Stags defeat #7 Amherst in 5-4 thriller; Macey earns clinch in dramatic comeback
#2 CMS Stags Tennis won a 5-4 thriller against #7 Amherst on Saturday, as junior Max Macey (Wilton, CT) came back from a set and a break down to secure the dramatic victory. For CMS, it was their first 5-4 win at home since defeating fifth ranked Williams in March, 2013.
The drama began early as all three doubles matches had wild momentum swings before the Stags took a 2-1 advantage. At #1, senior captain Skyler Butts (Santa Ana, CA) and Daniel Morkovine (Jr. - San Carlos, CA) were dominant early, racing out to a 4-0, two-break lead. At #3, junior Glenn Hull (Brookings, OR) and Lestter Yeh (Sr. - Arcadia, CA) fell behind by an early break, but then got back on serve after eight games. Number two pair Macey and Oliver Seifert (Sr. - Los Altos, CA) stayed on serve until Macey was broken in a long ninth game. Hull and Yeh went on to trade breaks at #3, but served out the match for an 8-6 win that put CMS on the scoreboard first. With Macey and Seifert trying to erase a two- break lead, Butts and Morkovine served for the match at 7-4. Macey and Seifert got one break back and then held two break points to pull even at 7-all, but came up short, and Amherst evened the match at 1-all. Morkovine and Butts were each broken and then faced a match point down at 7-8, before Morkovine held, and the Stags top pair held on for a 7-5 tie-break win.
In the singles, Hull and Butts wasted no time in putting CMS up 4-1, yielding two and three games respectively in one-sided victories. Amherst's straight set win at #6 drew the Lord Jeffs closer at 4-2, before Amherst took control of the dual match at #3, #4, and #5 singles. With Macey dropping the first set at #3, both Yeh and Vemuri battled from a break down to first set tie-breaks at #4 and #5. However, with 4-2 leads in both tie-breaks, Yeh and Vemuri couldn't close out, and both sets went to Amherst. Macey then got behind an early break at #3 giving Amherst the clear advantage. However, he countered an aggressive serve and volley game with low, hard returns and dipping passing shots which allowed him to break back twice in the second set, and then a third time to win the second. With Yeh and Vemuri falling in straight sets at #4 and #5 and the dual match tied at 4-all, Macey grabbed an early break in the decisive third set and never looked back, holding on for the 6-3 win to give CMS the victory.
CMS is now 12-1 overall and will face #11 Bowdoin on Sunday at 2:00 PM at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center.
#2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (5) vs. #7 Amherst (4)
March 19, 2016 at Claremont, CA (Biszantz Family Tennis Center)
Doubles
1. Skyler Butts / Daniel Morkovine (CMS) def. Anton Zykov / Andrew Yaraghi (Amherst) 9-8(5)
2. Aaron Revzin / Michael Solimano (Amherst) def. Max Macey / Oliver Seifert (CMS) 8-6
3. Glenn Hull / Lestter Yeh (CMS) def. Zach Bessette / Ben Fife (Amherst) 8-6
Singles
1. Skyler Butts (CMS) def. Anton Zykov (Amherst) 6-1, 6-2
2. Glenn Hull (CMS) def. Andrew Yaraghi (Amherst) 6-1, 6-1
3. Max Macey (CMS) def. Michael Solimano (Amherst) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
4. Aaron Revzin (Amherst) def. Lestter Yeh (CMS) 7-6(6), 6-2
5. Zach Bessette (Amherst) def. Avi Vemuri (CMS) 7-6(6), 6-1
6. Ben Fife (Amherst) def. Alex Brenner (CMS) 6-2, 6-1
Order of completion
Doubles: 3, 2, 1
Singles: 1, 2, 6, 4, 5, 3