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IMPRESSIVE SHOWINGS, TOURNAMENT VICTORIES HIGHLIGHT FIRST MONTH OF NEC TENNIS SEASON
Talk about getting off to a flying start. In a month filled with individual tournament play, NEC tennis competitors won four singles crowns and two doubles titles taking on top regional - and in some cases national - competition.
It should come as no surprise that FDU junior Arvis Berzins (Adazi, Latvia/Riga Centre Language School) walked away with the “A” flight title at the USTA Invitational on September 23. Berzins is coming off two dominant years for the two-time defending NEC champion Knights, winning NEC Player of the Year honors as both a freshman and sophomore. He also took a set from Virginia’s Jarmere Jenkins - the nation’s #3 ranked player - in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. At the USTA event, he defeated Bucknell’s Nick Bybel, 7-5, 6-0, to take the championship and earn NEC Co-Player of the Month honors along with Bryant senior Dana Parziale (Pinehurst, NC/Pinecrest). Parziale, himself a three-time All-NEC honoree, won the singles title at the Brown Invitational, beating 2012-13 MAAC Player of the Year Dalen Klassen (Marist) in the finals, 6-3, 6-3.
Parziale wasn’t done there. He teamed with junior Ernesto Arguello (Managua, Nicaragua/American Nicaraguan School) to capture the #1 flight doubles championship at the USTA Invitational. The duo knocked off four teams, including Fairfield’s Cameron Amyot and Ias Tesmond in the finals (8-6) to take the crown.
The Mount St. Mary’s pairing of sophomore Peter Salomon (Haymarket, VA/Seton School) and freshman Louis Tonon (Charlotte, NC/Charlotte Latin School) won the “A” doubles flight at the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational. Salomon is the brother of former All-NEC standout and current assistant coach Mike Salomon.
On the women’s side, Fairleigh Dickinson freshman Ksenija Tihomirova (Riga, Latvia) appears to be the latest in a long line of top-flight singles players to produce as freshman for the Knights, who have won back-to-back NEC titles. Tihomirova took the “A” flight singles championship at the Bill & Sandra Moore Classic hosted by Navy. She bested Towson’s Belen Lizana, 6-2, 6-3, in the finals. For her performance, she was tabbed NEC Player and Rookie of the Month.
Saint Francis U freshman Taya Zoubareva (Lake Bluff, IL/Lake Forest) also made an impressive debut, winning the #4 singles title at the Saint Joseph’s Invitational last weekend. She outlasted Drexel’s Alex Bell, 6-2, 4-6, 10-7, for the championship.
FDU Duo Stops Big Ten Tandem: FDU freshman Ksenija Tihomirova (Riga, Latvia) not only claimed a singles title in her first month of play, but she also teamed with sophomore Mariya Krachok (Kiev, Ukraine) to upend top-seeded Alexis Casati and Audrey O’Connor of Illinois in the round of 16 at the West Point Invitational.
New Blood: Both Saint Francis U (men and women) and Wagner (men) enter the 2013-14 campaign under new leadership. Rob Castille recently took over for the reigns for the Red Flash after seven seasons as men’s head coach at Duquesne. The Dukes won 71 matches over his final five seasons at the helm. Wagner turned over the keys to former Wake Forest standout Danny Kreyman. Kreyman racked up 105 singles wins (fourth in school history) and 77 doubles victories (tied for tenth) for the Demon Deacons from 2009-13. The All-ACC performer ranked as high as 90th in singles and 53rd in doubles as a senior a year ago.
Green & White Off And Running: The Wagner women are off to a 2-0 start with 6-1 wins over St. Francis Brooklyn and Rider last week. Freshman Sarah Dionisio (East Yaphank, NY/Longwood) won both her #2 flight singles matches in straight sets.
Sister Pair: The Mount St. Mary’s sister tandem of freshman Kelly and junior Jennifer Smith (Davenport, WA/Seton Home Study School) have won four of their last five doubles matches following an 0-2 start. The duo captured the top flight consolation bracket at the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational.
Bulldog Bite: Bryant freshman Ryan Brown (Austin, TX/Lake Travis) has posted a 3-1 singles record to start her Bulldog career, including a pair of wins at the Army Invitational.
Tennis HQ: For all the latest NEC tennis news, visit www.northeastconference.org. You can also follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Google+ (@NECsports) as well as the NEC Overtime! blog (necovertime.com).
Tweet Deck
@WagnerWTennis
Another win for Wagner today against Rider! Let go Seahawks!
@bryantbuzztap
Bryant Bulldogs (Official Site) >> Men’s tennis rolling at USTA Invite
@necsports
There’s even tennis today, too! “@MountAthletics: We are underway for day two of the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational! http://instagram.com/p/ePk5LkOXKI/ “
Quotable
Ron Genrdron (BRY Head Coach)
“Dana [Parziale] was truly exceptional over the weekend. He was able to not only maintain a great deal of poise over the course of the grueling three-day (Brown) tournament, but he excelled with multiple impressive wins.”
Jonathan Buchman (FDU Head Coach)
“It was great to see Arvis (Berzins) win his first NCAA tournament. He is very deserving of this championship, and it is a great start to this season.”
Jonathan Buchman (FDU Head Coach)
“For Ksenija (Tihomirova) to win this tournament in only her second NCAA competition is tremendous. She is a very talented player with the potential to have an excellent college career.”