Bearcats blank Siena 7-0 in men's tennis

VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's tennis (2-0) didn't drop a set en route to a 7-0 victory over visiting Siena Wednesday afternoon on the West Gym courts. The Bearcats captured all three doubles matches before steamrolling through the six singles matches in barely an hour.

"It was a good match," head coach Michael Starke said. "We played reasonably well with a fair among of intensity. There were some moments of quality tennis, and even a few glimpses of outstanding tennis. Everyone looked pretty good."

Freshman number one player Dan Hanegby (Herzliya, Israel) was strong, teaming with senior captain Steve Spencer (Plantation, Fla./Nova) for an 8-5 win at first doubles before posting a 6-1, 6-1 win at first singles. The former Israel junior champion improved to 5-0 in both singles and doubles this fall.

"Dan continues to impress," Starke said. "He has a big game, hits hard and moves fast. He plays relentless."

The Bearcats will face their stiffest test thus far this fall on the weekend when they compete at the eight-team Cornell Invitational Saturday and Sunday. There, BU will see players from the host Big Red, Yale and Army, along with America East rivals Stony Brook and UMBC. Starke is eager to see how his team stacks up.

"Cornell will be a test," he said. "We'll find out how good we really are - not just as a team but as individuals. Historically we finish in the bottom half of the eight teams at this event. Certainly any time you play Army, Cornell and Yale you are seeing top level players. This will also be a great preview of the upper echelon in our conference as well. In my estimation, Binghamton, Stony Brook and UMBC are the top three teams in the America East, so this will offer an early glimpse of where we stand."

FINAL RESULTS

DOUBLES
1. Hanegby/Spencer (BU) def. Michalisin/Roessler (S), 8-5
2. Mourad/Gerard (BU) def. Julia/Temple (S), 8-2
3. O'Connor/Vallabhaneni (BU) def. Cjieka/Snitchler (S), 8-1

SINGLES
1. Dan Hanegby (BU) def. Nick Julia (S), 6-1, 6-1
2. Richemn Mourad (BU) def. John Michalisin (S), 6-1, 7-5
3. Edwin Gerard (BU) def. Ed Roessler (S), 7-6, 6-4
4. Steve Spencer (BU) def. Mike Aliotta (S), 6-0, 6-0
5. Brian O'Connor (BU) def. Dustin Temple (S), 6-1, 6-0
6. Juan Garcia (BU) def. Shawn Kiernan (S), 6-1, 6-1