Hawks Come Up Short In NECC Tennis Finals

PAWCATUCK, Conn. – The Mitchell College Mariners won eight out of nine titles at the 2010 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Men’s Tennis Championship on Sunday at the Stonington High School Tennis Courts. Lesley University took the No. 5 singles flight to break-up the sweep.

The Mariners swept all three flights of doubles before winning all but one flight in singles. All seven Mitchell players who competed won in either doubles or singles and earned all-tournament honors.

The day started with three flights of doubles finals. The Mariners cruised to victory at the No. 1 flight against Becker, with sophomore Kyle Carmona (Norwich, Conn.) and freshman Rocco Devona (Waterford, Conn.) rolling to finals of 6-1 and 6-0. Sophomores Tyler Engleberg (Niantic, Conn.) and Alex Fusco (Saugus, Mass.) took care of business in the No. 3 flight, defeating Lesley’s squad by scores of 6-1 and 6-3.

The doubles match at the No. 2 flight was closely contested between Mitchell‘s Chris White (Marshfield, Mass.) and Adam Samuels (New Rochelle, N.Y.) and Lesley’s Christian Domingo (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Nick Mattox (Pasadena, Md.). The Mariners needed a third set to pull off the upset over the top-seeded Lesley team. After dropping the first set 3-6, White and Samuels rebounded to post 6-4, 6-4 victories in the final two sets to take the match.

The best singles match of the afternoon took place at the No. 5 flight between Samuels and Domingo, who each had little time to rest following their three-set showdown in doubles. Samuels won the first set 6-4 but Domingo answered back to take the second set by the same score. The two then battled in an epic third set, with Domingo jumping out to a 4-1 lead. Samuels fought his way back—saving two match points along the way—to go up 6-5 with a chance to serve for the win. In the following game, Domingo fought off three match points to send the contest to a tiebreaker, where he prevailed 7-2 for the victory.

No other singles match went to a third set. Carmona defeated Becker’s Charles Heard (Stratford, Conn.) by 6-4, 6-2 finals at the No. 1 flight while Devona posted a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Mattox at the No. 2 flight. Engleberg (6-2, 6-0) and White (6-0, 6-3) were each victorious at the No. 3 and 4 flight, respectively, while freshman Alamin Ripon rallied back from a 5-2 deficit in the first set to win 7-5, 6-1 over Becker’s Braden Parkhouse (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) at the No. 6 flight.

Following the matches individual awards were handed out by NECC Commissioner Del Malloy and Mitchell AD Mo White. The Mariners were also presented with a plaque for winning the NECC Championship by virtue of their undefeated regular season. Lesley University were also presented with their runners-up plaque.

2010 New England Collegiate Conference Men’s Tennis Championships

Hosted by Mitchell College, Pawcatuck, Conn. (Stonington High School)
Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2

Becker (BC), Lesley (LU), Mitchell (MC), Newbury (NC) and Wheelock (WC)

FINALS

SUNDAY, May 2

10:30 a.m.

DOUBLES

Flight One:

19. Kyle Carmona/Rocco Devona (MC, 10-0) def. Charles Heard/ Chris Parker (BC, 5-3) 6-1, 6-0 MC

Flight Two:

20. Christian Domingo/Nick Mattox (LU, 8-1) lost to Adam Samuels/Chris White (MC, 6-3) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 MC

Flight Three:

21. Tyler Engleberg/Alex Fusco (MC, 7-0) def. Tyler Reeves/Scott Wheeler (LU, 4-4) 6-1, 6-3 MC

12:30 p.m.
SINGLES

Flight One:
22.  Kyle Carmona (MC, 10-0) def. Charles Heard (BC, 6-4) 6-4, 6-3 MC

Flight Two:

23.  Rocco Devona (MC, 8-0) def. Nick Mattox (LU, 7-3) 6-2, 6-1 MC

Flight Three:

24. Tyler Engleberg (MC, 8-0) def. Benjamin Weiner (NC, 2-8) 6-2, 6-0 MC

Flight Four:

25. Chris White (MC, 8-0) def. Jake Gilbert (BC, 5-2) 6-0, 6-3 MC

Flight Five:

26. Christian Domingo (LU, 8-1) def. Adam Samuels (MC, 6-2) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) LU

Flight Six:

27. Alamin Ripon (MC, 8-0) def. Branden Parkhouse (BC, 3-6)7-5, 6-1 MC

SEMIFINALS

SATURDAY, May 1

1:00 P.M.

DOUBLES

Flight One:

1. #1 Doubles vs. #4 Doubles: Kyle Carmona/Rocco Devona (MC, 9-0) def. Wilson Chang/Robert Venning (WC, 3-4) 6-0, 6-2 MC
2. #2 Doubles vs. #2 Doubles:  Charles Heard/ Chris Parker (BC, 5-3) def. David Newton/Alex Zhitnik (LU, 4-4) 7-5, 6-2 BC

Flight Two:

3. #1 Doubles vs. #4 Doubles: Christian Domingo/Nick Mattox (LU, 8-0) def. Katherine Needham/Jessi Ritucci (WC 0-1) 6-1, 6-0 LU
4. #2 Doubles vs. #3 Doubles: Adam Samuels/Chris White (MC, 5-3) def. Mike Foley/Benjamin Weiner (NC 2-7) 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) MC

Flight Three:

5. #1 Doubles vs. #4 Doubles: Tyler Engleberg/Alex Fusco (MC, 6-0) def. Kevin Kareckas/Lauren Webber (WC, 2-4) 6-0, 6-1 MC
6. #2 Doubles vs. #3 Doubles: Tyler Reeves/Scott Wheeler (LU, 4-3) def. Matt Graham/Tim Howard (BC, 2-4) 7-5, 7-5 LU

2:00 p.m.
SINGLES

Flight One:
7. #1 Singles vs. #4 Singles: Kyle Carmona (MC, 9-0) def. Wilson Chang (WC, 2-7) 6-0, 6-3

8. #2 Singles vs. #2 Singles: Charles Heard (BC, 6-3) def. David Newton (LU, 5-4) 7-5, 6-2

Flight Two:

9. #1 Singles vs. #4 Singles: Rocco Devona (MC, 7-0) def. Robert Venning (WC, 2-7) 6-3, 6-0

10. #2 Singles vs. #3 Singles: Nick Mattox (LU, 7-2) def. Chris Parker (BC, 3-5) 6-0, 6-3

Flight Three:

11. #1 Singles vs. #4 Singles: Tyler Engleberg (MC, 7-0) def. Katherine Needham (WC, 1-8) 6-0, 6-3

12. #2 Singles vs. #3 Singles: Alex Zhitnik (LU, 6-3) lost to Benjamin Weiner (NC, 2-7) 7-6 (6-2), 6-1

Flight Four:

13. #1 Singles vs. #4 Singles: Chris White (MC, 7-0) def. Scott Wheeler (LU, 3-5) 6-4, 6-3

14. #2 Singles vs. #3 Singles: Jake Gilbert (BC, 5-1) def. Matt Talamantes (NC, 2-3) 6-2, 1-6, 6-2

Flight Five:

15. #1 Singles vs. #4 Singles: Christian Domingo (LU, 7-1) def. Mike Foley (NC, 2-3) 6-0, 6-4

16. #2 Singles vs. #3 Singles: Adam Samuels (MC, 6-1) def. Tim Howard (BC, 3-3) 7-6, 6-3

Flight Six:

17. #1 Singles vs. #4 Singles: Alamin Ripon (MC, 7-0) def. Lauren Webber (WC, 1-4) 6-1, 6-0

18. #2 Singles vs. #3 Singles: Tyler Reeves (LU, 5-1) lost to Branden Parkhouse (BC, 3-5) 6-4, 5-3 ret.