Marist Wins 11th Men's Tennis Championship Title
MAAC Sports
West Windsor, N.J. – The Marist Red Foxes won its eleventh league title by defeating the Monmouth Hawks, 4-2, in the 2014 MAAC Men's Tennis Championship at Mercer County Park in West Windsor, N.J.
Marist earned the doubles point with victories in the second and third positions. Dalen Klassen and Trym Nagelstad defeated Ramy Bekhiet and Freddy Marcinkowski, 8-6, in second doubles while Matteo Giudici and Joseph Dube narrowly pulled out an 8-7 (7-4) victory over Bee Kumthonkittikul and Przemyslaw Filipek at third doubles.
The Hawks managed to pull back into the match with a victory from Filipek at second singles (6-1, 6-2), but Marist would win the next two straight sets. Will Reznek defeated Kumthonkittikul, 6-4, 6-2 in third singles and Dube defeated Marcinkowski, 6-4-, 6-4, to win at fourth singles.
With Marist leading the match, 3-1, Christian Vieira’s win at sixth singles by Giudici (6-1, 4-6, 6-2) put the Hawks back within one with just the first singles and fifth singles matches remaining.
In fifth singles, Marist’s Fredrik Bjerke won the first set 6-4, but Luke Adamus charged back to win the second set, 6-2. In a thrilling third set, Marist’s Fredrik Bjerke topped Monmouth’s Luke Adamus, 6-3, to clinch the match point giving Marist the 2014 title.
The first singles match between the 2014 MAAC Player of the Year, Victor Pugliese and 2013 MAAC Most Outstanding Player, Lorenzo Rossi was unfinished at 7-6 (7-5), 0-6, 2-2.
It is the second-consecutive time the Red Foxes have won the championship and sixth title in the last seven years. Dube was named the 2014 MAAC Men's Tennis Championship Dr. Joseph Grassi Most Outstanding Performer.
Marist will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship to be held at Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. The NCAA Selection Show is Tuesday, Apr. 29 at 5p.m.
Marist College 4, Monmouth University 2
Apr 27, 2014 at MAAC Championship (Mercer County Park)
Singles competition
1. Rossi, Lorenzo (MAR) vs. Pugliese, Victor (MON) 7-6 (7-5), 0-6, 2-2, unfinished
2. Filipek, Przemyslaw (MON) def. Klassen, Dalen (MAR) 6-1, 6-2
3. Reznek, Will (MAR) def. Kumthonkittikul, Bee (MON) 6-4, 6-2
4. Dube, Joseph (MAR) def. Marcinkowski, Freddy (MON) 6-4, 6-4
5. Bjerke, Fredrik (MAR) def. Adamus, Luke (MON) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
6. Vieira, Christian (MON) def. Giudici, Matteo (MAR) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Pugliese, Victor/Vieira, Christian (MON) def. Rossi, Lorenzo/Reznek, Will (MAR) 8-5
2. Klassen, Dalen/Nagelstad, Trym (MAR) def. Bekhiet, Ramy/Marcinkowski, Freddy (MON) 8-6
3. Giudici, Matteo/Dube, Joseph (MAR) def. Kumthonkittikul, Bee/Filipek, Przemyslaw (MON) 8-7 (7-4)
Match Notes
Monmouth University 16-8
Marist College 15-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (2,3,4,6,5)