Box Score Results
PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville men's tennis team came just a supertiebreaker short of the deciding fifth point in two different singles matches as the Valiants dropped a tough 5-4 non-conference decision to Western Connecticut State on a blustery Tuesday afternoon at the Manhattanville Courts.
The Valiants were almost able to come back from a 2-1 deficit after doubles play, but in the end came up just short in a pair of supertiebreakers.
Seniors Dean Tahir (Yonkers, N.Y./Saunders) and Kyle McGowan (Old Saybrook, Conn./Old Saybrook) as well as freshman Gabriel Berlingeri (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola) earned singles victories for Manhattanville, putting the team one point away from a win. Tahir had an easy time with Austin Werner at second singles, cruising to a 6-1, 6-2 win to easily drop the fewest games of any player on the court. Berlingeri and McGowan, meanwhile, both needed first-set tiebreakers to emerge victorious: at fifth singles, Berlingeri bested Enea Dervishi in a 7-2 tiebreaker before taking the second set more easily, 6-2, while McGowan battled hard in eking out a 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 win at sixth singles over Sean Tansley.
The Valiants came close in all three other singles matches as well, but could not get the key points at the right times. Junior Andres Rivera and graduate student Chris Lin (White Plains, N.Y./Eastchester) both captured the first sets of their respective singles matches, but dropped the second sets and both lost by the same 10-6 score in the deciding supertiebreaker. Rivera fell, 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-6) to Brian Bucknam at third singles, while Lin came up just short in a 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6) defeat at the hands of Kyle Wilson.
The home team had a little hole to climb out of after doubles play, as the Valiants earned just one win in three flights. The only Manhattanville win came at third doubles, as Berlingeri and McGowan teamed up to defeat Wilson and Tansley, 8-3, and earn their first of two wins on the day.
“Obviously we are always disappointed to lose but there were a number of positives to take from the match before we open conference play this Saturday,” said assistant coach David Slater. “We didn't play our best tennis but there were a number of good wins from Tahir, Berlingeri and McGowan. The good news is we lost narrowly whilst still having a lot of room for improvement.”
Manhattanville (0-4) will begin Freedom Conference play on Saturday, as the Valiants host Misericordia at the Manhattanville Courts beginning at 1 p.m.
