairs, but the Tribe could only muster won victory in those contests. W&M fell to 12-10 on the year with the setback, while VCU improved to 13-6.

In doubles, the College notched wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 slots to take the early 1-0 lead in the match. Senior Alex Cojanu and junior Dominic Pagon won their second straight match over a nationally ranked foe, knocking off No. 51-ranked Sebastien Ripoll and Emil Lindgren, 8-6. The Tribe duo evened its ledger at 2-2 on the year. The doubles win was also the 94th in Cojanu’s W&M career which ranks second in school history. Senior Kavi Sud and freshman Sebastien Vidal continued to roll at the No. 3 doubles position with an 8-5 win over Stepan Siska and Martin Schulhauser. The win bumped the W&M pair’s season mark to 13-2 and was its seventh victory over the last eight matches.

After a trio of straight-set wins at the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 6 positions gave VCU a 3-1 lead, the match came down to a trio of three-set affairs at the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 5 positions. The lone singles win for the College came from Cojanu at the top spot. After dropping the first set, 6-4, to Thibaut Charron, the Tribe senior tri-captain nabbed his 13th win of the season with victories in the second and third sets, 6-3, 6-0. The win evened Cojanu’s dual-match record to 9-9, all at the No. 1 slot. The victory was also his 74th career singles victory, which moved him into sole possession of 10th-place on the W&M career singles wins list.

Sophomore Keziel Juneau and Vidal both dropped close three-set matches. Alex Israel defeated Juneau, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, while Ripoll rallied from a set deficit to defeat Vidal, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The victories gave the Rams the victory and the final 5-2 margin.

The Tribe returns to action when it travels to South Bend, Ind., for a pair of matches. The College will meet Western Michigan on Friday, April 4, at 3:30 p.m., before battling No. 27 Notre Dame on Sunday, April 6, at 10 a.m.

#29 VCU 5, #57 William & Mary 2
Singles
No. 1 - Alex Cojanu (W&M) def. Thibaut Charron (VCU) - 4-6, 6-3, 6-0
No. 2 - #98 Damien Lacombe (VCU) def. Marwan Ramadan (W&M) - 6-2, 6-1
No. 3 - Emil Lindgren (VCU) d. Dominic Pagon (W&M) - 7-5, 6-1
No. 4 - Alex Israel (VCU) def. Keziel Juneau (W&M) - 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
No. 5 - Sebastien Ripoll (VCU) def. Sebastien Vidal (W&M) - 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
No. 6 - Bobo Delemark (VCU) def. Richard Wardell (W&M) - 6-4, 6-4

Doubles
No. 1 - Pagon/Cojanu (W&M) def. #51 Ripoll/Lindgren (VCU) - 8-6
No. 2 - Charron/Delemark (VCU) vs. Wardell/Juneau (W&M) - DNF
No. 3 - Sud/Vidal (W&M) def. Stepan Siska/Schulhauser (VCU) - 8-5