Stags Stopped at #4 UC Santa Cruz

CMS Stags Tennis traveled to UC Santa Cruz to take on the fourth ranked Slugs in the final regular season dual match of the season. Senior captain Lawrence Wang (Orange, CA) earned two wins for the Stags at #1 singles and #1 doubles, but it wasn’t enough to stop a determined Slugs team on their home courts.

In what turned out to be interesting doubles results, CMS could manage to win only one of three. At #2 doubles, Robbie Erani (Fr. – New York, NY) and Ronald Wu (So. – Los Altos, CA) won the first ten points of the match, but then struggled to convert on several other opportunities, and dropped an 8-3 decision. With an 8-2 loss at #3 doubles, the Stags found themselves down 2-0. Determined to avoid a doubles sweep, Wang and partner Mikey Lim (Jr. – Honolulu, HI) faced three match points, down 7-6, 40-love. The duo then rallied to break, hold, and break again to secure the 9-7 win at #1 and keep CMS in the match.

In the singles, Wang and Lim earned three-set victories at #1 and #3 singles respectively to complete the Stags’ scoring on the day. However, CMS had many other opportunities to turn this match in their favor. Victor Chien (Fr. – Diamond Bar, CA) served for the match 6-4, 5-4 at #4 singles, and lost a tough three-set battle. Russell Brockett (So. – Austin, TX) was also up a set and was on serve late in the second at #6 singles, before falling in a third-set super tie-break.

The loss for the Stags means that they will head back to Santa Cruz for the NCAA 2nd and 3rd Rounds next weekend, May 8-9. CMS is now 25-5 on the season.


#3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3 at #4 UC Santa Cruz 6
May 2, 2009 at UC Santa Cruz

Doubles
1. Mikey Lim / Lawrence Wang (CMS) def. Max Liberty-Point / Ilya Gendelman (UCSC) 9-7
2. Jared Kamel / Marc Vartabedian (UCSC) def. Robbie Erani / Ronald Wu (CMS) 8-3
3. Max Ortiz / Colin Mark-Griffin def. Russell Brockett / Guillaume Schils (CMS) 8-2

Singles
1. Lawrence Wang (CMS) def. Max Liberty-Point (UCSC) 4-6, 7-6(6), 4-2 Ret
2. Jared Kamel (UCSC) def Robbie Erani (CMS) 7-5, 6-3
3. Mikey Lim (CMS) def. Max Ortiz (UCSC) 0-6, 6-4, 6-3
4. Ilya Gendelman (UCSC) def. Victor Chien (CMS) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
5. Colin Mark-Griffin (UCSC) def. Eric MacColl (CMS) 6-4, 7-5   
6. Marc Vartabedian (UCSC) def. Russell Brockett (CMS) 4-6, 6-4, (10-5)

Order of completion
Doubles: 3, 2, 1
Singles: 2, 3, 5, 4, 6, 1